James Purdon Lewes Thomas, 1st Viscount Cilcennin,

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PC (pronounced "Kilkennin"; 13 October 1903 – 13 July 1960), sometimes known as Jim Thomas, was a British Conservative politician. He served as First Lord of the Admiralty between 1951 and 1956.

Background and education

James Purdon Lewes Thomas was the son of John Lewes Thomas, JP, of Cae-glas, Llandeilo, Carmarthenshire, and Anne Louisa, daughter of Commander George Purdon RN of Tinerana House, County Clare and Anne Caulfield. He was educated at

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and

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, where he was awarded an ''aegrotat'' degree in French in 1926 (indicating that he was unable to sit the final examinations due to ill-health).

Political career

Thomas was private secretary to

Stanley Baldwin Stanley Baldwin, 1st Earl Baldwin of Bewdley, (3 August 186714 December 1947) was a British Conservative Party politician who dominated the government of the United Kingdom between the world wars, serving as prime minister on three occasions, ...

, the leader of the Conservative Party, between 1929 and 1931. In the 1929 general election he stood for election as

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for

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(now Llanelli), but was unsuccessful. In the 1931 general election he was elected as Member of Parliament for

Hereford Hereford () is a cathedral city, civil parish and the county town of Herefordshire, England. It lies on the River Wye, approximately east of the border with Wales, south-west of Worcester and north-west of Gloucester. With a population ...

, which he held until 1955. He was

Parliamentary Private Secretary A Parliamentary Private Secretary (PPS) is a Member of Parliament (MP) in the United Kingdom who acts as an unpaid assistant to a minister or shadow minister. They are selected from backbench MPs as the 'eyes and ears' of the minister in the H ...

(PPS) to the Dominions Secretary,

James Henry Thomas James Henry Thomas (3 October 1874 – 21 January 1949), sometimes known as Jimmy Thomas or Jim Thomas, was a Welsh trade unionist and Labour (later National Labour) politician. He was involved in a political scandal involving budget leaks. ...

, between 1932 and 1935, to the Colonial Secretary, Thomas and from 1936 William Ormsby-Gore, between 1935 and 1937, and to the

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Anthony Eden Robert Anthony Eden, 1st Earl of Avon, (12 June 1897 – 14 January 1977) was a British Conservative Party politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1955 until his resignation in 1957. Achieving rapid promo ...

, between 1937 and Eden's resignation in 1938. Thomas volunteered for military service at the outbreak of the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

in 1939, but was rejected due to a permanent knee injury. From 1940 to 1943 he was a government whip. In 1943 Churchill appointed Thomas

Financial Secretary to the Admiralty The Parliamentary and Financial Secretary to the Admiralty also known as the Parliamentary and Financial Secretary to the Board of Admiralty was a position on the Board of Admiralty and a civil officer of the British Royal Navy. It was usually ...

, which he remained until 1945. After the

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Thomas was the opposition spokesman on naval affairs and deputy chairman of the Conservative Party, where he was responsible for recommending parliamentary candidates. When Churchill returned as Prime Minister following the 1951 general election, Thomas was sworn of the

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and appointed First Lord of the Admiralty. He left the House of Commons in 1955 and was raised to the

peerage A peerage is a legal system historically comprising various hereditary titles (and sometimes non-hereditary titles) in a number of countries, and composed of assorted noble ranks. Peerages include: Australia * Australian peers Belgium * Belgi ...

as Viscount Cilcennin, of Hereford in the County of Hereford, in early 1956 (the title was pronounced "Kilkennin"). He continued as First Lord of the Admiralty until September 1956, when he resigned. After resigning as First Lord of the Admiralty, Lord Cilcennin accompanied the

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on a world tour in 1956 and 1957, during which the duke opened the

1956 Summer Olympics The 1956 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XVI Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event held in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, from 22 November to 8 December 1956, with the exception of the equestrian events, whi ...

in Melbourne. In 1957 he was appointed

Lord-Lieutenant of Herefordshire This is a list of people who have served as Lord Lieutenant of Herefordshire. Before the English Civil War, the lieutenancy of Herefordshire was always held by the Lord Lieutenant of Wales, but after the Restoration, its lieutenants were appointe ...

, a post he held until his death three years later. In 1958 he was appointed a knight of the Order of Saint John (KStJ). In retirement, he served on the boards of several companies and as chairman of

Television Wales and the West Television Wales and the West (TWW) was the British Independent Television (commercial television) contractor for a franchise area that initially served South Wales and West of England (franchise awarded 26 October 1956, started transmissions o ...

(TWW), the commercial television contractor for South Wales and the West of England.

Personal life

Lord Cilcennin never married. He died in July 1960, aged 56, when the title became extinct.thepeerage.com James Purdon Lewes Thomas, 1st and last Viscount Cilcennin
/ref> He suffered from

arthritis Arthritis is a term often used to mean any disorder that affects joints. Symptoms generally include joint pain and stiffness. Other symptoms may include redness, warmth, swelling, and decreased range of motion of the affected joints. In som ...

of the hip in later life. Three months after his death his book ''Admiralty House, Whitehall'' was published, about Admiralty House which had been his official residence as First Lord of the Admiralty.

Arms

References

External links

Liddell Hart Centre for Military Archives: THOMAS, James Purdon Lewes
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Thomas, James Purdon Lewes 1903 births 1960 deaths Admiralty personnel of World War II Cilcennin, James Purdon Lewes, 1st Viscount Conservative Party (UK) MPs for English constituencies First Lords of the Admiralty Cilcennin, James Purdon Lewes, 1st Viscount Members of the Privy Council of the United Kingdom Ministers in the Churchill wartime government, 1940–1945 Cilcennin, James Purdon Lewes, 1st Viscount UK MPs 1931–1935 UK MPs 1935–1945 UK MPs 1945–1950 UK MPs 1950–1951 UK MPs 1951–1955 UK MPs 1955–1959 UK MPs who were granted peerages Ministers in the Churchill caretaker government, 1945 Ministers in the third Churchill government, 1951–1955 Ministers in the Eden government, 1955–1957 Viscounts created by Elizabeth II Lords of the Admiralty