William Pritchard Morgan
Encyclopedia
William Pritchard Morgan (1844–1924) was a Welsh solicitor, mine owner, and company promoter. He acquired the gold mine at Gwynfynydd
in 1887, earning the name "Welsh gold king". He was also actively publicised as an investor in Sichuan
, China.
He was born in Newport, Monmouthshire, the son of a clergyman. In early life he was a solicitor in Queensland
, Australia, having been articled at Ipswich
and Maryborough
. He then speculated in mining shares.
He was a Liberal Member of Parliament
for Merthyr Tydfil
, from 1888 to 1900, when he was defeated, losing his seat to Keir Hardie
. The constituency had two members, the other being the Liberal David Alfred Thomas, 1st Viscount Rhondda: there was antagonism between the two Liberals, however, and in 1900 Thomas backed Hardie. A major political issue between them was attitude to the Second Boer War
, supported by Morgan who was on the Liberal imperialist wing of the party. He was in favour of Welsh disestablishment, making a lengthy parliamentary speech on a resolution in 1891.
Gwynfynydd
Gwynfynydd Gold Mine near Ganllwyd, Dolgellau, Gwynedd, Wales, was discovered in 1860. It was active until 1998 and has produced 45,000+ troy ounces of Welsh gold since 1884. The Queen was presented with a kilogram of Welsh gold on her 60th birthday from this mine...
in 1887, earning the name "Welsh gold king". He was also actively publicised as an investor in Sichuan
Sichuan
' , known formerly in the West by its postal map spellings of Szechwan or Szechuan is a province in Southwest China with its capital in Chengdu...
, China.
He was born in Newport, Monmouthshire, the son of a clergyman. In early life he was a solicitor in Queensland
Queensland
Queensland is a state of Australia, occupying the north-eastern section of the mainland continent. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Australia and New South Wales to the west, south-west and south respectively. To the east, Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean...
, Australia, having been articled at Ipswich
Ipswich
Ipswich is a large town and a non-metropolitan district. It is the county town of Suffolk, England. Ipswich is located on the estuary of the River Orwell...
and Maryborough
Maryborough, Queensland
Maryborough is a city located on the Mary River in South East Queensland, Australia, approximately north of the state capital, Brisbane. The city is serviced by the Bruce Highway, and has a population of approximately 22,000 . It is closely tied to its neighbour city Hervey Bay which is...
. He then speculated in mining shares.
He was a 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 Merthyr Tydfil
Merthyr Tydfil (UK Parliament constituency)
Merthyr Tydfil was a parliamentary constituency centred on the town of Merthyr Tydfil in Glamorgan. From 1832 to 1868 it returned one Member of Parliament to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, and in 1868 this was increased to two members...
, from 1888 to 1900, when he was defeated, losing his seat to Keir Hardie
Keir Hardie
James Keir Hardie, Sr. , was a Scottish socialist and labour leader, and was the first Independent Labour Member of Parliament elected to the Parliament of the United Kingdom...
. The constituency had two members, the other being the Liberal David Alfred Thomas, 1st Viscount Rhondda: there was antagonism between the two Liberals, however, and in 1900 Thomas backed Hardie. A major political issue between them was attitude to the Second Boer War
Second Boer War
The Second Boer War was fought from 11 October 1899 until 31 May 1902 between the British Empire and the Afrikaans-speaking Dutch settlers of two independent Boer republics, the South African Republic and the Orange Free State...
, supported by Morgan who was on the Liberal imperialist wing of the party. He was in favour of Welsh disestablishment, making a lengthy parliamentary speech on a resolution in 1891.