Aubrey Jones (20 November 1911 – 10 April 2003)
was a British
Conservative
Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy and ideology that seeks to promote and preserve traditional institutions, customs, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civiliza ...
politician who served as
Member of Parliament for
Birmingham Hall Green from 1950 to 1965.
Early life
Jones was born in
Penydarren. He attended Cyfarthfa Castle Secondary School in
Merthyr Tydfil
Merthyr Tydfil () is the main town in Merthyr Tydfil County Borough, Wales, administered by Merthyr Tydfil County Borough Council. It is about north of Cardiff. Often called just Merthyr, it is said to be named after Tydfil, daughter of K ...
and later graduated with a first-class degree from the
London School of Economics, where he won the Gladstone Memorial Prize.
During his time at university he joined the
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. For example, while the political systems ...
, only to leave "after having heard a speech by
Sir Archibald Sinclair." Soon after graduation he found employment as a "secretary-cum-research assistant" to the
Foreign Secretary,
Sir John Simon. He was to undertake further work as a research assistant at the
League of Nations
The League of Nations (LN or LoN; , SdN) was the first worldwide intergovernmental organisation whose principal mission was to maintain world peace. It was founded on 10 January 1920 by the Paris Peace Conference (1919–1920), Paris Peace ...
in
Geneva
Geneva ( , ; ) ; ; . is the List of cities in Switzerland, second-most populous city in Switzerland and the most populous in French-speaking Romandy. Situated in the southwest of the country, where the Rhône exits Lake Geneva, it is the ca ...
before moving on to journalism. An initial stint as a reporter for the ''
Western Mail'' led, in 1937, to his recruitment by ''
The Times
''The Times'' is a British Newspaper#Daily, daily Newspaper#National, national newspaper based in London. It began in 1785 under the title ''The Daily Universal Register'', adopting its modern name on 1 January 1788. ''The Times'' and its si ...
'', where he worked firstly as a sub-editor and then, two years later, as a correspondent in
Berlin
Berlin ( ; ) is the Capital of Germany, capital and largest city of Germany, by both area and List of cities in Germany by population, population. With 3.7 million inhabitants, it has the List of cities in the European Union by population withi ...
.
[Goodman, Geoffrey, "Jones, Aubrey (1911–2003)", ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'', Oxford University Press, 2009; online edition, January 2007. .] Following the outbreak of the
Second World War
World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
he was recruited into the
Intelligence Corps and soon transferred to Section V of the
Secret Intelligence Service.
[ He was posted to ]Bari
Bari ( ; ; ; ) is the capital city of the Metropolitan City of Bari and of the Apulia Regions of Italy, region, on the Adriatic Sea in southern Italy. It is the first most important economic centre of mainland Southern Italy. It is a port and ...
after the Allied invasion of Italy.
Career
At the 1950 general election, he was elected as the first Member of Parliament (MP) for the new constituency of Birmingham Hall Green. He was Minister of Fuel and Power from 1955 to 1957, and the last Minister of Supply
Minister may refer to:
* Minister (Christianity), a Christian cleric
** Minister (Catholic Church)
* Minister (government), a member of government who heads a ministry (government department)
** Minister without portfolio, a member of government w ...
from 1957 to 1959. He resigned from the House of Commons in 1965 in order to take up the position of Chairman of the newly created Prices & Incomes Board. He received an Honorary degree (Doctor of Science) from the University of Bath in 1966.
After leaving the Prices and Incomes Board in October 1970, he became chair of Laporte Industries and a director of Thomas Tilling, Cornhill Insurance and Black & Decker.
At the 1983 general election, he stood as the Liberal candidate for Sutton Coldfield
Sutton Coldfield or the Royal Town of Sutton Coldfield ( ), is a town and civil parish in the city of Birmingham, West Midlands County, West Midlands, England. The town lies around 8 miles northeast of Birmingham city centre, 9 miles south of L ...
, having rejoined the party in 1980 after a hiatus of nearly fifty years.
Published works
* ''The Pendulum of Politics'', 1946
* ''If Steel is Nationalised'', 1949
* ''Industrial Order'', 1950
* ''The New Inflation: the politics of prices and incomes'', 1973
* ''Economics and Equality'' (editor), 1976
* ''My LSE'' (contribution), 1977
* ''The End of the Keynesian Era'' (contribution), 1977
* ''Oil: the missed opportunity'', 1981
* ''Britain’s Economy: the roots of stagnation'', 1985
References
Sources
*
External links
*
The Papers of Aubrey Jones
held at Churchill Archives Centre
{{DEFAULTSORT:Jones, Aubrey
1911 births
2003 deaths
Alumni of the London School of Economics
Conservative Party (UK) MPs for English constituencies
Members of the Privy Council of the United Kingdom
Ministers in the Eden government, 1955–1957
Ministers in the Macmillan and Douglas-Home governments, 1957–1964
Ministers of supply
MI6 personnel
UK MPs 1950–1951
UK MPs 1951–1955
UK MPs 1955–1959
UK MPs 1959–1964
UK MPs 1964–1966