David Williams (Swansea East MP)

Welsh Labour Party politician (1865–1941)

David Williams

MP, JP

Member of Parliament
for Swansea East
In office
15 November 1922 – 26 January 1940
Preceded by| David Matthews
Succeeded by| David Mort
Personal details
Born|

David Williams

(1865-09-08)8 September 1865
Swansea
Died| 22 January 1941(1941-01-22) (aged 75)
Swansea
Political party| Labour
Spouse| Elizabeth Colwill

David Williams (8 September 1865 - 22 January 1941) was a Welsh Labour Party politician.[1][2] The second son of David and Mary Williams, his father worked at the local Kilvey Copper Works.[3] Williams received little education before entering service in 1877 as a pageboy for the Genfell family of Kilvey, Swansea, owners of the copper works.[2] By the age of 16, he was working in the copper works, but was dismissed after leading a strike. He then became an apprentice boilermaker, while attending evening classes.[2] In 1889, he married Elizabeth Colwill, and the couple had five children.[3]

Williams was involved in trade union activities and Labour politics from a young age. In 1898, he became the first Independent Labour Party councillor elected to Swansea Town Council, becoming an alderman in 1904 and was mayor of Swansea in 1912-1913.[2] He received the freedom of Swansea in 1924.[2] He was the first chairman of the Swansea Co-operative Society when it was formed in 1900.[2][3]

He unsuccessfully contested the parliamentary constituency of Swansea East at the 1918 general election.[4] When the Coalition Liberal MP Thomas Jeremiah Williams died the following year, he stood in the resulting by-election, cutting the Liberal majority.[4] He won the seat at the 1922 general election,[4] and held it until he resigned from the House of Commons on 26 January 1940, due to ill health.[2][5] He died a year later, aged 75.[2]

## References

[edit]

1. ^ "Historical list of MPs: constituencies beginning with "S", part 6". Leigh Rayment's House of Commons pages. Archived from the original on 18 August 2018. Retrieved 4 January 2010.
2. ^ a b c d e f g h "Obituary: Mr David Williams". The Times. 23 January 1941. p. 7.
3. ^ a b c "WILLIAMS, David". Who Was Who. December 2007. Retrieved 5 September 2011.
4. ^ a b c Craig, F. W. S. (1983) [1969]. British parliamentary election results 1918–1949 (3rd ed.). Chichester: Parliamentary Research Services. ISBN 0-900178-06-X.
5. ^ Department of Information Services (9 June 2009). "Appointments to the Chiltern Hundreds and Manor of Northstead Stewardships since 1850" (PDF). House of Commons Library. Archived from the original (PDF) on 6 February 2011. Retrieved 30 November 2009.

## External links

[edit]

* Hansard 1803–2005: contributions in Parliament by David Williams

Parliament of the United Kingdom

Preceded by

David Matthews

|  Member of Parliament for Swansea East
1922-1940 | Succeeded by

David Mort