John Thomas Alderman was born 1852 at

Coity Coity is a village in Bridgend County Borough, south Wales, part of Bridgend town urban area. Coity is part of the community of Coity Higher and is notable for being home to Coity Castle, one of the best preserved castles in Glamorgan. Other bui ...

, and 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 ...

politician and trade unionist. Born in

, Thomas worked at a coal mine from an early age, and eventually became a hewer at the coal face. He was next elected as a checkweighman in

Caerphilly Caerphilly (, ; cy, Caerffili, ) is a town and community in Wales. It is situated at the southern end of the Rhymney Valley. It is north of Cardiff and northwest of Newport. It is the largest town in Caerphilly County Borough, and lies wit ...

, but decided to emigrate to the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

to find better-paid work. After a short period, Thomas returned to Wales, and in about 1887 was elected as full-time agent for the Garw Miners' Association. A supporter of the

Liberal Party The Liberal Party is any of many political parties around the world. The meaning of ''liberal'' varies around the world, ranging from liberal conservatism on the right to social liberalism on the left. __TOC__ Active liberal parties This is a li ...

, he stood for election in the Garw Valley ward at the

1892 Glamorgan County Council election The second election to the Glamorgan County Council was held on 8 March 1892. The 1889 election was the first contest and the next was the 1895 election. Glamorgan County Council had been established by the 1888 Local Government Act, and the fir ...

, defeating the incumbent. On the council, he focused his time on the sanitary and asylum committees. He was also elected to the Garw School Board. In 1898, the Garw Miners' Association became part 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 (AA ...

. Thomas continued as agent of its Garw Valley District, and also served on the union's executive committee. He was removed from his trade union post in 1912, after losing the confidence of the steam coal lodges. A few house coal lodges disagreed, and installed Thomas as leader of a Lower Garw District, but this did not attract official recognition, and soon petered out. From the mid-1900s, Thomas lived in

Tondu Tondu ( en, Black Meadow) is a village in Bridgend County Borough, Wales, located about north of the town of Bridgend, in the community of Ynysawdre. Tondu lies on the A4063 from Bridgend to Maesteg, and was established in the late 18th cent ...

. He was a

Baptist Baptists form a major branch of Protestantism distinguished by baptizing professing Christian believers only (believer's baptism), and doing so by complete immersion. Baptist churches also generally subscribe to the doctrines of soul compete ...

, and regularly attended the local church. He remained on the council for many years, spending some time as 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 ...

. From 1914, he also served 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 wrote a book called "Historical sketches of the Eastern Association".

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Thomas, John 1852 births Year of death missing Councillors in Wales Liberal Party (UK) councillors Liberal-Labour (UK) politicians People from Bridgend County Borough Welsh trade unionists Welsh Baptists