Thomas Jones CH
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Thomas Jones, CH (27 September 1870 – 15 October 1955) was a British civil servant and educationalist, once described as "one of the six most important men in Europe", and also as "the King of
Wales Wales ( ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by the Irish Sea to the north and west, England to the England–Wales border, east, the Bristol Channel to the south, and the Celtic ...
" and "keeper of a thousand secrets". Jones served as Deputy Secretary to the Cabinet for nearly twenty years, under four different Prime Ministers.


Early life

Thomas Jones was born on 27 September 1870, at 100 High Street,
Rhymney Rhymney (; ) is a town and a community (Wales), community in the county borough of Caerphilly (county borough), Caerphilly, South Wales. It is within the Historic counties of Wales, historic boundaries of Monmouthshire (historic), Monmouthshir ...
,
Monmouthshire Monmouthshire ( ; ) is a Principal areas of Wales, county in the South East Wales, south east of Wales. It borders Powys to the north; the English counties of Herefordshire and Gloucestershire to the north and east; the Severn Estuary to the s ...
. He was the first of nine children to David Benjamin Jones and Mary Ann Jones. His family was
Welsh Welsh may refer to: Related to Wales * Welsh, of or about Wales * Welsh language, spoken in Wales * Welsh people, an ethnic group native to Wales Places * Welsh, Arkansas, U.S. * Welsh, Louisiana, U.S. * Welsh, Ohio, U.S. * Welsh Basin, during t ...
speaking but by the time he was school age, the family usually spoke English except for Sunday School and the chapel. Welsh was banned at school and Jones later wrote that "outside the chapel, I never had a lesson in Welsh". His fluency in Welsh in later life was hindered by this but his command of English was excellent. He was educated at the Upper Rhymney School and Lewis School in
Pengam Pengam is a former coal village and community in the Rhymney Valley, Caerphilly county borough, in Wales. It is also a community, containing itself and the nearby village of Fleur de Lys, and at the 2001 census it has a population of 3,842, ri ...
. Jones had failed to win a scholarship at Lewis but his father could afford the school fee. Jones's grandfather insisted on his leaving school at 14 to work as a clerk in the local ironworks. Jones complied but his interest in reading and his facility in public speaking brought him fame as a preacher. In 1890 he won the Calvinist Methodist scripture gold medal and proceeded to the University College of Wales at Aberystwyth to study for the ministry. New interests intervened, however; and Jones eventually graduated with first-class honours in economics from the
University of Glasgow The University of Glasgow (abbreviated as ''Glas.'' in Post-nominal letters, post-nominals; ) is a Public university, public research university in Glasgow, Scotland. Founded by papal bull in , it is the List of oldest universities in continuous ...
in 1901. In 1902 he married a student from his time at Aberystwyth, Eirene Theodora Lloyd (1875–1935), daughter of Dr
Richard John Lloyd Richard John Lloyd (1846-1906) was a British linguist and phoneticist. He researched the acoustics of vowel sounds and articulation, which he deemed “minute phonetics”. His field of work did not become popular until the late 20th century, arou ...
, Reader in Phonetics at
Liverpool University The University of Liverpool (abbreviated UOL) is a public research university in Liverpool, England. Founded in 1881 as University College Liverpool, Victoria University, it received Royal Charter by King Edward VII in 1903 attaining the de ...
. There were three children from the marriage:
Eirene White Eirene Lloyd White, Baroness White (née Jones; 7 November 1909 – 23 December 1999) was a British Labour politician and journalist. Early life White was born in Belfast, the daughter of Dr Thomas Jones, commonly known as "TJ", a noted civ ...
(1909–99), who became a Labour Minister under
Harold Wilson James Harold Wilson, Baron Wilson of Rievaulx (11 March 1916 – 23 May 1995) was a British statesman and Labour Party (UK), Labour Party politician who twice served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, from 1964 to 1970 and again from 197 ...
(1966–70), Tristan (1913–90), who became managing director of ''The Observer'', and Elphin, who died in a motoring accident in 1928. Jones pursued at first an academic career after graduation from Glasgow. He was Russell Student at the
London School of Economics The London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE), established in 1895, is a public research university in London, England, and a member institution of the University of London. The school specialises in the social sciences. Founded ...
; Barrington Lecturer in Ireland (1904–05); Assistant to the Professor of Political Economy and Lecturer in Economics at Glasgow; and Professor of Economics,
Queen's University Belfast The Queen's University of Belfast, commonly known as Queen's University Belfast (; abbreviated Queen's or QUB), is a public research university in Belfast, Northern Ireland, United Kingdom. The university received its charter in 1845 as part of ...
, 1909–10. In 1914 Jones started the monthly journal '' Welsh Outlook'' to promote "national social progress" in Wales. He was the journal's ''de facto'' editor for its first three years.


Civil service

He became familiarly known as "T.J." He was Deputy Secretary to the Cabinet under four Prime Ministers:
David Lloyd George David Lloyd George, 1st Earl Lloyd-George of Dwyfor (17 January 1863 – 26 March 1945) was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1916 to 1922. A Liberal Party (United Kingdom), Liberal Party politician from Wales, he was known for leadi ...
,
Bonar Law Andrew Bonar Law (; 16 September 1858 – 30 October 1923) was a British statesman and politician who was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from October 1922 to May 1923. Law was born in the British colony of New Brunswick (now a Canadi ...
,
Stanley Baldwin Stanley Baldwin, 1st Earl Baldwin of Bewdley (3 August 186714 December 1947), was a British statesman and Conservative politician who was prominent in the political leadership of the United Kingdom between the world wars. He was prime ministe ...
and
Ramsay MacDonald James Ramsay MacDonald (; 12 October 18669 November 1937) was a British statesman and politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. The first two of his governments belonged to the Labour Party (UK), Labour Party, where he led ...
. His 3-volume ''Whitehall Diary'' (1969, 1971) threw much light on politics "behind the scenes", including the Irish Treaty, the
1926 General Strike The 1926 general strike in the United Kingdom was a general strike that lasted nine days, from 4 to 12 May 1926. It was called by the General Council of the Trades Union Congress (TUC) in an unsuccessful attempt to force the British government ...
, the
Cliveden Set The Cliveden set were an upper-class group of politically influential people active in the 1930s in the United Kingdom, prior to the Second World War. They were in the circle of Nancy Astor, Viscountess Astor, the first female Member of Parliament ...
, and so on. When Baldwin became Prime Minister in 1923, he decided to retain Jones as Deputy Secretary, telling him on the day he was appointed Premier: "I shall want you to hold my hand, Tom". Baldwin appreciated Jones' value and they would remain friends for more than twenty years. During their first serious meeting, Baldwin expressed concern about the effects on Britain's commerce from the economic troubles in Europe. Jones immediately focused the conversation on to the social consequences. Baldwin told Jones in 1929:
I am a Tory P.M., surrounded with a Tory Cabinet, moving in Tory circles. You don't let me forget or ignore the whole range of ideas that normally I should never be brought up against if you were not in and out of this room. You supply the radium...you have such an extraordinary width of friendships in all classes, and so many interests that through you I do gather impressions of what is being thought by a number of significant people whose minds I should not know, at any rate so well, but for your help. I think every Tory P.M. ought to have someone like you about the place.
A friend of many rich and influential people including the Astors, Jones excelled at extracting money from rich people for worthwhile causes, notably adult education: he founded
Coleg Harlech Coleg Harlech was a residential adult education college for mature students in Harlech, Gwynedd, later on part of Adult Learning Wales - Addysg Oedolion Cymru. History Coleg Harlech was Wales' only long-term, mature-student residential edu ...
in Gwynedd in 1927, was secretary, trustee and chairman of the
Pilgrim Trust The Pilgrim Trust is an independent charitable grant-making trust in the United Kingdom. The Trust's aims are to improve the life chances of the most vulnerable and preserve the best of the past for the public to enjoy. The Trust awards approxima ...
from 1930, and was instrumental in the founding of
Newbattle Abbey College Newbattle Abbey was a Cistercian monastery near the village of Newbattle in Midlothian, Scotland, which subsequently became a stately home and then an educational institution. Monastery It was founded in 1140 by monks from Melrose Abbey. The ...
in Midlothian in 1937. His contacts were useful in other situations too: for example, it was he who introduced Gareth Jones, subject of the 2019 film '' Mr Jones'', to Lloyd George.


Later life

He was Chairman of
Gregynog Press The Gregynog Press, also known as Gwasg Gregynog, is a printing press and charity located at Gregynog Hall near Newtown in Powys, Wales. Early years Founded in 1922 by the sisters and art patrons Margaret and Gwendoline Davies, guided by Thom ...
throughout its existence, and also helped set up CEMA, the Committee for the Encouragement of Music and the Arts (forerunner of the
Arts Council An arts council is a government or private non-profit organization dedicated to promoting the arts; mainly by funding local artists, awarding prizes, and organizing arts events. They often operate at arms-length from the government to prevent pol ...
) as well as the
Army Bureau of Current Affairs The Army Bureau of Current Affairs (ABCA) was an organisation within the British Army during World War II to promote discussion among soldiers about current events, citizenship, and post-war reconstruction. In August 1940, Lord Croft, Under-Se ...
(designed to 'supply mental stimulant' to British troops during the Second World War). From 1917 to 1933 he was the Chairman of the
Romney Street Group The Romney Street Group (also known as RSG) is a British current affairs and Dining club, lunch club. The RSG was founded in 1917 as an early form of think tank. The first chairman was Thomas Jones (civil servant), Thomas Jones, who was Deputy Se ...
, a think tank formed to generate policies for the post-war reconstruction of Britain. Jones wrote the ''
Dictionary of National Biography The ''Dictionary of National Biography'' (''DNB'') is a standard work of reference on notable figures from British history, published since 1885. The updated ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'' (''ODNB'') was published on 23 September ...
'' entries for three Prime Ministers: Lloyd George, Bonar Law and Baldwin. Towards the end of his life Jones became President of the
University of Wales, Aberystwyth Aberystwyth University () is a public research university in Aberystwyth, Wales. Aberystwyth was a founding member institution of the former federal University of Wales. The university has over 8,000 students studying across three academic facul ...
, and was awarded the Gold Medal of the
Honourable Society of Cymmrodorion The Honourable Society of Cymmrodorion (), often called simply the Cymmrodorion, is a London-based Wales, Welsh learned society, with membership open to all. It was first established in 1751 as a Social club, social, cultural, literary society, l ...
, as well as finally agreeing to become a
Member of the Order of the Companions of Honour The Order of the Companions of Honour is an order of the Commonwealth realms. It was founded on 4 June 1917 by King George V as a reward for outstanding achievements. It was founded on the same date as the Order of the British Empire. The orde ...
. He died in London on 15 October 1955. Jones's daughter,
Eirene White Eirene Lloyd White, Baroness White (née Jones; 7 November 1909 – 23 December 1999) was a British Labour politician and journalist. Early life White was born in Belfast, the daughter of Dr Thomas Jones, commonly known as "TJ", a noted civ ...
, became a Labour politician and minister.


Assessment

His biographer, Dr E. L. Ellis, claimed that Jones was invaluable to Lloyd George in dealing with the trade unions and the Irish Question, along with dissuading Baldwin from taking revenge in the aftermath of the General Strike. He "was on the side of light...A passionate belief in moderation and compromise" was central to Jones. Ellis also claims that Jones's philanthropy was matchless amongst his contemporaries: "he was the incarnation of public-spiritedness". Ellis called Jones, with Lloyd George and
Aneurin Bevan Aneurin "Nye" Bevan Privy Council (United Kingdom), PC (; 15 November 1897 – 6 July 1960) was a Welsh Labour Party (UK), Labour Party politician, noted for spearheading the creation of the British National Health Service during his t ...
, "the three greatest Welshmen in public life" in the twentieth century. The military historian
Correlli Barnett Correlli Douglas Barnett (28 June 1927 – 10 July 2022) was an English military historian, who also wrote works of economic history, particularly on the United Kingdom's post-war deindustrialization. Early life Barnett was born on 28 June 192 ...
in his history of Britain's international relations in the interwar period, called Jones "a man of simplicity and naivete remarkable in politics even for that age".Correlli Barnett, ''The Collapse of British Power'' (London: Eyre Metheun, 1972), p. 455.


Works

*''A Theme with Variations'' (1933) *''Rhymney Memories'' (1938) *''Cerrig Milltir'' (1942) *''Leeks and Daffodils'' (1942) *''The Native Never Returns'' (1946) *''Welsh Broth'' (1950) *''Lloyd George'' (1951) *''The Gregynog Press'' (1954) *''A Diary with Letters 1931–1950'' (1954) *''Whitehall Diaries'', Vol I and II (1969) *''Whitehall Diaries'', Vol III (1971)


Offices held


Notes


References

*


External links


Photos and outline biography

Thomas Jones
entry in
Who's Who A Who's Who (or Who Is Who) is a reference work consisting of biographical entries of notable people in a particular field. The oldest and best-known is the annual publication ''Who's Who (UK), Who's Who'', a reference work on contemporary promin ...

Thomas Jones
entry in the
Dictionary of National Biography The ''Dictionary of National Biography'' (''DNB'') is a standard work of reference on notable figures from British history, published since 1885. The updated ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'' (''ODNB'') was published on 23 September ...

Thomas Jones
entry in the
Dictionary of Welsh Biography The ''Dictionary of Welsh Biography'' (DWB) (also ''The Dictionary of Welsh Biography Down to 1940'' and ''The Dictionary of Welsh Biography, 1941 to 1970'') is a biographical dictionary of Welsh people who have made a significant contribution to ...
, by
Ben Bowen Thomas Sir Ben Bowen Thomas (18 May 1899 – 26 July 1977) was a Welsh people, Welsh civil servant and university President. He served as Permanent Secretary to the Welsh Department of the Ministry of Education (United Kingdom), Ministry of Education f ...

Comments on TJ
by AJ Sylvester
Dr Thomas Jones CH papers
at the
National Library of Wales The National Library of Wales (, ) in Aberystwyth is the national legal deposit library of Wales and is one of the Welsh Government sponsored bodies. It is the biggest library in Wales, holding over 6.5 million books and periodicals, and the l ...
- 311 volumes
Welsh Political Icons - Dr Thomas Jones CH
{{DEFAULTSORT:Jones, Thomas 1870 births 1955 deaths Civil servants in the Cabinet Office Founders of Welsh schools and colleges Members of the Order of the Companions of Honour People associated with Aberystwyth University People educated at Lewis School, Pengam People from Rhymney 19th-century British civil servants 20th-century British civil servants 19th-century Welsh educators 20th-century Welsh educators