Tudor Watkins, Baron Watkins
Encyclopedia
Tudor Elwyn Watkins, Baron Watkins (9 May 1903 – 2 November 1983) was a Welsh
Labour Party
politician.
from 1917 until 1925, served as a Labour Party constituency agent
in Brecon and Radnorshire
from 1925 until 1933, and was the general secretary
to the Breconshire Association of Friendly Societies
from 1937 until 1948.
for Brecon and Radnorshire
from 1945
, winning all succeeding elections (including two consecutive defeats, in 1950 and 1951, of David Gibson-Watt
) until his retirement at the 1970 general election
. He strongly supported the Parliament for Wales campaign in the early 1950s, and was also a supporter of the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament
. He visited the Soviet Union
in 1961, and Patagonia
in 1965.
He is also credited with preserving the only known population of the lesser whitebeam (sorbus minima) which was endangered in 1947 by British Army mortar practice in and around its habitat, by raising the issue in the Commons, and inducing War Secretary
Frederick Bellenger
to order the Army to pull out of the area.
After retiring from the House of Commons he was given a life peerage on 10 May 1972 as Baron Watkins, of Glyntawe in the County of Brecon
.
.
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...
Labour Party
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...
politician.
Background
Watkins was born at Abercrave on 9 May 1903. He worked as a minerMiner
A miner is a person whose work or business is to extract ore or minerals from the earth. Mining is one of the most dangerous trades in the world. In some countries miners lack social guarantees and in case of injury may be left to cope without assistance....
from 1917 until 1925, served as a Labour Party constituency agent
Election agent
In elections in the United Kingdom, as well as in certain other similar political systems such as India's, an election agent is the person legally responsible for the conduct of a candidate's political campaign and to whom election material is sent to by those running the election. In elections in...
in Brecon and Radnorshire
Brecon and Radnorshire (UK Parliament constituency)
Brecon and Radnorshire is a county constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Created in 1918, it elects one Member of Parliament by the first past the post system of election; until 1997 its name was simply Brecon and Radnor.The Brecon and Radnorshire Welsh...
from 1925 until 1933, and was the general secretary
General secretary
-International intergovernmental organizations:-International nongovernmental organizations:-Sports governing bodies:...
to the Breconshire Association of Friendly Societies
Friendly society
A friendly society is a mutual association for insurance, pensions or savings and loan-like purposes, or cooperative banking. It is a mutual organization or benefit society composed of a body of people who join together for a common financial or social purpose...
from 1937 until 1948.
Service in Parliament
He was a Labour Member of ParliamentMember 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 Brecon and Radnorshire
Brecon and Radnorshire (UK Parliament constituency)
Brecon and Radnorshire is a county constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Created in 1918, it elects one Member of Parliament by the first past the post system of election; until 1997 its name was simply Brecon and Radnor.The Brecon and Radnorshire Welsh...
from 1945
United Kingdom general election, 1945
The United Kingdom general election of 1945 was a general election held on 5 July 1945, with polls in some constituencies delayed until 12 July and in Nelson and Colne until 19 July, due to local wakes weeks. The results were counted and declared on 26 July, due in part to the time it took to...
, winning all succeeding elections (including two consecutive defeats, in 1950 and 1951, of David Gibson-Watt
David Gibson-Watt
David Gibson-Watt, Baron Gibson-Watt MC & Two Bars was a British Conservative politician.Educated at Eton College and Trinity College, Cambridge, Gibson-Watt served in the Welsh Guards from 1939 to 1946, seeing action in the North African campaign and the Italian campaign. He was awarded the...
) until his retirement at the 1970 general election
United Kingdom general election, 1970
The United Kingdom general election of 1970 was held on 18 June 1970, and resulted in a surprise victory for the Conservative Party under leader Edward Heath, who defeated the Labour Party under Harold Wilson. The election also saw the Liberal Party and its new leader Jeremy Thorpe lose half their...
. He strongly supported the Parliament for Wales campaign in the early 1950s, and was also a supporter of the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament
Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament
The Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament is an anti-nuclear organisation that advocates unilateral nuclear disarmament by the United Kingdom, international nuclear disarmament and tighter international arms regulation through agreements such as the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty...
. He visited the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
in 1961, and Patagonia
Patagonia
Patagonia is a region located in Argentina and Chile, integrating the southernmost section of the Andes mountains to the southwest towards the Pacific ocean and from the east of the cordillera to the valleys it follows south through Colorado River towards Carmen de Patagones in the Atlantic Ocean...
in 1965.
He is also credited with preserving the only known population of the lesser whitebeam (sorbus minima) which was endangered in 1947 by British Army mortar practice in and around its habitat, by raising the issue in the Commons, and inducing War Secretary
Secretary of State for War
The position of Secretary of State for War, commonly called War Secretary, was a British cabinet-level position, first held by Henry Dundas . In 1801 the post became that of Secretary of State for War and the Colonies. The position was re-instated in 1854...
Frederick Bellenger
Frederick Bellenger
Captain Frederick John Bellenger was a British surveyor, journalist, soldier and Labour Party politician.-Soldier:...
to order the Army to pull out of the area.
After retiring from the House of Commons he was given a life peerage on 10 May 1972 as Baron Watkins, of Glyntawe in the County of Brecon
Brecon
Brecon is a long-established market town and community in southern Powys, Mid Wales, with a population of 7,901. It was the county town of the historic county of Brecknockshire; although its role as such was eclipsed with the formation of Powys, it remains an important local centre...
.
Death and legacy
He died on 2 November 1983. His papers are in the holdings of the National Library of WalesNational Library of Wales
The National Library of Wales , Aberystwyth, is the national legal deposit library of Wales; one of the Welsh Government sponsored bodies.Welsh is its main medium of communication...
.