Edmund Stonelake (5 April 1873 – 5 April 1960) was a Welsh local politician and a prominent figure in establishing the Labour Party in Aberdare and the Merthyr Boroughs parliamentary constituency. He was a local councillor for many years and a close associate of James Keir Hardie.

Early life

Stonelake was born in Pontlottyn in the Rhymney Valley but came to Aberdare with his widowed mother around 1888.

Public life

Stonelake elected unopposed to the Aberdare Urban District Council in

1904 Events January * January 7 – The distress signal ''CQD'' is established, only to be replaced 2 years later by ''SOS''. * January 8 – The Blackstone Library is dedicated, marking the beginning of the Chicago Public Library system. * ...

. He retained his seat in

1907 Events January * January 14 – 1907 Kingston earthquake: A 6.5 Mw earthquake in Kingston, Jamaica, kills between 800 and 1,000. February * February 11 – The French warship ''Jean Bart'' sinks off the coast of Morocco. ...

. He became chairman of the Council 1910. During the pre-war period he was a prominent advocate of building council houses, a programme that commenced before the First World War and continued thereafter. In 1922, however, he was forced to resign from the authority following a corruption scandal.

Later career

Stonelake was ultimately exonerated of any wrongdoing in the above episode and remained active in public life and the Labour party for many years, although he never resumed his career as an elected representative.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Stonelake, Edmund 1873 births 1960 deaths Welsh Labour politicians People from Aberdare Councillors in Wales