Abel Thomas
Encyclopedia
Abel Thomas was a Welsh Liberal
politician and lawyer.
Minister, the Reverend T E Thomas JP
of Trehale in Pembrokeshire
. In 1875 he married Bessie Polak. They had a son and two daughters before his wife died in 1890.
and the University of London
where he gained his BA
degree. He went into the law and was called to the Bar at the Middle Temple
in 1873. He took silk in 1891 and became a Bencher
of the Middle Temple in 1900. He was later elected Chairman of the Pembrokeshire Quarter Sessions
. He also served for many years as a Justice of the Peace in Pembrokeshire.
for the seat of Carmarthenshire East in 1890 on the death of the sitting Liberal Member of Parliament
(MP) David Pugh. He held the seat with comfortable majorities at each succeeding election, except in the 1906 general election
when he was returned unopposed. At the by-election caused by Thomas’ death on 22 August 1912, the Rev. Josiah Towyn Jones
held the seat for the Liberals albeit with a reduced majority. Thomas apparently made little impact in Parliament. While the historian K O Morgan described him as one of the relatively young, Welsh born, nonconformist Liberal candidates who were responsible for changing the character of the Welsh parliamentary party in the 1880s and 1890s from the one dominated by traditional, Gladstonian, Anglican members. By the time he died in 1912, Morgan’s judgment of him was summed up in his description of Thomas as ‘elderly and silent’.
where he had gone for the Glamorgan
Assizes
.
Liberal Party (UK)
The Liberal Party was one of the two major political parties of the United Kingdom during the 19th and early 20th centuries. It was a third party of negligible importance throughout the latter half of the 20th Century, before merging with the Social Democratic Party in 1988 to form the present day...
politician and lawyer.
Family
Thomas was the son of a BaptistBaptist
Baptists comprise a group of Christian denominations and churches that subscribe to a doctrine that baptism should be performed only for professing believers , and that it must be done by immersion...
Minister, the Reverend T E Thomas JP
Justice of the Peace
A justice of the peace is a puisne judicial officer elected or appointed by means of a commission to keep the peace. Depending on the jurisdiction, they might dispense summary justice or merely deal with local administrative applications in common law jurisdictions...
of Trehale in Pembrokeshire
Pembrokeshire
Pembrokeshire is a county in the south west of Wales. It borders Carmarthenshire to the east and Ceredigion to the north east. The county town is Haverfordwest where Pembrokeshire County Council is headquartered....
. In 1875 he married Bessie Polak. They had a son and two daughters before his wife died in 1890.
Education and law career
Thomas was educated at Clifton CollegeClifton College
Clifton College is a co-educational independent school in Clifton, Bristol, England, founded in 1862. In its early years it was notable for emphasising science in the curriculum, and for being less concerned with social elitism, e.g. by admitting day-boys on equal terms and providing a dedicated...
and the University of London
University of London
-20th century:Shortly after 6 Burlington Gardens was vacated, the University went through a period of rapid expansion. Bedford College, Royal Holloway and the London School of Economics all joined in 1900, Regent's Park College, which had affiliated in 1841 became an official divinity school of the...
where he gained his BA
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
degree. He went into the law and was called to the Bar at the Middle Temple
Middle Temple
The Honourable Society of the Middle Temple, commonly known 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 and Lincoln's Inn...
in 1873. He took silk in 1891 and became a Bencher
Bencher
A bencher or Master of the Bench is a senior member of an Inn of Court in England and Wales. Benchers hold office for life once elected. A bencher can be elected while still a barrister , in recognition of the contribution that the barrister has made to the life of the Inn or to the law...
of the Middle Temple in 1900. He was later elected Chairman of the Pembrokeshire Quarter Sessions
Quarter Sessions
The Courts of Quarter Sessions or Quarter Sessions were local courts traditionally held at four set times each year in the United Kingdom and other countries in the former British Empire...
. He also served for many years as a Justice of the Peace in Pembrokeshire.
Politics
Thomas entered the House of Commons at a by-electionBy-election
A by-election is an election held to fill a political office that has become vacant between regularly scheduled elections....
for the seat of Carmarthenshire East in 1890 on the death of the sitting Liberal Member of Parliament
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
(MP) David Pugh. He held the seat with comfortable majorities at each succeeding election, except in the 1906 general election
United Kingdom general election, 1906
-Seats summary:-See also:*MPs elected in the United Kingdom general election, 1906*The Parliamentary Franchise in the United Kingdom 1885-1918-External links:***-References:*F. W. S. Craig, British Electoral Facts: 1832-1987**...
when he was returned unopposed. At the by-election caused by Thomas’ death on 22 August 1912, the Rev. Josiah Towyn Jones
Josiah Towyn Jones
Josiah Towyn Jones was a Welsh clergyman and Liberal Party politician. He was Member of Parliament for Carmarthenshire East and later for Llanelly....
held the seat for the Liberals albeit with a reduced majority. Thomas apparently made little impact in Parliament. While the historian K O Morgan described him as one of the relatively young, Welsh born, nonconformist Liberal candidates who were responsible for changing the character of the Welsh parliamentary party in the 1880s and 1890s from the one dominated by traditional, Gladstonian, Anglican members. By the time he died in 1912, Morgan’s judgment of him was summed up in his description of Thomas as ‘elderly and silent’.
Death
Thomas died suddenly of heart failure on 23 July 1912 in his hotel at SwanseaSwansea
Swansea is a coastal city and county in Wales. Swansea is in the historic county boundaries of Glamorgan. Situated on the sandy South West Wales coast, the county area includes the Gower Peninsula and the Lliw uplands...
where he had gone for the Glamorgan
Glamorgan
Glamorgan or Glamorganshire is one of the thirteen historic counties and a former administrative county of Wales. It was originally an early medieval kingdom of varying boundaries known as Glywysing until taken over by the Normans as a lordship. Glamorgan is latterly represented by the three...
Assizes
Assizes
Assize or Assizes may refer to:Assize or Assizes may refer to:Assize or Assizes may refer to::;in common law countries :::*assizes , an obsolete judicial inquest...
.