George Trefgarne, 1st Baron Trefgarne

George Morgan Trefgarne, 1st Baron Trefgarne (né George Garro-Jones; 14 September 1894 – 27 September 1960), was a Welsh Liberal and later Labour politician, barrister, businessman and editor of the Daily Dispatch.

The Right Honourable
The Lord Trefgarne
George Morgan Trefgarne in 1925
Member of the House of Lords
Lord Temporal
In office
21 January 1947 – 27 September 1960
Hereditary peerage
Preceded byPeerage created
Succeeded byThe 2nd Baron Trefgarne
Member of Parliament
for Aberdeen North
In office
14 November 1935 – 15 June 1945
Preceded byJohn George Burnett
Succeeded byHector Hughes
Member of Parliament
for Hackney South
In office
29 October 1924 – 10 May 1929
Preceded byHerbert Morrison
Succeeded byHerbert Morrison
Personal details
Born
George Garro-Jones

(1894-09-14)14 September 1894
Haverfordwest, Wales
Died27 September 1960(1960-09-27) (aged 66)
Political party
ChildrenDavid
Occupation
  • Politician
  • barrister
  • businessman
  • editor

Background

George Garro-Jones was born in Haverfordwest, Wales, on 14 September 1894. He was a "child of the Manse" as his father was the Congregationalist Minister at Zion's Hill Chapel, Spittal. His father, Reverend David Garro-Jones, trained for the ministry at Brecon College and served Congregational churches across Wales. The walk from the Manse in Spittal towards Zion's Hill chapel has views across a deep gorge to Treffgarne Rocks and it is understood this is where the titled name of Lord Trefgarne originated.

Political career

Garro-Jones was private secretary to Sir Hamar Greenwood from 1919 to 1922[1] while Greenwood was firstly Secretary for Overseas Trade and then Chief Secretary for Ireland. Greenwood was a Liberal Minister in the Coalition Government led by David Lloyd George.

This close association led Garro-Jones into standing as a candidate for National Liberals at the 1922 general election. He was selected to contest Bethnal Green North East, where the sitting Liberal member, who also supported the Coalition Government, was retiring. However, Garro-Jones's task of holding the seat became harder when the National Liberals coalition partners, the Unionists, decided to end the coalition and he found a Unionist intervening against him. To make matters worse, he could not count on the support of the local Liberal Association when an opposition Liberal supporter of H. H. Asquith also entered the contest. As a result, he was listed last in the election results.

After the election, the divisions in the Liberal ranks between the supporters of Asquith and Lloyd George was healed. Garro-Jones was chosen as Liberal candidate at the 1923 general election for the Unionist seat of Hackney South. No Liberal candidate had fought in the constituency at the previous election, so it was not considered a particularly good prospect. The Labour candidate won, but Garro-Jones was still able to poll more votes than the sitting member who came third.

Garro-Jones only had to wait another year for the opportunity to stand for parliament again. Once again, he was chosen as Liberal candidate for Hackney South. However, this time, there was no Unionist candidate and he was able to gain the seat from his Labour opponent.

His victory was rare in an election which saw a very many Liberals lose their seats. He stood down at the 1929 election and shortly afterwards joined the Labour Party. He was elected Labour MP for Aberdeen North at the 1935 general election, holding the seat until 1945.

Garro-Jones was raised to the peerage as Baron Trefgarne, of Cleddau in the County of Pembroke, on 21 January 1947.[2] In 1954, he assumed by deed poll the surname of Trefgarne in lieu of his patronymic.[3] He was succeeded by his son David, a Conservative government minister.

Electoral history
General election 1922: Bethnal Green North East[4]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Garnham Edmonds 5,774 36.1 −20.3
Communist Walter Windsor 5,659 35.3 New
Unionist Eric Alfred Hoffgaard 2,806 17.5 New
National Liberal George Garro-Jones 1,780 11.5 New
Majority 115 0.8 −26.3
Turnout 27,262 58.8 +27.6
Liberal hold Swing N/A
General election 1923: Hackney South[4][5]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Herbert Morrison 9,578 42.8 +3.0
Liberal George Garro-Jones 6,757 30.2 New
Unionist Clifford Erskine-Bolst 6,047 27.0 −33.2
Majority 2,821 12.6 N/A
Turnout 22,382 65.8 −4.2
Registered electors 34,037
Labour gain from Unionist Swing +18.1
General election 1924: Hackney South[4][6]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal George Garro-Jones 13,415 53.5 +23.3
Labour Herbert Morrison 11,651 46.5 +3.7
Majority 1,764 7.0 N/A
Turnout 25,066 72.5 +6.7
Registered electors 34,565
Liberal gain from Labour Swing +9.8

Arms
Coat of arms of George Trefgarne, 1st Baron Trefgarne
Crest
On a mount Vert a tree Proper suspended therefrom an escutcheon Or charged with a portcullis Gules.
Escutcheon
Or a dragon rampant Gules over all on a bend Azure a leek of the first between two thistles Proper.
Supporters
On either side a Herefordshire bull charged on the shoulder with an escutcheon Or thereon a portcullis Azure.
Motto
Ratione Et Concillio [7]

References
  1. The Times House of Commons, 1935
  2. "No. 37860". The London Gazette. 21 January 1947. p. 411.
  3. "No. 40099". The London Gazette. 12 February 1954. p. 956.
  4. British Parliamentary Election Results 1918-1949, F. W. S. Craig.
  5. "The General Election: First Returns, Polling In The Boroughs, Liberal Gains". The Times. 7 December 1923. p. 6.
  6. "The General Election: First Returns, Polling In The Boroughs". The Times. 30 October 1924. p. 6.
  7. Burke's Peerage. 1959.
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