Sir Rhys Hopkin Morris (5 September 1888 – 22 November 1956) 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 ...
Liberal
Liberal or liberalism may refer to:
Politics
* a supporter of liberalism
** Liberalism by country
* an adherent of a Liberal Party
* Liberalism (international relations)
* Sexually liberal feminism
* Social liberalism
Arts, entertainment and m ...
politician who was a
Member of Parliament
A member of parliament (MP) is the representative in parliament of the people who live in their electoral district. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, this term refers only to members of the lower house since upper house members of ...
from 1923–1932 and from 1945–1956.
Early life
Morris was born at Blaencaerau,
Maesteg
Maesteg is a town and community in Bridgend County Borough, Wales. Maesteg lies at the northernmost end of the Llynfi Valley, close to the border with Neath Port Talbot. In 2011, Maesteg had a population of 20,612. The English translation of Mae ...
,
Glamorgan
, HQ = Cardiff
, Government = Glamorgan County Council (1889–1974)
, Origin=
, Code = GLA
, CodeName = Chapman code
, Replace =
* West Glamorgan
* Mid Glamorgan
* South Glamorgan
, Motto ...
, son of John Morris, Congregational minister in
Caerau, and Mary. He was educated at
University of Wales, Bangor
Bangor University ( cy, Prifysgol Bangor) is a Public university, public university in Bangor, Gwynedd, Bangor, Wales. It received its Royal charter, Royal Charter in 1885 and was one of the founding institutions of the federal University of Wales ...
and at
University College London
, mottoeng = Let all come who by merit deserve the most reward
, established =
, type = Public research university
, endowment = £143 million (2020)
, budget = ...
from 1913 to 1914, graduating with Honours in Philosophy. He was admitted to
Middle Temple
The Honourable Society of the Middle Temple, commonly known simply as Middle Temple, is one of the four Inns of Court exclusively entitled to call their members to the English Bar as barristers, the others being the Inner Temple, Gray's Inn an ...
on 10 January 1914. Morris served continually in the armed forces during the First World War from December 1914 until January 1919, possessing the rank of Lieutenant in the 2nd Battalion
Royal Welsh Fusiliers
The Royal Welch Fusiliers ( cy, Ffiwsilwyr Brenhinol Cymreig) was a line infantry regiment of the British Army, and part of the Prince of Wales' Division, that was founded in 1689; shortly after the Glorious Revolution. In 1702, it was designated ...
by the end of the war and being twice wounded - the second time seriously. He was mentioned in dispatches and made an
MBE Mbe may refer to:
* Mbé, a town in the Republic of the Congo
* Mbe Mountains Community Forest, in Nigeria
* Mbe language, a language of Nigeria
* Mbe' language, language of Cameroon
* ''mbe'', ISO 639 code for the extinct Molala language
Molal ...
(military division). After the war, he qualified as a barrister with special dispensations granted due to his service in the military, and was Called to
the Bar on 2 July 1919.
His wife, who he met at Bangor and married in September 1918, was
Gwladys Perrie Williams.
Political career
A classic ''
laissez-faire liberal'', Morris supported
H. H. Asquith
Herbert Henry Asquith, 1st Earl of Oxford and Asquith, (12 September 1852 – 15 February 1928), generally known as H. H. Asquith, was a British statesman and Liberal Party politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom f ...
against
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. He was a Liberal Party politician from Wales, known for leading the United Kingdom during t ...
when the party split between 1916 and 1923, and would remain fiercely opposed to Lloyd George and interventionist Liberalism throughout his political career.
In 1922 Morris contested the
general election
A general election is a political voting election where generally all or most members of a given political body are chosen. These are usually held for a nation, state, or territory's primary legislative body, and are different from by-elections ( ...
as a pro-Asquith Liberal in
Cardiganshire
Ceredigion ( , , ) is a county in the west of Wales, corresponding to the historic county of Cardiganshire. During the second half of the first millennium Ceredigion was a minor kingdom. It has been administered as a county since 1282. Cere ...
, narrowly losing to the sitting pro-
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. He was a Liberal Party (United Kingdom), Liberal Party politician from Wales, known for lea ...
Liberal MP
Ernest Evans. The following year the Liberal Party reunited but Morris ran as an Independent Liberal against Evans. In one of the most surprising results of the
1923 general election Morris was elected. In
the follow year's general election he was returned unopposed as an official Liberal candidate.
His opposition to both Lloyd George and the introduction of tariffs resulted in his remaining with the official ("
Samuelite") Liberals when the party split three ways in advance of the
1931 general election. The following year Morris was appointed as a
Metropolitan Police magistrate, a salaried post which vacated his seat because the post was an 'office of profit under the Crown' and incompatible with membership of the
House of Commons. In 1936, he became the first Regional Director of the
BBC in Wales. The same year Morris became President of the London Welsh Trust, which runs the
London Welsh Centre, holding office until 1937.
Thirteen years later Morris returned to Parliament in a once more sensational result. In the
1945 general election
The following elections occurred in the year 1945.
Africa
* 1945 South-West African legislative election
Asia
* 1945 Indian general election
Australia
* 1945 Fremantle by-election
Europe
* 1945 Albanian parliamentary election
* 1945 Bulgaria ...
he won
Carmarthen, taking the seat from the
Labour Party's
Moelwyn Hughes
Goronwy "Ronw" Moelwyn Hughes (6 October 1897 – 1 November 1955), known as Moelwyn Hughes was a Welsh lawyer and a Liberal and Labour politician who was elected to two short terms as a Member of Parliament (MP).
Early life
Born in Cardiga ...
despite the rest of the country experiencing a Labour landslide. Morris was to hold the seat for the remainder of his life.
In 1951 he became
Deputy Chairman of Ways and Means in the
House of Commons and thus one of the Deputy Speakers. This post, together with his age, combined to exclude him for consideration for the Liberal Party leadership when
Clement Davies
Edward Clement Davies (19 February 1884 – 23 March 1962) was a Welsh politician and leader of the Liberal Party from 1945 to 1956.
Early life and education
Edward Clement Davies was born on 19 February 1884 in Llanfyllin, Montgomeryshire, ...
stood down in October 1956. Morris died the following month, aged 68.
Throughout his career Morris was a staunch individualist, once summing up his political philosophy as, "There is no man alive who is sufficiently good to rule the life of the man next door to him!" Many have regarded him as being the last representative of traditional
Gladstonian Liberalism in the Commons.
See also
*
Report of the Commission on the Palestine Disturbances of August, 1929, Cmd. 3530
Notes
Sources
*
*''Rhys Hopkin Morris: The Man and his Character'' by T J Evans, (Gomerian Press, Llandyssul), 1957
*Sir Rhys Hopkin Morris by J Graham Jones, in Brack et al. (eds.) ''Dictionary of Liberal Biography'' (Politico's), 1998
*
*
Further reading
*Rhys Hopkin Morris, The man and his character: T J Evans (introduction by Herbert Samuel), Gomerian Press, Llandyssul, 1958
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Morris, Rhys
1888 births
1956 deaths
Liberal Party (UK) MPs for Welsh constituencies
UK MPs 1923–1924
UK MPs 1924–1929
UK MPs 1929–1931
UK MPs 1931–1935
UK MPs 1945–1950
UK MPs 1950–1951
UK MPs 1951–1955
UK MPs 1955–1959
Knights Bachelor
Alumni of Bangor University
Welsh barristers
People from Maesteg
Members of the Parliament of the United Kingdom for Carmarthenshire constituencies
Members of the Order of the British Empire
Royal Welch Fusiliers officers
British Army personnel of World War I
Members of the Middle Temple
Members of the Parliament of the United Kingdom for Ceredigion
Stipendiary magistrates (England and Wales)