Morgan Jones (3 May 1885 – 23 April 1939) was a Welsh Labour Party politician. Jones was born in Gelligaer to a collier and a domestic servant, and he attended primary schools in Gelligaer and Hengoed before studying at Lewis School, Pengam on a scholarship. He then attended University College, Reading, and became a teacher by profession, serving as president of the Glamorgan Federation of Teachers from 1913 to 1915. He also became a

Baptist Baptists are a Christian denomination, denomination within Protestant Christianity distinguished by baptizing only professing Christian believers (believer's baptism) and doing so by complete Immersion baptism, immersion. Baptist churches ge ...

lay preacher A lay preacher is a preacher who is not ordained (i.e. a layperson) and who may not hold a formal university degree in theology. Lay preaching varies in importance between religions and their sects. Overview Some denominations specifically disco ...

. Jones joined the

Independent Labour Party The Independent Labour Party (ILP) was a British political party of the left, established in 1893 at a conference in Bradford, after local and national dissatisfaction with the Liberal Party (UK), Liberals' apparent reluctance to endorse work ...

in 1908 and was elected to Gelligaer Urban District Council in 1911, serving as chairman of the council in 1921–22. In the

First World War World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

he was imprisoned as a

conscientious objector A conscientious objector is an "individual who has claimed the right to refuse to perform military service" on the grounds of freedom of conscience or religion. The term has also been extended to objecting to working for the military–indu ...

. He was also a member of the

No Conscription Fellowship The No-Conscription Fellowship was a British pacifism, pacifist organisation which was founded in London by Fenner Brockway, Baron Brockway, Fenner Brockway and Clifford Allen, 1st Baron Allen of Hurtwood, Clifford Allen on 27 November 1914, f ...

's national committee and chairman of the South Wales Anti-Conscription Council. After the War he was elected to

Glamorgan County Council Glamorgan County Council was established in 1889 together with the administrative county of Glamorganshire under the Local Government Act 1888. The first elections to the council were held in January 1889. The council was abolished under the Loca ...

. Morgan Jones was elected member of parliament (MP) for

Caerphilly Caerphilly (, ; , ) is a town and community (Wales), community in Wales. It is situated at the southern end of the Rhymney Valley and separated from the Cardiff suburbs of Lisvane and Rhiwbina by Caerphilly Mountain. It is north of Cardiff an ...

at a by-election in 1921, following the death of Labour MP

Alfred Onions Alfred Onions (30 October 1858 – 5 July 1921) was a Wales, Welsh Trade_union, trade unionist, a Member of Parliament for the Labour_Party_(UK), Labour Party, a Wesleyan Methodist Church (Great Britain), Wesleyan Methodist and a very longstandin ...

. He clinched the Labour nomination despite not being the preferred candidate of the

South Wales Miners' Federation The South Wales Miners' Federation (SWMF), nicknamed "The Fed", was a trade union for coal miners in South Wales. It survives as the South Wales Area of the National Union of Mineworkers. Forerunners The Amalgamated Association of Miners ( ...

. He was the first conscientious objector to be elected to Parliament after World War I. Jones held the seat until his own death, aged 53, in 1939, when his successor was fellow conscientious objector Ness Edwards. He served as Parliamentary Secretary to the Board of Education in both the first two Labour Governments, 1924 and 1929–1931. Jones married Gladys Thomas, also a teacher and ILP member, in 1923. The couple had two daughters. Morgan Jones Park in Caerphilly is named after him.

References

* * 1885 births 1939 deaths Independent Labour Party National Administrative Committee members People from Gelligaer Welsh Labour MPs UK MPs 1918–1922 UK MPs 1922–1923 UK MPs 1923–1924 UK MPs 1924–1929 UK MPs 1929–1931 UK MPs 1931–1935 UK MPs 1935–1945 British conscientious objectors Welsh conscientious objectors People educated at Lewis School, Pengam Alumni of the University of Reading Welsh schoolteachers {{Wales-Labour-UK-MP-stub