Thomas Griffiths (politician)
Encyclopedia
Thomas Griffiths was a Welsh
trade union official and Labour Party politician, he was a Member of Parliament
for Pontypool
from 1918 to 1935.
, Wales
and was educated at the Melyn Voluntary School. In 1899 at the age of 32 Griffiths became a student at the newly opened Ruskin College in Oxford, England. In his home town he worked in the local steel industry and also served on Neath Town Council.
and in the 1918 General Election
he became the Member of Parliament
for Neath
. Between 1919 and 1925 he was a Labour Party Whip
and in 1924 he briefly became the Treasure of the King's Household
.
, England
on 4 February 1955.
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
trade union official and Labour Party politician, he was a Member of Parliament
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
for Pontypool
Pontypool (UK Parliament constituency)
Pontypool was a county constituency in the town of Pontypool in Monmouthshire. It returned one Member of Parliament to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, elected by the first past the post voting system....
from 1918 to 1935.
Early life
Griffiths was born in 1867 in NeathNeath
Neath is a town and community situated in the principal area of Neath Port Talbot, Wales, UK with a population of approximately 45,898 in 2001...
, Wales
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
and was educated at the Melyn Voluntary School. In 1899 at the age of 32 Griffiths became a student at the newly opened Ruskin College in Oxford, England. In his home town he worked in the local steel industry and also served on Neath Town Council.
Politics
He was appointed a Divisional Officer of Iron and Steel Trades ConfederationIron and Steel Trades Confederation
The Iron and Steel Trades Confederation was a British trade union for metal-workers and allied groups. It was formed on 1 January 1917 as a merger of existing steel-workers' unions and it is now part of Community.- History :...
and in the 1918 General Election
United Kingdom general election, 1918
The United Kingdom general election of 1918 was the first to be held after the Representation of the People Act 1918, which meant it was the first United Kingdom general election in which nearly all adult men and some women could vote. Polling was held on 14 December 1918, although the count did...
he became the Member of Parliament
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
for Neath
Neath
Neath is a town and community situated in the principal area of Neath Port Talbot, Wales, UK with a population of approximately 45,898 in 2001...
. Between 1919 and 1925 he was a Labour Party Whip
Whip (politics)
A whip is an official in a political party whose primary purpose is to ensure party discipline in a legislature. Whips are a party's "enforcers", who typically offer inducements and threaten punishments for party members to ensure that they vote according to the official party policy...
and in 1924 he briefly became the Treasure of the King's Household
Treasurer of the Household
The position of Treasurer of the Household is theoretically held by a household official of the British monarch, under control of the Lord Steward's Department, but is, in fact, a political office held by one of the government's Deputy Chief Whips in the House of Commons...
.
Private life
He married Mary Elizabeth Morgan in 1891 and they had a son and a daughter, he died aged 87 in OxfordOxford
The city of Oxford is the county town of Oxfordshire, England. The city, made prominent by its medieval university, has a population of just under 165,000, with 153,900 living within the district boundary. It lies about 50 miles north-west of London. The rivers Cherwell and Thames run through...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
on 4 February 1955.