Thomas Richards (Welsh politician)

Welsh trade unionist and politician (1859–1931) For other people named Thomas Richards, see Thomas Richards (disambiguation).

Thomas Richards PC (8 June 1859 – 7 November 1931) was a Welsh trade unionist and politician.

Born in Beaufort, Richards was educated at the Beaufort British School, before becoming a coal miner at the age of twelve. In 1884, he was the main founder of the Ebbw Vale and Sirhowy Colliery Workmen's Association, serving as its secretary and agent. The association became part of the South Wales Miners' Federation in 1898, Richards continuing as agent of its Ebbw Vale District until 1901, while also becoming the first general secretary of the SWMF.

Richards was a supporter of the Liberal-Labour movement, and was elected to Monmouthshire County Council in 1904. That year, he won a by-election to become Member of Parliament for West Monmouthshire. In 1909, he was instructed by his trade union to resign the Liberal whip and take the Labour whip and at both the 1910 General Elections he stood as a Labour candidate. He held the seat until its abolition at the 1918 general election, when he was elected for the new Ebbw Vale constituency. He resigned from Parliament in 1920.

Out of Parliament, Richards devoted his time to the SWMF, and the Miners' Federation of Great Britain (MFGB). He represented them on the General Council of the Trades Union Congress from 1925, and served as President of the MFGB from 1929 to 1930.

Richards was made a Privy Councillor in 1918.

References

^ Stenton, Michael; Lees, Stephen (1979). Who's Who of British Members of Parliament. Vol. III. Brighton: Harvester Press. p. 302. ISBN 0855273259.

Leigh Rayment's Peerage Pages

External links

Hansard 1803–2005: contributions in Parliament by Thomas Richards
Archives Network Wales – Thomas Richards

Parliament of the United Kingdom
Preceded bySir William Vernon Harcourt	Member of Parliament for West Monmouthshire 1904–1918	constituency abolished
New constituency	Member of Parliament for Ebbw Vale 1918–1920	Succeeded byEvan Davies
Trade union offices
Preceded byNew position	Agent for the Ebbw Vale District of the South Wales Miners' Federation 1898–1899	Succeeded byWilliam Vyce
Preceded byNew position	Secretary of the South Wales Miners Federation 1898–1931	Succeeded byOliver Harris
Preceded byStephen Walsh	Vice-President of the Miners' Federation of Great Britain 1924–1929	Succeeded byEbby Edwards
Preceded byHerbert Smith	President of the Miners' Federation of Great Britain 1929–1930	Succeeded byEbby Edwards

v t e Miners' Federation of Great Britain (MFGB) and National Union of Mineworkers (NUM)
Presidents	1889 Pickard 1904 En. Edwards 1912 Smillie 1922 Smith 1929 Richards 1931 Eb. Edwards 1932 Lee 1934 J. Jones 1939 Lawther 1954 E. Jones 1960 Machen 1960 Ford 1971 Gormley 1982 Scargill 2002 Lavery 2012 Wilson
Vice-Presidents	1889 Woods 1909 Smillie 1912 Harvey 1914 House 1917 Smith 1922 Walsh 1924 Richards 1929 Eb. Edwards 1931 Lee 1932 J. Jones 1933 Davies 1934 Lawther 1939 Bowman 1950 E. Jones 1954 T. Jones 1961 Collindridge 1963 Bullough 1969 Schofield 1973 McGahey 1987 Thompson 1989 Vacant 1992 Cave 2002 Stanley 2010 Wilson 2012 Thomas
General Secretaries	1889 Ashton 1919 Hodges 1924 Cook 1932 Eb. Edwards 1946 Horner 1959 Paynter 1968 Daly 1984 Heathfield 1992 Scargill 1992 Vacant? 2002 Kemp 2007 Kitchen
Treasurers	1889 En. Edwards 1904 Abraham 1918 Robson 1921 Richardson
Affiliates and areas	Bristol Cleveland Cokemen Colliery Officials and Staffs Cumberland Derbyshire Durham Forest of Dean Kent Lancashire and Cheshire Leicestershire Midland Counties (Cannock Chase North Staffordshire Old Hill Pelsall Shropshire Warwickshire West Bromwich) Northumberland North Wales Nottinghamshire Scotland (Ayrshire Fife and Kinross Lanarkshire Mid and East Lothian Mid and West Lothian Stirling) Somerset South Derbyshire South Wales Yorkshire
Strikes	1893 1912 1926 1969 1972 1974 1984–1985

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