{{Short description|British politician (1878–1962)}} {{Use British English|date=September 2014}} {{Use dmy dates|date=April 2026}} {{Infobox officeholder | honorific_prefix = Sir | name = Edgar Rees Jones | honorific_suffix = {{postnominals|country=GBR|KBE|MP|size=100%}} | image = Edgar Rees Jones.jpg | caption = Jones in about 1910
| constituency_MP = Merthyr<br />{{small|Merthyr Tydfil (1910-1918)}} | term_start = 1910 | term_end = 26 October 1922 | birth_date = 27 August 1878 | birth_place = Gorwel, Rhondda, Wales | death_date = 16 June 1962 | party = Liberal Party {{small|(until 1918)}}<br /> Coalition Liberal {{small|(after 1918)}} }}
'''Sir Edgar Rees Jones''' {{post-nominals|country=GBR|size=100%|KBE|MP}} (27 August 1878 – 16 June 1962)<ref name="rayment">{{Rayment-hc|m|2|date=March 2012}}</ref> was a Welsh barrister<ref name="Lachlan">{{cite book|author=Macbean, Lachlan|title=The Celtic who's who: names and addresses of workers who contribute to Celtic literature, music or other cultural activities, along with other information|url=https://archive.org/details/celticwhoswhonam01macb|publisher=Fifeshire Advertiser|year=1921}}</ref> and Liberal Party<ref name="Tanner">{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=izWk161vc9sC&pg=PA75|author=Tanner, Duncan|title=Debating nationhood and governance in Britain, 1885–1945: perspectives from the 'four nations'|publisher=Manchester University Press|page=75|year=2006|isbn=0-7190-7166-6}}</ref> politician. He was the Member of Parliament (MP) for Merthyr Tydfil from 1910 to 1918, and then for Merthyr from 1918 to 1922.<ref name="rayment" /> During World War I he served as head of the Priorities Division of the Ministry of Munitions.
==Biography==
===Early life and background=== Edgar Rees Jones was born on 27 August 1878, the son of the Baptist minister Morgan Humphrey Jones and Margaret Ann Jones of Gorwel, Rhondda.<ref name="Debrett's">{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=sKxJAAAAYAAJ&q=Edgar+Rees+Jones|title=Debrett's House of Commons, and the Judicial Bench|year=1922|page=89|last1=Mair|first1=Robert Henry}}</ref> A Welsh speaker, he was educated in law at the University of Wales<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=T-IgAAAAMAAJ&q=Edgar+Rees+Jones|author=Grant, Raymond|title=The parliamentary history of Glamorgan, 1542–1976|publisher=Davies, C.|page=71|year=1978|isbn=0-7154-0381-8}}</ref> and Cardiff University College, receiving his Bachelor of Arts degree in 1900 and Master of Arts degree in 1903;<ref name="Debrett's"/> his MA thesis was on "Political theories in England in the Seventeenth Century".<ref name="times-guide-1910">{{cite book |title=The Times House of Commons 1910 |edition=2nd |orig-year=1910 |year=2010 |isbn=978-1-84275-034-6 |publisher=Methuen |location=London |page=89 }}</ref> In September 1919,<ref name="Lachlan"/> he married Lillian Eleanor May, daughter of George Brackley.<ref name="Debrett's"/> He was known to reside at 28 Westminster Mansions, Great Smith Street, Westminster.<ref name="Lachlan"/>
===Career=== Jones came to prominence during David Lloyd George's education revolt campaign in 1903,<ref name="times-guide-1910" /> and was elected at the January 1910 general election as one of the two Members of Parliament for Merthyr Tydfil.<ref name="craig1885-1918">{{cite book |last=Craig |first=F. W. S. |author-link= F. W. S. Craig |title=British parliamentary election results 1885–1918 |orig-year=1974 |edition= 2nd |year=1989 |publisher= Parliamentary Research Services |location=Chichester |isbn= 0-900178-27-2 |page=458 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://cynonvalleyhistorysociety.org/timeline/chron.html|title=A Chronology of the History of the Cynon Valley to c.1960|publisher=Cynon Valley History Society|accessdate=9 August 2010}}</ref> He held that seat until the constituency was abolished at the 1918 general election, when he was elected as a Coalition Liberal for the new Merthyr division.<ref name="craig1918-1949">{{cite book |last=Craig |first=F. W. S. |author-link= F. W. S. Craig |title=British parliamentary election results 1918–1949 |orig-year=1969 |edition=3rd |year=1983 |publisher= Parliamentary Research Services |location=Chichester |isbn= 0-900178-06-X |page=538 }}</ref> He did not stand for re-election in 1922, and although he stood in Salford South in 1923<ref>Craig, ''British parliamentary election results 1918–1949'', p. 232</ref> and Gower in 1931,<ref>Craig, ''British parliamentary election results 1918–1949'', p. 558</ref> he never returned to the House of Commons.
He was once a civil servant in the Ministry of Munitions and served as head of the Priorities Division of this ministry during World War I.<ref name="Phillips & French">{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=HYumkNK0YEMC&pg=PA29 |author1=Phillips, Jim |author2=French, Michael |title=Cheated not poisoned?: food regulation in the United Kingdom, 1875–1938|publisher=Manchester University Press|year=2000|page=29|isbn=9780719056055 }}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=YfflAAAAMAAJ |title=The Independent, Volume 106|publisher=Independent Publications|year=1921}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=xrbmAAAAMAAJ |author=Saunders, W.L.|title=Compressed air magazine, Volume 27|year=1922}}</ref> He was chairman of the National Food Canning Council (NFCC).<ref name="Phillips & French"/>
Along with fellow Coalition Liberal Lewis Haslam of the Newport constituency, Jones played a minor role in the discussions behind the Government of Ireland Bill.<ref name="Tanner"/> Haslam in particular was strongly opposed to giving the Irish Parliament control of its own taxes.<ref name="Tanner"/>
==References== {{Reflist|colwidth=35em}}
==External links== *{{Hansard-contribs|mr-edgar-jones|Edgar Rees Jones}} * {{Gutenberg author | id=35090| name=Edgar Rees Jones}} * {{Internet Archive author |sname=Edgar Rees Jones |sopt=t}} * [https://www.npg.org.uk/collections/search/person/mp131725/sir-edgar-rees-jones Sir Edgar Rees Jones] at the National Portrait Gallery
{{S-start}} {{s-par|uk}} {{s-bef|before = D. A. Thomas<br />Keir Hardie}} {{s-ttl |title = Member of Parliament for Merthyr Tydfil |years = 1910–1918 |with = Keir Hardie to 1915 |with2 = Charles Stanton from 1915 }} {{s-non|reason = Constituency abolished}}
{{s-new|constituency}} {{s-ttl |title = Member of Parliament for Merthyr |years = 1918–1922 }} {{s-aft|after = R. C. Wallhead}} {{S-end}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Jones, Edgar Rees}} Category:1878 births Category:1962 deaths Category:Welsh barristers Category:UK MPs 1910 Category:UK MPs 1910–1918 Category:UK MPs 1918–1922 Category:Liberal Party (UK) MPs for Welsh constituencies Category:Alumni of the University of Wales Category:People from Rhondda Category:Knights Commander of the Order of the British Empire