Megan Lloyd George
Encyclopedia
Lady Megan Arfon Lloyd George CH
(22 April 1902–14 May 1966) was a British politician, the first female Member of Parliament
(MP) for a Welsh
constituency, and Deputy Leader of the Liberal Party
. She later became a Labour
MP.
The youngest child of David Lloyd George
and his wife, Margaret
, she was born in Criccieth
, Caernarfonshire
, in what is now Gwynedd
. After her father was raised to the Peerage
as Earl Lloyd George of Dwyfor
, she was known as Lady Megan Lloyd George.
Like her brother, Gwilym Lloyd George
, she followed her father into politics. She became the first female MP in Wales
when she won Anglesey
for the Liberals in 1929
. She refused to support Ramsay MacDonald
's National Government
in 1931
and successfully held Anglesey as an Independent Liberal until 1935. She held the seat again as a Liberal from 1935
to 1951
.
Throughout the 1940s and 1950s Lloyd George campaigned for a Welsh Assembly and the creation of a Secretary of State for Wales
. Prominent among the radicals in the Liberal Party, she opposed what she saw as the party's drift away from her father's brand of liberalism
. In 1949 she was named Deputy Leader of the party in a bid to create unity, but after losing her seat she stood down in 1952 and in 1955 defected to Labour
. In 1957 she stood against the Liberals as the Labour Party candidate in a by-election in Carmarthen
and won the seat from them, which she held until her death from breast cancer
in Pwllheli
in 1966. She was the mistress of Philip Noel-Baker
from 1936 to 1956.
In an ironic move her brother Gwilym also moved away from the Liberals but in the opposite direction, becoming a Conservative
Cabinet Minister in the 1950s. Many have taken the different careers of the Lloyd George siblings as symbolic of the decline of the Liberal Party from their father's day.
Order of the Companions of Honour
The Order of the Companions of Honour is an order of the Commonwealth realms. It was founded by King George V in June 1917, as a reward for outstanding achievements in the arts, literature, music, science, politics, industry or religion....
(22 April 1902–14 May 1966) was a British politician, the first female 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) for a Welsh
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
constituency, and Deputy Leader of the Liberal Party
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...
. She later became a Labour
Labour Party (UK)
The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after...
MP.
The youngest child of David Lloyd George
David Lloyd George
David Lloyd George, 1st Earl Lloyd-George of Dwyfor OM, PC was a British Liberal politician and statesman...
and his wife, Margaret
Margaret Lloyd George
Dame Margaret Lloyd George, GBE , née Margaret Owen, was the first wife of British Prime Minister David Lloyd George - from 1888 until her death in 1941.-Biography:...
, she was born in Criccieth
Criccieth
Criccieth is a town and community on Cardigan Bay, in the Eifionydd area of Gwynedd in Wales. The town lies west of Porthmadog, east of Pwllheli and south of Caernarfon. It has a population of 1,826....
, Caernarfonshire
Caernarfonshire
Caernarfonshire , historically spelled as Caernarvonshire or Carnarvonshire in English during its existence, was one of the thirteen historic counties, a vice-county and a former administrative county of Wales....
, in what is now Gwynedd
Gwynedd
Gwynedd is a county in north-west Wales, named after the old Kingdom of Gwynedd. Although the second biggest in terms of geographical area, it is also one of the most sparsely populated...
. After her father was raised to the Peerage
Peerage of the United Kingdom
The Peerage of the United Kingdom comprises most peerages created in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland after the Act of Union in 1801, when it replaced the Peerage of Great Britain...
as Earl Lloyd George of Dwyfor
Earl Lloyd George of Dwyfor
Earl Lloyd-George of Dwyfor is a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. It was created in 1945 for the famous Liberal politician David Lloyd George. He was Chancellor of the Exchequer from 1908 to 1915 and Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1916 to 1922...
, she was known as Lady Megan Lloyd George.
Like her brother, Gwilym Lloyd George
Gwilym Lloyd George, 1st Viscount Tenby
Major Gwilym Lloyd George, 1st Viscount Tenby PC TD was a British politician and cabinet minister. A younger son of Prime Minister David Lloyd George, he served as Home Secretary from 1954 to 1957....
, she followed her father into politics. She became the first female MP in Wales
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
when she won Anglesey
Ynys Môn (UK Parliament constituency)
Ynys Môn is a constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elects one Member of Parliament by the first past the post system of election....
for the Liberals in 1929
United Kingdom general election, 1929
-Seats summary:-References:*F. W. S. Craig, British Electoral Facts: 1832-1987*-External links:***...
. She refused to support Ramsay MacDonald
Ramsay MacDonald
James Ramsay MacDonald, PC, FRS was a British politician who was the first ever Labour Prime Minister, leading a minority government for two terms....
's National Government
UK National Government
In the United Kingdom the term National Government is an abstract concept referring to a coalition of some or all major political parties. In a historical sense it usually refers primarily to the governments of Ramsay MacDonald, Stanley Baldwin and Neville Chamberlain which held office from 1931...
in 1931
United Kingdom general election, 1931
The United Kingdom general election on Tuesday 27 October 1931 was the last in the United Kingdom not held on a Thursday. It was also the last election, and the only one under universal suffrage, where one party received an absolute majority of the votes cast.The 1931 general election was the...
and successfully held Anglesey as an Independent Liberal until 1935. She held the seat again as a Liberal from 1935
United Kingdom general election, 1935
The United Kingdom general election held on 14 November 1935 resulted in a large, though reduced, majority for the National Government now led by Conservative Stanley Baldwin. The greatest number of MPs, as before, were Conservative, while the National Liberal vote held steady...
to 1951
United Kingdom general election, 1951
The 1951 United Kingdom general election was held eighteen months after the 1950 general election, which the Labour Party had won with a slim majority of just five seats...
.
Throughout the 1940s and 1950s Lloyd George campaigned for a Welsh Assembly and the creation of a Secretary of State for Wales
Secretary of State for Wales
The Secretary of State for Wales is the head of the Wales Office within the British cabinet. He or she is responsible for ensuring Welsh interests are taken into account by the government, representing the government within Wales and overseeing the passing of legislation which is only for Wales...
. Prominent among the radicals in the Liberal Party, she opposed what she saw as the party's drift away from her father's brand of liberalism
Liberalism
Liberalism is the belief in the importance of liberty and equal rights. Liberals espouse a wide array of views depending on their understanding of these principles, but generally, liberals support ideas such as constitutionalism, liberal democracy, free and fair elections, human rights,...
. In 1949 she was named Deputy Leader of the party in a bid to create unity, but after losing her seat she stood down in 1952 and in 1955 defected to Labour
Labour Party (UK)
The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after...
. In 1957 she stood against the Liberals as the Labour Party candidate in a by-election in Carmarthen
Carmarthen by-election, 1957
The Carmarthen by-election of 1957 in Carmarthenshire, Wales, was notable for resulting in the nadir of the British Liberal Party and for being the first election in the United Kingdom in which two women competed for the same seat....
and won the seat from them, which she held until her death from breast cancer
Breast cancer
Breast cancer is cancer originating from breast tissue, most commonly from the inner lining of milk ducts or the lobules that supply the ducts with milk. Cancers originating from ducts are known as ductal carcinomas; those originating from lobules are known as lobular carcinomas...
in Pwllheli
Pwllheli
Pwllheli is a community and the main market town of the Llŷn Peninsula in Gwynedd, north-western Wales. It has a population of 3,861, of which a large proportion, 81 per cent, are Welsh speaking. Pwllheli is the place where Plaid Cymru was founded. It is the birthplace of Albert Evans-Jones -...
in 1966. She was the mistress of Philip Noel-Baker
Philip Noel-Baker, Baron Noel-Baker
by Philip Noel-Baker with other authorsby others* Lloyd, Lorna: Philip Noel-Baker and the Peace Through Law in -External links:...
from 1936 to 1956.
In an ironic move her brother Gwilym also moved away from the Liberals but in the opposite direction, becoming a Conservative
Conservative Party (UK)
The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
Cabinet Minister in the 1950s. Many have taken the different careers of the Lloyd George siblings as symbolic of the decline of the Liberal Party from their father's day.
Further reading
- Jones, J. Graham, entry in Dictionary of Liberal Biography Brack et al. (eds.) Politico's Publishing, 1998
- Jones, J Graham, 'A breach in the family: the defection from the Liberal Party of Megan and Gwilym Lloyd George'
- Jones, Mervyn. A Radical Life: The Biography of Megan Lloyd George, 1902-66. London: Hutchinson, 1991. ISBN 0-09-174829-1
- Price, Emyr Megan Lloyd George; Gwynedd Archives Service, 1983