Sir Edgar Rees Jones KBE MP (27 August 1878 – 16 June 1962)[1] was a Welsh barrister[2] and Liberal Party[3] politician. He was the Member of Parliament (MP) for Merthyr Tydfil from 1910 to 1918, and then for Merthyr from 1918 to 1922.[1] During World War I he served as head of the Priorities Division of the Ministry of Munitions.
Edgar Rees Jones | |
|---|---|
 Jones in about 1910 | |
| Member of Parliament for Merthyr Merthyr Tydfil (1910-1918) | |
| In office 1910 – 26 October 1922 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 27 August 1878 Gorwel, Rhondda, Wales |
| Died | 16 June 1962 |
| Political party | Liberal Party (until 1918) Coalition Liberal (after 1918) |
Biography
editEarly life and background
editEdgar Rees Jones was born on 27 August 1878, the son of the Baptist minister Morgan Humphrey Jones and Margaret Ann Jones of Gorwel, Rhondda.[4] A Welsh speaker, he was educated in law at the University of Wales[5] and Cardiff University College, receiving his Bachelor of Arts degree in 1900 and Master of Arts degree in 1903;[4] his MA thesis was on "Political theories in England in the Seventeenth Century".[6] In September 1919,[2] he married Lillian Eleanor May, daughter of George Brackley.[4] He was known to reside at 28 Westminster Mansions, Great Smith Street, Westminster.[2]
Career
editJones came to prominence during David Lloyd George's education revolt campaign in 1903,[6] and was elected at the January 1910 general election as one of the two Members of Parliament for Merthyr Tydfil.[7][8] He held that seat until the constituency was abolished at the 1918 general election, when he was elected as a Coalition Liberal for the new Merthyr division.[9] He did not stand for re-election in 1922, and although he stood in Salford South in 1923[10] and Gower in 1931,[11] he never returned to the House of Commons.
He was once a civil servant in the Ministry of Munitions and served as head of the Priorities Division of this ministry during World War I.[12][13][14] He was chairman of the National Food Canning Council (NFCC).[12]
Along with fellow Coalition Liberal Lewis Haslam of the Newport constituency, Jones played a minor role in the discussions behind the Government of Ireland Bill.[3] Haslam in particular was strongly opposed to giving the Irish Parliament control of its own taxes.[3]