Thomas Richards (Welsh politician)

For other people named Thomas Richards, see Thomas Richards (disambiguation).

File:Thomas Richards 1905.JPG

Thomas Richards in the mid-1900s

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

Richards was first elected as Liberal Member of Parliament (MP) for West Monmouthshire at a by-election in 1904. 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.

He was made a Privy Councillor in 1918. General Secretary of the South Wales Miners' Federation 1898–1931 and President of the Miners' Federation of Great Britain 1929–30.

References

• 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 by Sir William Vernon Harcourt	Member of Parliament for West Monmouthshire 1904–1918	constituency abolished
New constituency	Member of Parliament for Ebbw Vale 1918–1920	Succeeded by Evan Davies
Trade union offices
Preceded by New position	President of the South Wales Miners Federation 1898–1931	Succeeded by Oliver Harris
Preceded by Stephen Walsh	Vice-President of the Miners' Federation of Great Britain 1924–1929	Succeeded by Ebby Edwards
Preceded by Herbert Smith	President of the Miners' Federation of Great Britain 1929–1930	Succeeded by Ebby Edwards