Lady Megan Lloyd George | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Lloyd George in 1923 | |
| Deputy Leader of theLiberal Party | |
| In office 1949–1950 | |
| Leader | Clement Davies |
| Preceded by | Percy Harris(1945) |
| Succeeded by | Donald Wade(1962) |
| Member of Parliament forCarmarthen | |
| In office 1 March 1957 – 14 May 1966 | |
| Preceded by | Rhys Hopkin Morris |
| Succeeded by | Gwynfor Evans |
| Member of Parliament forAnglesey | |
| In office 30 May 1929 – 5 October 1951 | |
| Preceded by | Robert Thomas |
| Succeeded by | Cledwyn Hughes |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Megan Arvon George (1902-04-22)22 April 1902 Criccieth,Caernarfonshire (present-dayGwynedd), Wales |
| Died | 14 May 1966(1966-05-14) (aged 64) Pwllheli, Wales |
| Political party | |
| Domestic partner | Philip Noel-Baker (1936–1956) |
| Parents | |
Lady Megan Arvon Lloyd George,CH (22 April 1902 – 14 May 1966) was a Welsh politician and the first femaleMember of Parliament (MP) for aWelshconstituency. She also served as Deputy Leader of theLiberal Party, before later becoming aLabourMP, serving in Parliament for 30 years. In 2016, she was named as one of "the 50 greatest Welsh men and women of all time".[1]
She was the youngest child ofDavid Lloyd George and his wife,Margaret, being born in 1902 inCriccieth,Caernarfonshire. Her name at birth was registered with forenames Megan Arvon and surname George, but she adopted her father's barrelled surname "Lloyd George". As her father was raised to thepeerage asEarl Lloyd-George of Dwyfor in 1945, she gained thestyle ofLady Megan (Lloyd George).[2]
Lloyd George was imaginative and "sprite-like" when young, and was described in the local press as a "daring sceptic", disliking her father's stories ofDaniel in the lions' den.[3][4] Around the age of five, she would travel with her father to their house in Brighton, and delight his guests by bringing them an early morning cup of tea while they were still in bed.[4]
She began public engagements at an early age, and on 16 November 1910, at the age of eight, performed the opening ceremony of the extension of theClaremont Central Mission inPentonville.[5]
Like her brother,Gwilym, she followed her father into politics. She became the first female MP inWales when she wonAnglesey for the Liberals in1929.
Along with her father, she refused to supportRamsay MacDonald'sNational Government in1931 and successfully held Anglesey as anopposition Liberal at the1931 General Election. She held the seat again as a Liberal from1935 to1951. During World War II, she was a member ofRadical Action, which called for a more radical political stance and for the party to withdraw from thewar-time electoral truce.
Throughout the 1940s and 1950s she campaigned for aWelsh Parliament and the creation of aSecretary 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 ofliberalism. During the late 1940s, Lady Megan (as she was universally known) remained on friendly terms withClement Attlee and there were rumours that she would join the Labour Party.[6] In 1949, Lady Megan was elected Deputy Leader of the Liberal Party in a bid to create unity, but after losing her seat she stood down in 1952. Disillusioned with the Liberals, she indicated in November that year that she would not stand again in Anglesey.[7]
In 1955, Lady Megan defected to theLabour Party. In 1957, she stood against the Liberals as the Labour Party candidate ata by-election inCarmarthen and won theseat, which she held until her death frombreast cancer atPwllheli in 1966, aged 64.
She wasPhilip Noel-Baker's romantic partner from 1936 until Irene Noel-Baker's death in 1956.[8]
She was posthumously appointed as aMember of the Order of the Companions of Honour in theDissolution Honours List published five days after her death.[9]
In 2016 she was included in a list of "the 50 greatest Welsh men and women of all time".[1]
In 2019 aPurple Plaque to commemorate her was installed on the building that had been her family home inCricieth.[10]
| Parliament of the United Kingdom | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Member of Parliament forAnglesey 1929 –1951 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Member of Parliament forCarmarthen 1957 –1966 | Succeeded by |
| Party political offices | ||
| Vacant Title last held by Percy Harris | Deputy Leader of theLiberal Party 1949–1951 | Vacant Title next held by Donald Wade |