The Lord Thomas of Gresford | |
|---|---|
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| Member of the House of Lords Lord Temporal | |
| Assumed office 30 September 1996 Life Peerage | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1937-03-13)13 March 1937 (age 88) Wrexham |
| Nationality | Welsh |
| Political party | Liberal Democrats |
| Spouse(s) | Nan Kerr (m. 1961 – her death 2000) Baroness Walmsley (m. 2005) |
| Alma mater | Peterhouse,Cambridge University |
| Profession | Solicitor, Barrister, Judge, Lecturer |
Donald Martin Thomas, Baron Thomas of Gresford,OBE, KC (born 13 March 1937) is a BritishLiberal Democratpolitician.
Born the son of a Llangollen policeman,[1] he was educated atGrove Park Grammar School,Wrexham, and atPeterhouse, Cambridge, he graduated with a degree ofLLB and anMA inClassics. He practised as asolicitor in Wrexham from 1961 to 1966 before becoming a lecturer inlaw. He wascalled to the bar atGray's Inn in 1967, and was appointedQC in 1979. He became aCrown CourtRecorder in 1976, and was authorised to sit as a deputyHigh Court judge in 1995.
Having been appointed anOfficer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the1982 Birthday Honours,[2] Thomas was created aLife Peer asBaron Thomas of Gresford, ofGresford in theCounty Borough of Wrexham on 30 September 1996,[3] whereupon he took the Liberal DemocratWhip. Since then he has been a spokesman onWales andHome Affairs, and has sat on a number of committees. His political interests includeHong Kong, China,criminal justice, andWales.
In 1961 Thomas married Nan Kerr, with whom he had three sons and one daughter. She died in 2000. In 2005, he married fellow Liberal Democrat peerBaroness Walmsley.
Lord Thomas was a vice-president of theLloyd George Society until February 2012, when he was elected president.
Lord Thomas is the honorary chairman of the Association of Military Court Advocates.
Lord Thomas is the honorary president of the Hong Kong Welsh Male Voice Choir[4]
| Party political offices | ||
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| Preceded by Mary Murphy | Chairman of theWelsh Liberal Party 1969–1973 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | President of theWelsh Liberal Party 1977–1979 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | President of theWelsh Liberal Democrats 1993–1996 | Succeeded by |
| Orders of precedence in the United Kingdom | ||
| Preceded by | Gentlemen Baron Thomas of Gresford | Followed by |
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| National | |
| People | |
| Other | |
