Sir Robert John Thomas, 1st Baronet (23 April 1873 – 27 September 1951) was a Welsh businessman and Liberal Party politician, who was twice elected to Parliament.
Thomas was a ship and insurance broker.[1] In 1918 he was created a Baronet, of Garreglwyd in the County of Anglesey.[2][3]
Politics
editHe was elected at the 1918 general election as the Member of Parliament (MP) for the new constituency of Wrexham. Standing as a Liberal, with the official backing of the David Lloyd George led Coalition Government, he faced only a Labour Party opponent and won 76% of the votes.
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Liberal | Robert Thomas | 20,874 | 76.3 | n/a | |
| Labour | Hugh Hughes | 6,500 | 23.7 | n/a | |
| Majority | 14,374 | 52.6 | n/a | ||
| Turnout | 69.7 | n/a | |||
| Liberal win | |||||
At the 1922 general election he stood as a National Liberal Party candidate for Anglesey, losing by a margin of 9% to the sitting Labour MP Sir Owen Thomas.
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Labour | Owen Thomas | 11,929 | 54.2 | +3.8 | |
| National Liberal | Robert Thomas | 10,067 | 45.8 | −3.8 | |
| Majority | 1,862 | 8.4 | +7.6 | ||
| Turnout | 80.5 | ||||
| Labour hold | Swing | -3.8 | |||
However, Owen Thomas died in January 1923, and at the resulting by-election in April Robert Thomas won a 3-way contest with 53% of the votes, and a 23% majority over the second-placed Labour candidate.[6]
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Liberal | Robert Thomas | 11,116 | 53.3 | +7.5 | |
| Labour | Edward John | 6,368 | 30.5 | −23.7 | |
| Unionist | Richard Owen Roberts | 3,385 | 16.2 | n/a | |
| Majority | 22.8 | ||||
| Turnout | 76.4 | ||||
| Liberal gain from Labour | Swing | +15.6 | |||
He was returned unopposed at the general election in December 1923. He was returned by a majority of 28% over his Labour opponent at the election in 1924.
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Liberal | Robert Thomas | 13,407 | 63.9 | ||
| Labour | Cyril O Jones | 7,580 | 36.1 | ||
| Majority | 5,827 | 27.8 | |||
| Turnout | 74 | ||||
| Liberal hold | Swing | ||||
He stood down from Parliament at the 1929 general election.
Arms
edit
|
References
edit- ^ Kidd, Charles; Williamson, David (editors). Debrett's Peerage and Baronetage (1990 edition). New York: St Martin's Press, 1990, [page needed]
- ^ "No. 30876". The London Gazette. 30 August 1918. p. 10173.
- ^ Leigh Rayment's list of baronets
- ^ F W S Craig, British Parliamentary Election Results 1918-1949; Political Reference Publications, Glasgow 1949
- ^ F W S Craig, British Parliamentary Election Results 1918-1949; Political Reference Publications, Glasgow 1949
- ^ F W S Craig, British Parliamentary Election Results 1918-1949; Political Reference Publications, Glasgow 1949
- ^ F W S Craig, British Parliamentary Election Results 1918-1949; Political Reference Publications, Glasgow 1949
- ^ F W S Craig, British Parliamentary Election Results 1918-1949; Political Reference Publications, Glasgow 1949
- ^ Burke's Peerage. 1959.
Further reading
edit- Richards, Emlyn. Syr Robert John Thomas, y Garreglwyd (Sir Ifor Williams Memorial lecture.) Given in Anglesey, 31 October 1997
External links
edit
   | This article about a Member of the Parliament of the United Kingdom (since 1801), for a Welsh constituency is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |
 | This article about a Liberal Member of the Parliament of the United Kingdom is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |
 | This biography of a baronet in the baronetage of the United Kingdom is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |