Alfred Thomas, 1st Baron Pontypridd

Sir Alfred Thomas MP, circa 1906

Alfred Thomas, 1st Baron Pontypridd (16 September 1840 – 14 December 1927), was a Welsh Liberal Party politician.

Background and education

Born in Penylan, Cardiff, Wales, Thomas was educated at Weston School, near Bath. His father was Daniel Thomas, a contractor (offices in Grangetown, Cardiff), in whose business Thomas worked as a young man. He studied as a lay student at Regent's Park College under Joseph Angus.^[1]

Political career

Thomas became member of Cardiff Borough Council for Roath in 1875 and served on the council until 1886, being mayor in 1881-2. As mayor he was central to the decision to locate the University College of South Wales and Monmouthshire in Cardiff, rather than Swansea. He gave £1,000 towards the building fund. He was created a Freeman of the borough in 1887.

As a prominent public figure and through his nonconformist connections, Thomas began to be mentioned as a possible parliamentary candidate following the redistribution of seats in 1885 which led to the creation of additional constituencies in Glamorgan. In April 1885, Thomas was among six candidates nominated by the local Liberal Association for selection as candidate for the Rhondda constituency.^[2]

At the 1885 general election Thomas was elected Member of Parliament for East Glamorganshire, and represented the constituency until his retirement at the December 1910 general election. In 1891, Thomas, working with T. E. Ellis introduced the National Institutions (Wales) Bill, providing for a Secretary of State for Wales and a University of Wales, as well as a Welsh Parliament, to be located in Aberystwyth. The Bill did not secure a Second Reading. He was also involved with Cymru Fydd, serving as President of the Welsh National Federation, the body formed by the merger of Cymru Fydd and the North Wales Liberal Federation.

General Election 1895: East Glamorganshire Electorate 12,981
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	Alfred Thomas	6,055
	Conservative	C. J. Jackson	3,909
Majority			2,146
Turnout
	Liberal hold		Swing

He was elected Chairman of the Welsh Parliamentary Liberal Party in 1898.

General Election 25 September – 24 October 1900: East Glamorganshire [3]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	Alfred Thomas	6,994	63.2	N/A
	Conservative	H. Lindsay	4,080	36.8	N/A
Majority			2,914	26.3	N/A
Turnout			11,074	N/A	N/A
	Liberal hold		Swing	N/A

Thomas was knighted in 1902.^[4]

General Election 15 January – 20 February 1910: East Glamorganshire [5] Electorate 23,979
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	Sir Alfred Thomas	14,721	72.0
	Conservative	Frank Hall Gaskell	5,727	28.0
Majority			8,994	44.0
Turnout			20,448	85.3	N/A
	Liberal hold		Swing

He was raised to the peerage as Baron Pontypridd, of Cardiff in the County of Glamorgan, in 1912,^[6] with the motto "Bit Ben Bit Bont" (Let Him Be Himself the Bridge), a motto taken from the Mabinogion.

Other public positions

Apart from his political career Thomas was a Justice of the Peace for Cardiff and Glamorgan, Deputy Lieutenant for Glamorgan from December 1901,^[7] first President of the National Museum of Wales, President of Cardiff University and President of the Baptist Union of Wales for 1886. Thomas was a staunch Nonconformist, a member and deacon of Tabernacle Baptist Church, Cardiff. Despite his busy Parliamentary career, he made every effort to attend the mid-week prayer meeting, and combined his Parliamentary duties with the post of superintendent of the Sunday School, which he held for a generation. His election as a deacon of Tabernacle was one of his most prized honours, being conferred on him by those who knew him best. He composed hymn tunes and was committed to the cause of gospel temperance. He was involved in the 1904–1905 Welsh Revival.

Personal life

Lord Pontypridd never married and the title became extinct on his death in December 1927, aged 87. He left almost all of his estate, including his home, Bronwydd, Penylan, to the City of Cardiff. He is buried with his parents in Cathays Cemetery. Bronwydd Penylan no longer exists, having been demolished as part of the construction of Eastern Avenue, but a 'Bonwydd Close' nearby recalls its location.

References

1. "Baptist MPs in the Nineteenth Century" (PDF). Baptist Quarterly.
2. "The Rhondda Valley Liberal Three Hundred". Cardiff Times. 11 April 1885. Retrieved 16 May 2014.
3. The Times House of Commons Guide 1910, 1911, 1919, Poltico's Publishing Page 92 1910 Section
4. The London Gazette: no. 27494. p. 7165. 11 November 1902.
5. The Times House of Commons Guide 1910, 1911, 1919, Poltico's Publishing Page 92 1910 Section
6. The London Gazette: no. 28579. p. 972. 9 February 1912.
7. The London Gazette: no. 27383. p. 8648. 6 December 1901.

Bibliography

• Morgan, Kenneth O. (1960). "Democratic Politics in Glamorgan, 1884–1914". Morgannwg 4: 5–27.

Sources

• Alfred Thomas, Welsh Biography Online.
• 'Great Welshmen of Modern Days' by Sir Thomas Hughes.
• Thomas Family Monument, Cathays Cemetery, Cardiff
• Alfred Thomas Papers, Cardiff Central Library