Thomas Jeremiah Williams
Encyclopedia
Thomas Jeremiah Williams (1872 - 12 June 1919) was a Welsh barrister
and Liberal
politician.
who was Liberal Member of Parliament
for the Swansea District
from 1893-1895. He was educated at University College School, London, Sheffield Technical College and Firth College. In 1912 he married Laura Alice Marlow of Southport
. They had one daughter Gwenith Alice Thomas (née Williams) 22/10/1913 - 11/01/2008.
as Liberal candidate in the Gower
constituency in West Glamorgan
. Although Gower had been a Liberal seat and 1906 was a landslide election year for the Liberals, Williams was beaten by 299 votes by Labour
candidate John Williams
in a three-cornered contest with the Unionist
, E Holme, in third place.
Williams did not contest a seat at either of the general elections of 1910 but was adopted for his father’s old seat of Swansea District for a by-election
there on 6 February 1915 when the sitting MP, David Brynmor Jones
was appointed a judge. He held the seat for the Coalition. Swansea District constituency was abolished in 1918 but Williams was adopted as Coalition Liberal candidate for the new Swansea East
seat at the 1918 general election
. He won the seat in a straight fight with Labour
candidate David Williams
.
at his home in Maesygwernen Hall near Swansea. In the by-election
which his death caused, his seat was held for the Coalition Liberals by David Matthews
.
Barrister
A barrister is a member of one of the two classes of lawyer found in many common law jurisdictions with split legal professions. Barristers specialise in courtroom advocacy, drafting legal pleadings and giving expert legal opinions...
and Liberal
Liberal Party (UK)
The Liberal Party was one of the two major political parties of the United Kingdom during the 19th and early 20th centuries. It was a third party of negligible importance throughout the latter half of the 20th Century, before merging with the Social Democratic Party in 1988 to form the present day...
politician.
Family and Education
Thomas Jeremiah Williams was the eldest son of William WilliamsWilliam Williams (Swansea MP)
William Williams was a Welsh businessman and Liberal party politician.Williams started work as a boy on the cold rolling lines of the Upper Forest Tinplate Works, Morriston, Swansea. His leg was crushed in the mills, requiring amputation. He returned to work after the accident as a clerk in the...
who was Liberal 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 the Swansea District
Swansea District (UK Parliament constituency)
Swansea District or Swansea District of Boroughs was a borough constituency. It was represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom...
from 1893-1895. He was educated at University College School, London, Sheffield Technical College and Firth College. In 1912 he married Laura Alice Marlow of Southport
Southport
Southport is a seaside town in the Metropolitan Borough of Sefton in Merseyside, England. During the 2001 census Southport was recorded as having a population of 90,336, making it the eleventh most populous settlement in North West England...
. They had one daughter Gwenith Alice Thomas (née Williams) 22/10/1913 - 11/01/2008.
Career
Williams was involved in technical and commercial training. He was director of a number of companies, principally in the tinplate industry but also with interests in the colliery and railway sectors. He qualified for the law, practising at the Bar on the South Wales and Chester Circuit.Politics
Williams first stood for Parliament at the 1906 general electionUnited Kingdom general election, 1906
-Seats summary:-See also:*MPs elected in the United Kingdom general election, 1906*The Parliamentary Franchise in the United Kingdom 1885-1918-External links:***-References:*F. W. S. Craig, British Electoral Facts: 1832-1987**...
as Liberal candidate in the Gower
Gower (UK Parliament constituency)
Gower is a county constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elects one Member of Parliament , using the first-past-the-post voting system....
constituency in West Glamorgan
West Glamorgan
West Glamorgan is a preserved county and former administrative county of Wales, one of the divisions of the ancient county of Glamorgan.West Glamorgan was created on 1 April 1974, by the Local Government Act 1972 from the county borough of Swansea, the municipal boroughs of Neath and Port Talbot,...
. Although Gower had been a Liberal seat and 1906 was a landslide election year for the Liberals, Williams was beaten by 299 votes by Labour
Labour Party (UK)
The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after...
candidate John Williams
John Williams (Welsh politician)
John Williams was a Welsh Labour Party politician.Williams was a Miners Agent, a close associate of William Abraham and a prominent Liberal-Labour politician....
in a three-cornered contest with the Unionist
Conservative Party (UK)
The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
, E Holme, in third place.
Williams did not contest a seat at either of the general elections of 1910 but was adopted for his father’s old seat of Swansea District for a by-election
By-election
A by-election is an election held to fill a political office that has become vacant between regularly scheduled elections....
there on 6 February 1915 when the sitting MP, David Brynmor Jones
David Brynmor Jones
Sir David Brynmor Jones was a British barrister, historian and Liberal Member of Parliament.David Brynmor Jones was born in 1851 in Swansea, the first of the six children of Revd. Thomas Jones, a Congregationalist minister, and Jane Jones. His younger siblings were Annie, John Viriamu Jones Sir...
was appointed a judge. He held the seat for the Coalition. Swansea District constituency was abolished in 1918 but Williams was adopted as Coalition Liberal candidate for the new Swansea East
Swansea East (UK Parliament constituency)
Swansea East is a borough constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom.- Boundaries :The constituency comprises the electoral wards of Bonymaen, Cwmbwrla, Landore, Llansamlet, Morriston, Mynydd-Bach, Penderry, and St.Thomas...
seat at 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 won the seat in a straight fight with Labour
Labour Party (UK)
The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after...
candidate David Williams
David Williams (Swansea politician)
David Williams was a Welsh Labour Party politician. The second son of David and Mary Williams, his father worked at the local Kilvey Copper Works. Williams received little education before entering service in 1877 as a pageboy for the Genfell family of Kilvey, Swansea, owners of the copper works...
.
Death
Williams died on 12 June 1919 at the young age of 47 years after a long illness from colitisColitis
In medicine, colitis refers to an inflammation of the colon and is often used to describe an inflammation of the large intestine .Colitides may be acute and self-limited or chronic, i.e...
at his home in Maesygwernen Hall near Swansea. In the by-election
Swansea East by-election, 1919
The Swansea East by-election, 1919 was a parliamentary by-election held for the British House of Commons constituency of Swansea East on 10 July 1919....
which his death caused, his seat was held for the Coalition Liberals by David Matthews
David Matthews (Liberal politician)
David Matthews was a Liberal Party politician in the United Kingdom.-Parliamentary politics:Matthews was elected as a Coalition Liberal Member of Parliament for Swansea East at a by-election in 1919 following the death of the Liberal MP Thomas Jeremiah Williams...
.