Dame Juliet Evangeline Rhys-Williams, Lady Rhys-Williams, ( Glyn; 17 December 1898 – 18 September 1964) was a British writer and a

Liberal Party The Liberal Party is any of many political parties around the world. The meaning of ''liberal'' varies around the world, ranging from liberal conservatism on the right to social liberalism on the left. __TOC__ Active liberal parties This is a li ...

politician who previously joined the Liberal National Party.

Early life

As Juliette Evangeline Glyn, she was the daughter of Clayton Louis Glyn, a barrister, and his wife

Elinor Glyn Elinor Glyn ( Sutherland; 17 October 1864 – 23 September 1943) was a British novelist and scriptwriter who specialised in romantic fiction, which was considered scandalous for its time, although her works are relatively tame by modern stand ...

. She was educated in

Eastbourne Eastbourne () is a town and seaside resort in East Sussex, on the south coast of England, east of Brighton and south of London. Eastbourne is immediately east of Beachy Head, the highest chalk sea cliff in Great Britain and part of the la ...

, and joined the

Voluntary Aid Detachment The Voluntary Aid Detachment (VAD) was a voluntary unit of civilians providing nursing care for military personnel in the United Kingdom and various other countries in the British Empire. The most important periods of operation for these units we ...

aged 15. She began her career as

private secretary A private secretary (PS) is a civil servant in a governmental department or ministry, responsible to a secretary of state or minister; or a public servant in a royal household, responsible to a member of the royal family. The role exists in ...

to the Director of Training and Staff Duties at

the Admiralty The Admiralty was a department of the Government of the United Kingdom responsible for the command of the Royal Navy until 1964, historically under its titular head, the Lord High Admiral – one of the Great Officers of State. For much of it ...

in 1918, becoming private secretary to the Parliamentary Secretary,

Ministry of Transport A ministry of transport or transportation is a ministry responsible for transportation within a country. It usually is administered by the ''minister for transport''. The term is also sometimes applied to the departments or other government ag ...

, 1919–1920. She was working for Sir Rhys Rhys-Williams, 1st Baronet, and they were married in 1921. Subsequently she was often known as Lady Williams.

Political career

She contested the 1938 Pontypridd by-election as a Liberal National candidate. Her candidacy attracted popular attention because she decided to stand when her baby daughter was just 8 days old. As a supporter of the National Government she received the formal support of the local Conservative Association. In a two-way contest she polled 40% of the vote. From then on her political activities were in support of the official Liberal Party. In 1943 she became Honorary Secretary of the

Women's Liberal Federation The Women's Liberal Federation was an organisation that was part of the Liberal Party in the United Kingdom. History The Women's Liberal Federation (WLF) was formed on the initiative of Sophia Fry, who in 1886 called a meeting at her house of fi ...

. In 1944 she became Chairman of the Publications and Publicity Committee of the Liberal Party, serving for two years. She was a member of the Liberal Party's ruling Council. Her ideas on income tax reform were published by the Liberal Party. She contested the

1945 general election The following elections occurred in the year 1945. Africa * 1945 South-West African legislative election Asia * 1945 Indian general election Australia * 1945 Fremantle by-election Europe * 1945 Albanian parliamentary election * 1945 Bulgarian ...

as the Liberal Party candidate for Ilford North. She resigned after a disagreement on policy matters with her party's leaders. Lady Rhys-Williams was a member of the

Beveridge Committee The Beveridge Report, officially entitled ''Social Insurance and Allied Services'' (Command paper, Cmd. 6404), is a government report, published in November 1942, influential in the founding of the welfare state in the United Kingdom. It was draft ...

and unsuccessfully proposed a

Basic Income Universal basic income (UBI) is a social welfare proposal in which all citizens of a given population regularly receive an unconditional transfer payment, that is, without a means test or need to work. It would be received independently of a ...

in the form of a

negative income tax In economics, a negative income tax (NIT) is a system which reverses the direction in which tax is paid for incomes below a certain level; in other words, earners above that level pay money to the state while earners below it receive money, as ...

, as an alternative to the main, insurance based recommendation of the

Beveridge Report The Beveridge Report, officially entitled ''Social Insurance and Allied Services'' (Command paper, Cmd. 6404), is a government report, published in November 1942, influential in the founding of the welfare state in the United Kingdom. It was draft ...

Interests

Lady Rhys-Williams was interested in film, and involved in the development of colour film, taking out a patent in 1930, with Sydney George Short.

Family

Sir Rhys and Lady Rhys-Williams had four children; Brandon Rhys-Williams was the second son, and inherited the baronetcy, his elder brother having died in 1943.

Publications

*''Doctor Carmichael'' (1940), London: Herbert Jenkins *''Something to Look Forward to; a Suggestion for a New Social Contract'' (1943), London: Macdonald *''Family Allowances and Social Security'' (1944), Liberal Publication Department *''Taxation and Incentive'' (1953), New York: Oxford University Press *''A New Look at Britain's Economic Policy'' (1965), Harmondsworth: Penguin

References

External links

Papers of Juliet Rhys-Williams in the LSE archives
{{DEFAULTSORT:Rhys-Williams, Juliet Liberal Party (UK) parliamentary candidates National Liberal Party (UK, 1931) politicians British activists British women activists British writers Dames Commander of the Order of the British Empire Officers of the Order of St John 1898 births 1964 deaths Wives of baronets