Ronald Cavill Mathias (1912–1968) was a Welsh trade union leader.
Personal life
Mathias was born on 21 September 1912 at
Pontarddulais
Pontarddulais (), also known as Pontardulais (), is both a community and a town in Swansea, Wales. It is northwest of the city centre. The Pontarddulais ward is part of the City and County of Swansea. Pontarddulais adjoins the village of Hendy ...
,
Swansea
Swansea (; cy, Abertawe ) is a coastal city and the second-largest city of Wales. It forms a principal area, officially known as the City and County of Swansea ( cy, links=no, Dinas a Sir Abertawe).
The city is the twenty-fifth largest in ...
,
Wales
Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the Wales–England border, east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the ...
. He attended
Gowerton Grammar School
Gowerton ( cy, Tregŵyr) is a large village and community, about 4 miles north west of Swansea city centre, Wales. Gowerton is often known as the gateway to the Gower Peninsula. Gowerton's original name was Ffosfelin. The village falls within the ...
. In 1938 he married Annie Ceridwen Hall and they had one daughter. He died on 15 April 1968 on a Mediterranean cruise and was buried at sea.
Career
Mathias began his career as a clerk in 1924 for the
Richard Thomas Co south Wales iron and steel manufacturers. In 1938, he received the
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 ...
In 1945, Mathias became organiser for the Transport and General Workers' Union in
Merthyr
Merthyr Tydfil (; cy, Merthyr Tudful ) is the main town in Merthyr Tydfil County Borough, Wales, administered by Merthyr Tydfil County Borough Council. It is about north of Cardiff. Often called just Merthyr, it is said to be named after Tydf ...
and the district. We worked as Cardiff district organiser 1949–53 and South Wales Regional Secretary 1953–67. Though he retired in 1967, he was that year made full-time member of the National Board for Prices and Incomes.
Ronald Mathias was an active member of public life, holding the public office of Vice-Chairman of the Welsh Economic Council, secretary of the South Wales
T.U.C. Advisory Committee, treasurer of the Welsh Council of Labour, and governor of the Welsh College for Advanced Technology. In 1965, he was appointed chairman of the
Welsh Labour Party
Welsh Labour ( cy, Llafur Cymru) is the branch of the United Kingdom Labour Party in Wales and the largest party in modern Welsh politics. Welsh Labour and its forebears won a plurality of the Welsh vote at every UK general election since 192 ...
, and he received an
OBE in 1967.
Academic career
Mathias lectured on economics and industry and was thought to be a popular lecturer. He also published articles in journals relating to this matter.
References
*
Further reading
* ''Who Was Who?''
* ''The Times''
* ''Western Mail'' and ''The Liverpool Daily Post'', 18 Apr. 1968
* ''The Biographical Index of W. W. Price, Aberdâr'' (at the National Library of Wales and Aberdare Public Library)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mathias, Ronald
Welsh trade unionists
1912 births
1968 deaths
Burials at sea
People from Swansea
British trade union leaders
20th-century Welsh people