Elwyn Jones, Baron Elwyn-Jones

The Right Honourable The Lord Elwyn-Jones CH PC
Shadow Lord Chancellor
In office 2 October 1983 – 9 January 1989
Leader	Neil Kinnock
Preceded by	Position established
Succeeded by	The Lord Mishcon
Lord Chancellor
In office 5 March 1974 – 4 May 1979
Prime Minister	Harold Wilson James Callaghan
Preceded by	The Lord Hailsham of St Marylebone
Succeeded by	The Lord Hailsham of St Marylebone
Attorney General for England and Wales
In office 16 October 1964 – 19 June 1970
Prime Minister	Harold Wilson
Preceded by	John Hobson
Succeeded by	Peter Rawlinson
Member of Parliament for Newham South
In office 28 February 1974 – 11 March 1974
Preceded by	Constituency established
Succeeded by	Nigel Spearing
Member of Parliament for West Ham South
In office 23 February 1950 – 28 February 1974
Preceded by	Constituency established
Succeeded by	Constituency abolished
Member of Parliament for Plaistow
In office 5 July 1945 – 23 February 1950
Preceded by	Will Thorne
Succeeded by	Constituency abolished
Personal details
Born	24 October 1909 Llanelli, Wales, UK
Died	4 December 1989 (aged 80) Brighton, England, UK
Political party	Labour
Spouse(s)	Pearl Binder (1937–1989))
Alma mater	Aberystwyth University Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge City Law School

Frederick Elwyn Jones, Baron Elwyn-Jones, CH, PC (24 October 1909 – 4 December 1989), known as Elwyn Jones, was a Welsh barrister and Labour politician.

Background and education

Elwyn Jones was born in Llanelli, Carmarthenshire, read history for one year at the University of Wales, Aberystwyth, and then at Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge. He spent time in Germany in the 1930s as a young man.

Legal career

He became a barrister and Recorder of Merthyr Tydfil. He was also a broadcaster and journalist. He served as junior British Counsel during the Nuremberg Trials,^[1] and led for the prosecution (Leading Prosecutor) at the Hamburg trial of Marshal Erich von Manstein in 1948.

In 1966, he led the prosecution of the Moors murderers, Ian Brady and Myra Hindley.

Political career

At the 1945 general election, he was elected as Labour Member of Parliament for Plaistow, east London. In 1950, he became MP for West Ham South, serving until 1974. In 1964, Elwyn Jones was sworn of the Privy Council and appointed Attorney General (receiving the customary knighthood^[2]) by Harold Wilson, a post he held until 1970.

In February 1974, he was once again elected to Parliament, now for Newham South, but left the House of Commons soon afterwards when he was made a life peer, as Baron Elwyn-Jones, of Llanelli in the County of Carmarthen and of Newham in Greater London.^[3] He then served as Lord Chancellor from 1974 to 1979, under Harold Wilson and James Callaghan. In 1976 he was made a Companion of Honour.^[4]

Personal life

In 1937, Elwyn Jones married Pearl "Polly" Binder, an artist from Manchester. They had three children: Josephine, Lou and Dan. Josephine became a researcher on Jacob Bronowski's TV series The Ascent of Man and married Francis Gladstone (a relative of Prime Minister William Gladstone).

Elwyn Jones's brother Idris Jones (1900–1971) was captain of the Wales rugby union team in 1925, and was an industrial chemist who became Director General of Research Development for the National Coal Board.^[5][6]

Lord Elwyn-Jones died in December 1989, aged 80.

Styles of address

• 1909-1945: Mr Frederick Elwyn Jones
• 1945-1964: Mr Frederick Elwyn Jones MP
• 1963-1974: The Right Honourable Sir Frederick Elwyn Jones MP
• 1974-1976: The Right Honourable The Lord Elwyn-Jones Kt PC
• 1976-1989: The Right Honourable The Lord Elwyn-Jones CH Kt PC

References

1. The Trial of German War Criminals, Part I. His Majesty's Stationery Office. 1946. p. vii.
2. The London Gazette: no. 43498. p. 10025. 24 November 1964.
3. The London Gazette: no. 46236. p. 3303. 14 March 1974.
4. The London Gazette: no. 46916. p. 7823. 1 June 1976.
5. James, Mary Auronwy. "JONES, WALTER IDRIS (1900-1971)". Dictionary of Welsh Biography. National Library of Wales. Retrieved 20 November 2014.
6. "Wales' rugby captains". BBC. Retrieved 20 November 2014.

Further reading

• The Times House of Commons 1945. 1945.
• The Times House of Commons 1950. 1950.
• The Times House of Commons 1955. 1955.

External links

• Elwyn Jones at Find-A-Grave
• Portraits of Elwyn Jones at the National Portrait Gallery, London
  
• Llanelli Community Heritage Elwyn-Jones Blue Plaque
• Lord Elwyn-Jones' appearance on Desert Island Discs