Thomas Richards PC (8 June 1859 – 7 November 1931) was a Welsh

trade union 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 benefits ...

ist and politician. Born in Beaufort, Richards was educated at the Beaufort British School, before becoming a

coal miner Coal mining is the process of extracting coal from the ground. Coal is valued for its energy content and since the 1880s has been widely used to generate electricity. Steel and cement industries use coal as a fuel for extraction of iron from ...

at the age of twelve. In 1884, he was the main founder of the

Ebbw Vale and Sirhowy Colliery Workmen's Association The Ebbw Vale and Sirhowy Colliery Workmen's Association was a trade union representing coal miners in the Ebbw Vale area of South Wales. As an independent union The union was founded in 1884 by Thomas Richards, as a miners' lodge affiliated to ...

, serving as its secretary and agent. The 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 ...

in 1898, Richards continuing as agent of its Ebbw Vale District until 1901, while also becoming the first general secretary of the SWMF. Richards was a supporter of the Liberal-Labour movement, and was elected to

Monmouthshire County Council Monmouthshire County Council (or simply Monmouthshire Council) ( cy, Cyngor Sir Fynwy) is the governing body for the Monmouthshire principal area – one of the unitary authorities of Wales. The current unitary authority was created in 1996 a ...

in 1904. That year, he won a by-election to become

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 o ...

for West Monmouthshire. In 1909, he was instructed by his trade union to resign the Liberal whip and take the Labour whip and at both the 1910 General Elections he stood as a Labour candidate. He held the seat until its abolition at the 1918 general election, when he was elected for the new Ebbw Vale constituency. He resigned from

Parliament In modern politics, and history, a parliament is a legislative body of government. Generally, a modern parliament has three functions: representing the electorate, making laws, and overseeing the government via hearings and inquiries. Th ...

in 1920. Out of Parliament, Richards devoted his time to the SWMF, and the

Miners' Federation of Great Britain The Miners' Federation of Great Britain (MFGB) was established after a meeting of local mining trade unions in Newport, Wales in 1888. The federation was formed to represent and co-ordinate the affairs of local and regional miners' unions in Engla ...

(MFGB). He represented them on the

General Council of the Trades Union Congress The General Council of the Trades Union Congress is an elected body which is responsible for carrying out the policies agreed at the annual British Trade Union Congresses (TUC). Organisation The council has 56 members, all of whom must be proposed ...

from 1925, and served as President of the MFGB from 1929 to 1930. Richards was made a Privy Councillor in 1918.

References

External links

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Archives Network Wales – Thomas Richards
1859 births 1931 deaths Liberal-Labour (UK) MPs Welsh Labour Party MPs Members of the Privy Council of the United Kingdom Miners' Federation of Great Britain-sponsored MPs UK MPs 1900–1906 UK MPs 1906–1910 UK MPs 1910 UK MPs 1910–1918 UK MPs 1918–1922 British trade union leaders Presidents of the National Union of Mineworkers (Great Britain) Vice Presidents of the National Union of Mineworkers (Great Britain) Presidents of the Trades Union Congress 20th-century Welsh people 19th-century Welsh people 20th-century Welsh politicians 19th-century Welsh politicians Liberal Party (UK) MPs for Welsh constituencies {{Wales-Labour-UK-MP-stub