Jim Griffiths
|
|
Born:
|
1890
|
|
Place of Birth:
|
Betws, Ammanford
|
|
School:
|
Betws Primary School
|
| |
|
Famous For: First Secretary of State for Wales
Trivia: His brother, David, was the bardic poet, Amanwy.
Biography: Ammanford born Jim Griffiths was elected MP for Llanelli in 1936. This post was followed by promotion to Deputy Leader of the Labour Party in 1955 and in 1964 he was made the first Secretary of State for Wales by Harold Wilson
Listen to Jim Griffiths talk about the General Strike of 1926 from the BBC archive
Born to William and Margaret Griffiths, Jim Griffiths was one of ten children. His first language was Welsh, and his family background was one in which religion and the reading of books played a large part. His father was a blacksmith and as a child Jim would help him repair local miners' equipment.At the age of 13 Jim left school and started work down the mine. It was through this hard and gruelling employment that he became politically-aware and developed an interest in trade unionism.
Jim held strong pacifist views during the First World War and campaigned against British involvement. It it was around this time he met Winifred Ratley, whom he would marry and have four children with. In 1916 he was elected as First Secretary for the Ammanford Trades Council, and in 1925 he became the miners' agent to the Miners' Anthracite Association; he went on from here in 1934 to become President of the South Wales Miners Federation. Just two years later Jim became the MP for Llanelli, a seat he held until his retirement in 1970. In the historic 1945 Labour Government Clem Attlee made Griffiths the Minister for National Insurance at a time when the Welfare State was in its infancy. He went on to become Secretary of State for the Colonies and in 1955 was made Deputy Leader of the Labour Party. It was during this time that he became the party's Welsh Affairs spokesman. This was to stand him in good stead when, in 1964, Harold Wilson made him the first Welsh Secretary. Griffiths retired from the House of Commons in 1970. Two years later a new street was built in Pontamman and named Heol James Griffiths. He died in 1975 aged 84.
|
|
