Ivor H. Gwynne (1867–1934) was a

Welsh Welsh may refer to: Related to Wales * Welsh, referring or related to Wales * Welsh language, a Brittonic Celtic language spoken in Wales * Welsh people People * Welsh (surname) * Sometimes used as a synonym for the ancient Britons (Celtic peop ...

trade unionist A trade union (labor union in American English), often simply referred to as a union, is an organization of workers intent on "maintaining or improving the conditions of their employment", ch. I such as attaining better wages and Employee ben ...

and politician. Born in

Briton Ferry Briton Ferry ( cy, Llansawel) is a town and community in the county borough of Neath Port Talbot, Wales. The Welsh name may indicate that the church, ''llan'', is protected from the wind, ''awel''. Alternatively, ''Sawel'' may be a derivative ...

,Arthur Mee, ''Who's Who in Wales'' (1921), p.170 Gwynne worked in the tinplate industry all his life. He joined the Independent Association of Tinplate Makers on its formation in 1886, but it collapsed in 1898. Gwynne was central to the formation of a new union, the

Tin and Sheet Millmen's Association The Tin and Sheet Millmen's Association was a trade union representing millmen in the metalworking industry in the United Kingdom. History The union was founded in 1899 following the collapse of the Independent Association of Tinplate Makers. In ...

, becoming its first president. Arthur Pugh, ''Men of Steel'', p.502 In 1904, he stood for the full-time general secretaryship of the union. Initial results indicated that he had been narrowly defeated by Henry Davies, but some branches had allowed non-members to vote, and when the election was re-run, Gwynne won. In 1905, Gwynne moved to

Swansea Swansea (; cy, Abertawe ) is a coastal city and the second-largest city of Wales. It forms a principal area, officially known as the City and County of Swansea ( cy, links=no, Dinas a Sir Abertawe). The city is the twenty-fifth largest in ...

to take up his new post, and he became involved in local politics.

Ramsay MacDonald James Ramsay MacDonald (; 12 October 18669 November 1937) was a British politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, the first who belonged to the Labour Party, leading minority Labour governments for nine months in 1924 ...

asked him to stand for the Labour Representation Committee in East Carmarthenshire at the 1906 general election; the union was prepared to sponsor his candidacy, but it did not ultimately go ahead. In 1907, he was elected to

Swansea County Borough Council Swansea County Borough Council was established in 1889 under the Local Government Act 1888. The first elections were held in November 1889. The number of electoral wards had been increased, from four to ten, namely Alexandra, Brynmelin, Castle, E ...

, and took a particular interest in education, becoming chairman of the council's Education Committee in 1910. Gwynne also involved himself with the

Trades Union Congress The Trades Union Congress (TUC) is a national trade union centre A national trade union center (or national center or central) is a federation or confederation of trade unions in a country. Nearly every country in the world has a national tra ...

(TUC), and in 1913 he was its delegate to the American Federation of Labour. He also served on various committees, including the court of

Cardiff University , latin_name = , image_name = Shield of the University of Cardiff.svg , image_size = 150px , caption = Coat of arms of Cardiff University , motto = cy, Gwirionedd, Undod a Chytgord , mottoeng = Truth, Unity and Concord , established = 1 ...

, as Chairman of

Swansea Technical College , students = 5,765 , undergrad = 4,520 , postgrad = 1,075 , other = 175 further education, FE , city = Swansea , country = Wales, UK , campus = Urban , address = Mount PleasantSw ...

, and was appointed as a

magistrate The term magistrate is used in a variety of systems of governments and laws to refer to a civilian officer who administers the law. In ancient Rome, a '' magistratus'' was one of the highest ranking government officers, and possessed both judici ...

. He was a sub-area substitution officer for Swansea during

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

, then, in 1918, became an

alderman An alderman is a member of a Municipal government, municipal assembly or council in many Jurisdiction, jurisdictions founded upon English law. The term may be titular, denoting a high-ranking member of a borough or county council, a council membe ...

on Swansea Town Council. At the 1918 general election, Gwynne stood for the Labour Party in

Pembrokeshire Pembrokeshire ( ; cy, Sir Benfro ) is a Local government in Wales#Principal areas, county in the South West Wales, south-west of Wales. It is bordered by Carmarthenshire to the east, Ceredigion to the northeast, and the rest by sea. The count ...

; he took 28.0% of the vote and was not elected. The Millmen became part of the

Iron and Steel Trades Confederation The Iron and Steel Trades Confederation (ISTC) was a British trade union for metal-workers and allied groups, being the largest union in these fields. It was formed on 1 January 1917 as a merger of existing steel-workers' unions and it is now pa ...

in 1921, and Gwynne was appointed as the new union's Tinplate Advisory Officer. Although less prominent in his new role, he served on the government's Haddow Committee into education from 1924 to 1926.Geoffrey Walford, ''British Private Schools: Research on Policy and Practice'', p.31

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gwynne, Ivor 1867 births 1934 deaths Councillors in Wales Labour Party (UK) parliamentary candidates People from Briton Ferry Welsh trade unionists Welsh Labour politicians