Thomas Howell Williams Idris (5 August 1842 – 10 February 1925), known as Howell Idris, was a Welsh Liberal Party politician and chemical manufacturer.

Background

Born

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 ...

, 2nd son of Benjamin Williams; assumed additional surname of Idris by deed poll, 1893; m 1873, Emeline, d of John Trevena, Pembroke Dock; five s one d.

Political career

He was an ardent

Welsh Nationalist Welsh nationalism ( cy, Cenedlaetholdeb Cymreig) emphasises and celebrates the distinctiveness of Welsh culture and Wales as a nation or country. Welsh nationalism may also include calls for further autonomy or self determination which includes ...

. His nonconformist background ensured that he favoured

Welsh disestablishment The Welsh Church Act 1914 is an Act of Parliament under which the Church of England was separated and disestablished in Wales and Monmouthshire, leading to the creation of the Church in Wales. The Act had long been demanded by the Nonconformis ...

. He was an advocate of industrial

Profit sharing Profit sharing is various incentive plans introduced by businesses that provide direct or indirect payments to employees that depend on company's profitability in addition to employees' regular salary and bonuses. In publicly traded companies thes ...

for workers, which he practised in his own company, initiating a profit sharing scheme in addition to wages. He was elected to the

London County Council London County Council (LCC) was the principal local government body for the County of London throughout its existence from 1889 to 1965, and the first London-wide general municipal authority to be directly elected. It covered the area today kno ...

(LCC) at the inaugural elections of 1889. He was elected to represent St Pancras North for the Progressive Party. He served as Chairman of the Water, Main Drainage and Rivers Committee. He was re-elected until standing down in 1898. He also served as a member of the London Water Board and the Thames and Lea Conservancy Boards. At the 1892 General Election he stood as Liberal candidate for Denbigh Boroughs. At the 1900 General Election he stood as Liberal candidate for

Chester Chester is a cathedral city and the county town of Cheshire, England. It is located on the River Dee, close to the English–Welsh border. With a population of 79,645 in 2011,"2011 Census results: People and Population Profile: Chester Loca ...

. In August 1902, after a four-year break, he was elected again to the LCC for the Progressive Party in the by-election for St Pancras East. He was re-elected in 1904 and stood down in 1907. During this period he was also a member of

St Pancras Borough Council St Pancras was a civil parish and metropolitan borough in London, England. It was an ancient parish in the county of Middlesex, governed by an administrative vestry. The parish was included in the area of responsibility of the Metropolitan Boa ...

, and served as the borough's Mayor from 1903 to 1904. He served as a

Justice of the Peace A justice of the peace (JP) is a judicial officer of a lower or ''puisne'' court, elected or appointed by means of a commission ( letters patent) to keep the peace. In past centuries the term commissioner of the peace was often used with the sa ...

in Merioneth and London. He became the first President of the Council of the

Garden City Association The Town and Country Planning Association (TCPA) is an independent research and campaigning charity founded and based in the United Kingdom. It works to enable homes, places and communities in which everyone can thrive. Through its research, tr ...

. At the 1906 General Election he stood as Liberal candidate for Flint Boroughs, his third attempt to enter parliament, and this time he was successful, winning the seat with an 11% majority over the Conservative candidate John Eldon Banks. He served just one parliamentary term before standing down in January 1910. He served as High Sheriff for Merioneth from 1912 to 1913.

Business career

Director First Garden City, Ltd. Chemist and mineral water manufacturer. He was President of the British Pharmaceutical Conference of 1903–04.Liberal Year Book 1907 President of Public Pharmacists Association; Fellow of Chemical Society; Member of Society of Chemical Industry. Freeman of

City of London The City of London is a city, ceremonial county and local government district that contains the historic centre and constitutes, alongside Canary Wharf, the primary central business district (CBD) of London. It constituted most of London fr ...

References

Who Was Who, http://www.ukwhoswho.com

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Idris, Howell 1842 births 1925 deaths Liberal Party (UK) MPs for Welsh constituencies UK MPs 1906–1910 People from Pembrokeshire Members of London County Council Mayors of places in Greater London High Sheriffs of Merionethshire Liberal Party (UK) councillors