James Thomas, 1st Viscount Cilcennin
Elizabeth II | |
---|---|
Prime Minister | Winston Churchill Sir Anthony Eden |
Preceded by | The Lord Pakenham |
Succeeded by | The Viscount Hailsham |
Personal details | |
Born | 13 October 1903 |
Died | 13 July 1960 | (aged 56)
Nationality | British |
Political party | Conservative |
Alma mater | Oriel College, Oxford |
James Purdon Lewes Thomas, 1st Viscount Cilcennin,
Background and education
James Purdon Lewes Thomas was the son of John Lewes Thomas,
Political career
Thomas was private secretary to
Thomas volunteered for military service at the outbreak of the
After the 1945 general election Thomas was the opposition spokesman on naval affairs and deputy chairman of the Conservative Party, where he was responsible for recommending parliamentary candidates.[1]
When Churchill returned as Prime Minister following the
After resigning as First Lord of the Admiralty, Lord Cilcennin accompanied the Duke of Edinburgh on a world tour in 1956 and 1957,[6] during which the duke opened the 1956 Summer Olympics in Melbourne.
In 1957 he was appointed
In retirement, he served on the boards of several companies and as chairman of Television Wales and the West (TWW), the commercial television contractor for South Wales and the West of England.[2]
Personal life
Lord Cilcennin never married. He died in July 1960, aged 56, when the title became extinct. He suffered from arthritis of the hip in later life.[1]
Three months after his death his book Admiralty House, Whitehall was published,[2] about Admiralty House which had been his official residence as First Lord of the Admiralty.
According to Chris Bryant he was gay and was a member of the Glamour Boys.[8]
Arms
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References
- ^ doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/36478. (Subscription or UK public library membershiprequired.)
- ^ a b c d e Jones, Evan David (2001). "THOMAS, JAMES PURDON LEWES (1903 - 1960), VISCOUNT CILCENNIN, M.P.". Dictionary of Welsh Biography. National Library of Wales. Retrieved 19 July 2022.
- ^ "leighrayment.com House of Commons: Haslemere to Herefordshire". Archived from the original on 29 October 2010. Retrieved 17 September 2010.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link) - ^ "No. 39382". The London Gazette. 13 November 1951. p. 5919.
- ^ "No. 40689". The London Gazette. 20 January 1956. p. 419.
- ^ "Viscount Cilcennin Papers". Archives Hub. Retrieved 19 July 2022.
- ^ "No. 41171". The London Gazette. 10 September 1957. p. 5287.
- ISSN 0140-0460. Retrieved 7 July 2023.
- ^ Burke's Peerage. 1959.