Sir John Maldwyn Thomas (17 June 1918 – 31 July 2002) was a Welsh businessman and

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 ...

politician.

Background

Maldwyn Thomas was the son of Daniel and Gwladys Thomas. He was educated at Porth Rhondda Grammar School. In 1975, he married Maureen Elizabeth Thomas. In 1984 he was knighted. In 1999 his wife Maureen received the DBE.

Professional career

Thomas was a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Secretaries, he took first place in South Wales in both his intermediate and final examinations. He was secretary to Lewis & Tylor Ltd, a large industrial concern in Cardiff, from 1940-56. In 1953 he was Called to Bar at

Gray's Inn The Honourable Society of Gray's Inn, commonly known as Gray's Inn, is one of the four Inns of Court (professional associations for barristers and judges) in London. To be called to the bar in order to practise as a barrister in England and Wale ...

. He worked for

Rank Xerox Rank Xerox Limited was formed in 1956 as a joint venture between the Xerox Corporation of United States (a.k.a. Haloid Photographic) and The Rank Organisation of the United Kingdom, to manufacture and market Xerox equipment initially in Europe ...

from 1964-1979, as Secretary, Managing Director and finally as Chairman.

Political career

Thomas was Liberal candidate for the

Aberavon Aberavon () is a town and community in Neath Port Talbot county borough, Wales. The town derived its name from being near the mouth of the river Afan, which also gave its name to a medieval lordship. Today it is essentially a district of Por ...

division of

Glamorgan Glamorgan (), or sometimes Glamorganshire ( or ), was Historic counties of Wales, one of the thirteen counties of Wales that existed from 1536 until their abolishment in 1974. It is located in the South Wales, south of Wales. Originally an ea ...

at the 1950 General Election. It was not a promising seat for the Liberals who had not run a candidate since 1931. He came a third; He did not stand for parliament again. He served as President of the Welsh Liberal Party from 1985–86. He was President of the

London Welsh Association The London Welsh Centre () (founded as the Young Wales Association in 1920) is a community and arts centre on Gray's Inn Road, in the London Borough of Camden. The centre is owned and run by the London Welsh Trust. The centre is a base for thre ...

and Trust from 1994-2001. He was a Trustee of the

London Welsh School The London Welsh School () is a Welsh medium primary school in London, England. Welsh is the language predominantly used for all classes and activities. The school offers a bilingual education to children aged four to 11. The school also has ...

.‘THOMAS, Sir (John) Maldwyn’, Who Was Who, A & C Black, an imprint of Bloomsbury Publishing plc, 1920–2015; online edn, Oxford University Press, 2014; online edn, April 201
accessed 2 Jan 2015
/ref>

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Thomas, John Maldwyn 1918 births 2002 deaths Knights Bachelor Liberal Party (UK) parliamentary candidates Members of Gray's Inn Welsh barristers Welsh politicians