Goronwy Owen (politician): Difference between revisions

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Owen was born at Penllwyn, [[Aberystwyth]]. He was educated at Ardwyn Grammar School and the [[University College of Wales, Aberystwyth]] where he gained an MA degree. He worked as a schoolteacher in London until 1914 but then joined the London Welsh Battalion (15th [[Royal Welch Fusiliers]]) as an officer. He served in France and was awarded the [[Distinguished Service Order]] in 1916. He was promoted to Brigade Major and twice mentioned in dispatches. By 1948 however he was being referred to as having achieved the rank of Lieutenant-Colonel.<ref>The Times, 15.10.48</ref> After the war, he was called to the Bar by [[GraysGray's Inn]] but the law was a subordinate interest to business and politics. He became a member of the [[London Stock Exchange]] and went into the oil business. He became president of British Controlled Oilfields which had interests in [[Venezuela]] and the [[Caribbean]] and was on the board of the Trinidad Petroleum Development Company as well as having interests in other commercial and trading companies.<ref name="The Times, 27 September 1963">The Times, 27 September 1963</ref>

Owen was elected as Liberal [[Member of Parliament (United Kingdom)|Member of Parliament]] (MP) for [[Caernarvonshire (UK Parliament constituency)|Caernarvonshire]] at the [[1923 United Kingdom general election, 1923|1923 general election]]. He defended the seat at the [[1929 United Kingdom general election, 1929|1929 general election]] as a Liberal, beating Labour, Conservative and Welsh Nationalistnationalist opposition with a majority of 3,460.<ref>[[A. J. Sylvester]], Colin Cross (ed.) ''Life with Lloyd George; The Diaries of A J Sylvester, 1931-45'', Macmillan, 1975 p46</ref> At the [[1931 United Kingdom general election, 1931|1931 election]] he was styled an Independent Liberal. He held his seat against Labour and two Nationalistnationalist opponents but by the much narrower majority of 694.<ref>Cross, op cit p46</ref> At the next election in [[1935 United Kingdom general election, 1935|1935]], Owen again stood as an Independent Liberal against Labour and Nationalistnationalist opposition, increasing his majority to 1,497.<ref>Cross, op cit p136</ref> At Labour’sLabour's landslide victory in the [[1945 United Kingdom general election, 1945|1945 general election]], he again had no Conservative candidate to contend with but he once more faced Labour and Welsh Nationalistnationalist challenge. He was beaten by the similarly named Labour candidate [[Goronwy Roberts, Baron Goronwy-Roberts|Goronwy Owen Roberts]] by a majority of over 6,000.<ref>[http://www.psr.keele.ac.uk/area/uk/ge45/i04.htm Not updated: UK General Election results: July 1945<!--]{{Dead Botlink|date=June generated2024 title|bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-->]attempted=yes }}</ref>

Goronwy Owen was distantly related to [[David Lloyd George]] by marriage;<ref>Mervyn Jones, ''A Radical Life: The Biography of Megan Lloyd George''; Hutchinson, 1991 p.92</ref> his wife Gladwyn, whom he married in 1925, was the sister of Edna, the wife of [[Gwilym Lloyd George]]. During the Liberal splits of the 1930s Owen was therefore part of Lloyd George’sGeorge's so-called 'family group' of four [[Independent Liberals (UK, 1931)|Independent Liberal]] MPs, which also comprised, Lloyd George, his daughter [[Lady Megan Lloyd George]], and his son Gwilym.<ref>The Times, 31.10.31</ref>{{sfn|Jones|1993|pp=326-7}} In August 1931 the Lloyd George family group initially supported the formation of the [[National Government (United Kingdom)|National government]]. Gwilym became a junior minister at the [[Board of Trade]] and Owen became a government [[Whip (politics)|whip]], taking the post of [[Comptroller of the Household]]. However they broke with the coalition over the issue of Free Trade and resigned their government posts in October.<ref>Cross, op cit pp 37 & 40</ref> For a brief time also in 1931 Owen was Liberal Chief Whip in the [[House of Commons of the United Kingdom|House of Commons]].<ref>David & Gareth Butler, ''British Political Facts, 1900-1994'', Macmillan 1994</ref> He was knighted in the New Years Honours List of 1944 for political and public services.<ref>The Times, 1.1.44</ref> The family group re-took the Liberal Whip immediately after the 1935 General Election.

Owen had a home in north Wales and played an active part in local and political life there. He was a councillor and Alderman of [[Caernarfonshire]] County Council, Chairman of the Agricultural Wages Committee for Caernarfonshire, [[Anglesey]], [[Merionethshire]] and [[Montgomeryshire]]. He was a [[magistrate]] and [[deputy lieutenant]] for Caernarfonshire.<ref name="The Times, 27 September 1963"/> He was also sometime president of the North Wales Liberal Federation.<ref>The Liberal Yearbook, 1938 p.10</ref> Owen was sometime Chairman of Caernarvonshire and Anglesey Territorial and Auxiliary Forces Association and County Army Welfare Officer. He was Chairman of Gwynedd Police Authority from 1955–561955 to 1956, havinhaving served as Vice-Chairman from 1954–551954 to 1955).<ref>''Who was Who'', OUP 2007</ref>

{{Reflist|30em}}

| title = [[Member of Parliament (United Kingdom)|Member of Parliament]] for [[Caernarvonshire (UK Parliament constituency)|Caernarvonshire]]

| years = [[1923 United Kingdom general election, 1923|1923]]–[[1945 United Kingdom general election, 1945|1945]]

| before = [[Robert Jones (Labour politician)|Robert Thomas Jones]]

[[Category:UK MPs 1924–291923–1924]]

[[Category:UK MPs 1929–311924–1929]]

[[Category:UK MPs 1931–351929–1931]]

[[Category:UK MPs 1935–451931–1935]]