“Alfred Thomas, 1st Lord Pontypridd (1840-1927),” by Sir William Goscombe John

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Alfred Thomas, 1st Lord Pontypridd (1840-1927)

William Goscombe John

1902

Marble

74.0 cm

National Museum Cardiff [Amgueddfa Genedlaethol Caerdydd]

Acquired: 1923; Gift of Lord Pontypridd

Accession Number: NMW A 382

Born in Cardiff as the son of a building contractor, Thomas combined working in his father's business with a very active public life: elected to Cardiff borough council in 1875, he became mayor in 1881-2. [Commentary continues below.]

Photograph (by kind permission of the museum), caption, and formatting by Jacqueline Banerjee.

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Subsequently elected MP for the new constituency of East Glamorgan from 1885-1910, Thomas was granted the freedom of the borough in 1887, and became chairman of the Welsh Parliamentary Liberal Party in 1898. He was also justice of the peace for Cardiff and Glamorgan, and deputy-lieutenant for Glamorgan. He strongly supported the establishment of the University College at Cardiff, later becoming its president — as well as the first president of the National Museum Cardiff [Amgueddfa Genedlaethol Caerdydd], and president of the Welsh Baptist Union from 1886. He was knighted in 1902, and raised to the peerage in 1912, becoming Baron Pontypridd.

Perhaps unsurprisingly in view of this extremely active public life, Lord Pontypridd remained unmarried. He looks resolute but genial here: a friend of Lloyd George, he was a Welshman passionate about his country and particularly about Cardiff, and one who, like Lloyd George, had the interests of the Welsh working men at heart — just as an example, he "was prominent in co-ordinating relief for the families of those killed in colliery accidents" (Charmley). He died on 14 December 1927.

Bibliography

Charmley, G. "Thomas, Alfred, Baron Pontypridd (1840–1927), politician." Oxford Dictionary of National Biography. Online ed. Web. 11 August 2019.

Owens, B. G. Thomas, Alfred, Baron Pontypridd (1840 - 1927), of Bronwydd, Cardiff. Dictionary of Welsh Biography. Online ed. Web. 11 August 2019.

Created 11 August 2019