Constituency : Camberwell North 1900-18, Camberwell North West 1918-24
Thomas took Camberwell North from the Tories.
Thomas was born in Montreal, the son of an Irish soldier. The family returned to Britain when he was eight. He was educated in Wales and Exeter and then became a teacher. He taught in Exeter, Huddersfield and Bristol. He became editor of The Schoolmaster. He was at one time chairman of the School Board and in 1896 became president of the National Union Of Teachers. He contested Deptford in 1895.
Thomas campaigned for the introduction of school meals He claimed publicly subsidising starving children was "first rate imperialism". He was known in Parliament as "Fighting Mac". He was an accomplished platform speaker.
Campbell-Bannerman made him Parliamentary Secretary to the Local Government Board in 1907. Asquith moved him to Parliamentary and Financial Secretary to the Admiralty in 1908. He held the post until 1920 having become a Lloyd George supporter. In 1920 he joined the Cabinet as Minister of Labour.
Thomas was given the Coupon in 1918 and easily defeated a Unionist candidate in the new seat of Camberwell North West.
In 1919 Thomas accepted a speaking engagement for the Tory candidate in the Spen Valley by-election which John Simon was contesting for the Liberals. As a result of this he was repudiated by his local association and faced both Labour and Liberal opposition in the by-election consequent on him joining the Cabinet.. He won by 1,885 votes.He increased his majority in 1922 when faced by the same combination of opponents.
Thomas spoke at the Leamington Conference on reunification in 1920 when he was howled down.
Thomas held on by just 80 votes over Labour in 1923 when the Conservatives contested the seat. His luck ran out in 1924 when he came third. His daughter Elsie Elias also came third in Southwark East in that election.
Thomas got an early opportunity to return to Parliament at Walsall in 1925 but came second to the Conservatives. He stood there again in 1929 without success.
Thomas published a number of pamphlets throughout his political career. In 1926 Lloyd George said of him "Macnamara looks at the dark places in our modern organisation and says "Let's get things done " ". Their friendship continued after Thomas left politics.
He died of prostate cancer in 1931 aged 70.
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