Tuesday, 8 May 2018
1907 Thomas Lewis
Constituency : Pontypridd 1918-22, University of Wales 1922-23
Thomas was elected as a Coalition Liberal defeating Labour and a rogue Conservative who barely scraped 1% of the poll.
Thomas was the son of a Baptist minister from Pembrokeshire. He was educated at the County School, Porth and University College, Cardiff. He worked as a school teacher but in 1910 he moved to London and became private secretary to Freddie Guest. While working for Guest, he studied law and became a barrister. He served in Salonika from 1916 to 1918 and reached the rank of lieutenant.
Thomas was a supporter of Welsh Home Rule. He supported profit-sharing and co-partnership but opposed state socialism and was a member of the Liberal Anti-Nationalisation Committee. He became PPS to Guest.
In 1922 Thomas had to fight a by-election in order to become a whip. He was defeated by Labour whose campaign portrayed him as a war profiteer.
Thomas moved to the University of Wales seat for the 1922 election where he had a narrow victory over an Asquithian and Labour. He had to fight the campaign from a nursing home due to poor health.
Thomas did not fully recover and died in 1923 aged 41.
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