DAVIES, ELLIS WILLIAM (1871 - 1939), solicitor and politician

Name: Ellis William Davies
Date of birth: 1871
Date of death: 1939
Parent: Elizabeth Davies (née Williams)
Parent: David Davies
Gender: Male
Occupation: solicitor and politician
Area of activity: Law; Politics, Government and Political Movements
Author: Idris Llewelyn Foster

Born 12 April 1871 at Gerlan, Bethesda, Caernarfonshire, son of David Davies, a quarry official, and Catherine (Williams), Tyddyn Sabel, Bethesda. He was educated at Carneddi school, Bethesda, Liverpool College and a private school in Liverpool. After six years as a clerk in insurance offices at Wrexham and Sheffield he proceeded to qualify as a solicitor, gaining first-class honours in 1899 and a London Law Society prize. He established a solicitor's practice at Caernarfon, and lived there for rest of his life. In 1904 he was elected a member of Caernarfon County Council, later being made an alderman. He acted as solicitor for the North Wales Quarrymen's Union, and was director of several business companies.

In June 1906 he was elected M.P. (Lib.) for the Eifion division of Caernarfonshire, in succession to John Bryn Roberts, and retained his seat until 1918. During this period he was a member of the departmental committee on landed estates (1911), departmental committee on the jury system (1911), Lloyd George's land enquiry committee (1912), the Speaker's conference on reforming the electoral system (1916), the departmental committee concerned with the right of public authorities to make compulsory purchases of land (1917) and Lord Bryce's conference on reforming the House of Lords. At the general election held in December 1918 he lost his seat, after a bitter campaign, to the official candidate of the Liberal and Tory coalition; the Labour candidate was also ahead of him. Then in December 1923 he was elected M.P. (Lib.) for Denbigh division, and was subsequently appointed a member of the panel of chairmen of committees in the House of Commons in 1926. He resigned from Parliament in May 1929 because of ill health. During 1932 he became prominent and active in the discussions of the Presb. Church of Wales on formulating a parliamentary bill relating to the Church. He joined the Labour Party in 1936 but resigned in December 1938 because he disagreed with the party's foreign policy. He died 29 April 1939.

Ellis Davies worked hard and diligently in many spheres. His political activity was based on firm and single-minded radicalism. He had an alert and discerning mind, independent judgement and power of conviction. He read extensively and was endowed with a retentive memory. He contributed articles on politics, politicians and history to Welsh newspapers and periodicals; these testify to the breadth of his interests and the sureness of his thinking.

Author

Published date: 2001

Article Copyright: http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/

The Dictionary of Welsh Biography is provided by The National Library of Wales and the University of Wales Centre for Advanced Welsh and Celtic Studies. It is free to use and does not receive grant support. A donation would help us maintain and improve the site so that we can continue to acknowledge Welsh men and women who have made notable contributions to life in Wales and beyond.

Find out more on our sponsorship page.