David Davies, 1st Baron Davies

The Right Honourable
The Lord Davies
FRGS
The Right Honourable The Lord Davies FRGS
	David Davies, circa 1905
Member of Parliament; for Montgomeryshire
	In office; 1906–1929
Preceded by	Arthur Humphreys-Owen
Succeeded by	Clement Davies
Parliamentary Private Secretary to the Prime Minister
	In office; 1916–1918
Prime Minister	David Lloyd George
Preceded by	Sir John Barran
Succeeded by	William Sutherland
Personal details
Born	David Davies; 11 May 1880; Llandinam, Montgomeryshire
Died	16 June 1944 (aged 64)
Political party	Liberal
Spouse(s)	Amy Penman (m. 1910; died 1918); Henrietta Margaret Fergusson (m. 1922)
Children	6
Relatives	David Davies ; Gwendoline Davies ; Margaret Davies
Education	Merchiston Castle School, Edinburgh
Alma mater	King's College, Cambridge
Military service
Allegiance	United Kingdom
Branch/service	British Army
Years of service	until 1916
Unit	14th Battalion of the Royal Welsh Fusiliers
Battles/wars	First World War

David Davies, 1st Baron Davies FRGS (11 May 1880 – 16 June 1944) was a Welsh Liberal Party politician and public benefactor who was MP for Montgomeryshire from 1906 to 1929. He was a grandson of the great Welsh industrialist David Davies. As a philanthropist, he established the King Edward VII Welsh National Memorial Association to combat tuberculosis in Wales, as well as the Wilson Chair of International Politics at the University College of Wales, Aberystwyth.^[1]

Early life and education

Davies was born in Llandinam, Montgomeryshire, the first child of Edward Davies and May Jones.^[1] His father was the only son of David Davies, often known as David Davies Llandinam, who was the greatest Welsh industrialist of the Victorian era, having made his fortune in the coal mines.^[2]

He was educated at Merchiston Castle School and King's College, Cambridge, graduating in 1903.^[3] His family's wealth allowed the young Davies to travel extensively to exotic locations, where he enjoyed game hunting. He visited Africa, Asia and the United States, including Alaska.^[2] His two younger sisters, Gwendoline and Margaret, became renowned patrons of the arts.^[2]

Career

Politically and personally, Davies followed the lead set by his grandfather. In 1906, at just 26, he was elected the Liberal Member of Parliament for the Montgomeryshire constituency.

In the First World War, he commanded the 14th Battalion of the Royal Welsh Fusiliers until 1916, when he was appointed Parliamentary Secretary to David Lloyd George.^[2] He accompanied Lord Milner on his trip to Russia, and he was a member of The Garden Suburb.^[4] According to Lord Riddell, Davies was the only member of the Russian mission to foreshadow the Russian revolution.^[5]

Following the war, Davies became an active supporter of the League of Nations. In 1929, Davies stood down prior to the general election to focus on international affairs.^[2]

Despite this, Davies continued to support the official Liberal Party. He became President of Montgomeryshire Liberal Association and was at odds with his successor as MP, Clement Davies. In 1931, Clement Davies became a Liberal National and continued to support the National Government after the official Liberal Party moved into opposition in 1933.

In 1932, he established the New Commonwealth Society for "the promotion of international law and order," writing several books on the right use of force, notably The Problem of the Twentieth Century (1930), which was translated into German and other languages.

We shall never get real prosperity and security until we get peace, we shall never get peace until we get justice, and we shall get none of these things until we succeed in establishing the rule of law by means of the creation of a really effective international authority equipped with those two vital institutions, an equity tribunal and an international police force.
— Lord Davies, The Problem of the Twentieth Century, 1930^[2]

His ideas influenced the writing of the United Nations Charter, especially with regards to sanctions and the transition of national armies to an international police.

On 24 June 1932, he was created Baron Davies of Llandinam, in the County of Montgomery, for public services.^[6]

In 1938, with a general election likely to occur in the near future, Lord Davies put pressure on Clement Davies by persuading the Montgomeryshire executive to seek clarification from their MP on his views regarding the National Government and appeasement. The MP shortly after avowedly opposed appeasement and resigned the Liberal National whip.^[7]

Philanthropy

Like his sisters, Davies was a significant philanthropist who donated to a number of good causes both locally and nationally. In 1910, he contributed £150,000 (£19.3 million as of 2024) to the King Edward VII Welsh National Memorial, which was formed with the aim of eradicating tuberculosis in Wales.^[2]

He endowed perhaps the world's first Chair in International Politics, established in honour of Woodrow Wilson in 1919 at the University College of Wales, Aberystwyth,^[8] which also hosts the David Davies Memorial Institute of International Studies. He was also the president of the National Library of Wales.

The Welsh Temple of Peace in Cardiff was his brainchild, and was funded by Davies, to a great extent, pledging £58,000 in 1934 (equivalent to £4.4 million in 2023^[9]) towards the erection of a building.

Family and issue

In 1910, Davies married his first wife Amy Penman, daughter of Lancelot Tulip Penman of Broadwood Park, and had two children:^[1]

Maj. David Michael Davies, 2nd Baron Davies (16 January 1915 – 25 September 1944) married Ruth Eldrydd Dugdale, daughter of Maj. William Marshall Dugdale, and had two sons
Marguerite Elizabeth (26 April 1917 – 18 December 1930)

Four years after Amy's death in 1918, he remarried to Henrietta Margaret Fergusson, daughter of James Grant Fergusson of Baledmund, Perthshire, and had four more children:^[1]

Hon. Edward Davies (30 January 1925 – 26 October 1997)
Hon. Islwyn Edmund Evan Davies (10 December 1926 – 5 October 2002)
Hon. Mary Myfanwy (20 November 1923 – 21 September 2001)
Hon. Gwendoline Rita Jean Davis Cormack (1 May 1929 – 4 June 2011)^[10]

In 1944, while launching a new X-Ray mobile scanning unit at Sully Hospital (which the Temple of Peace in Cardiff had funded), Davies volunteered to undergo the first routine chest scan. The scan revealed advanced cancer from which he died from a few months later in June 1944.

His eldest son and heir, Major Hon. David Michael Davies, was serving in the Royal Welsh Fusiliers when he was killed in action in September 1944, only a few months after inheriting the title. The latter's eldest son succeeded as the third Baron Davies, days prior to his fourth birthday.^[11]^[1]

A statue commissioned in honour of his Grandfather stands in Llandinam in Powys on the A470. The Llandinam Building at Aberystwyth University was named in his honour.

Arms

Coat of arms of David Davies, 1st Baron Davies
	Crest An arm embowed Proper vested to the elbow Argent holding in the hand a miner's safety lamp Proper. Escutcheon Or a lion rampant Gules between two fleurs-de-lis in fess Azure on a chief Azure two pickaxes fesswise. Motto (The Highest Nobility Is Virtue)^[12]

References

^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e Mosley, Charles, ed. (2003). Burke's Peerage, Baronetage & Knighthood (107 ed.). Burke's Peerage & Gentry. pp. 1049–1050. ISBN 0-9711966-2-1.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g "Lord Davies: Politics and Public Life in Wales". The Times. 17 June 1944. p. 6.
^ "Davies, David (DVS899D)". A Cambridge Alumni Database. University of Cambridge.
^ Owen, Frank, "Tempestuous Journey", London: Hutchinson, 1954, pgs. 378-382
^ Riddle, George, "Lord Riddell's War Diary, 1914-1918", pg. 248
^ "No. 33838". The London Gazette. 24 June 1932. p. 4111.
^ Dutton, David (2008). Liberals in Schism: A History of the National Liberal Party. London: Tauris. ISBN 978-1845116675.
^ "The Legacy of One Man's Vision". Aberystwyth University, Department of International Politics. Retrieved 27 January 2015.
^ United Kingdom Gross Domestic Product deflator figures follow the MeasuringWorth "consistent series" supplied in Thomas, Ryland; Williamson, Samuel H. (2024). "What Was the U.K. GDP Then?". MeasuringWorth. Retrieved 15 July 2024.
^ England and Wales, Death Index, 2007-2017
^ "Fallen Officers". The Times. 23 October 1944. p. 6.
^ Debrett's Peerage. 2019. p. 2280.

External links

Media related to David Davies, 1st Baron Davies at Wikimedia Commons

Parliament of the United Kingdom
Preceded by Arthur Humphreys-Owen	Member of Parliament for Montgomeryshire 1906–1929	Succeeded by Clement Davies
Government offices
Preceded by Sir John Barran	Parliamentary Private Secretary to the Prime Minister 1916–1918	Succeeded by William Sutherland
Peerage of the United Kingdom
New creation	Baron Davies 1932–1944	Succeeded by David Michael Davies

[burke-1] Mosley, Charles, ed. (2003). Burke's Peerage, Baronetage & Knighthood (107 ed.). Burke's Peerage & Gentry. pp. 1049–1050. ISBN 0-9711966-2-1.

[times-2] ^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g "Lord Davies: Politics and Public Life in Wales". The Times. 17 June 1944. p. 6.

[3] "Davies, David (DVS899D)". A Cambridge Alumni Database. University of Cambridge.

[4] Owen, Frank, "Tempestuous Journey", London: Hutchinson, 1954, pgs. 378-382

[5] Riddle, George, "Lord Riddell's War Diary, 1914-1918", pg. 248

[6] "No. 33838". The London Gazette. 24 June 1932. p. 4111.

[7] Dutton, David (2008). Liberals in Schism: A History of the National Liberal Party. London: Tauris. ISBN 978-1845116675.

[8] "The Legacy of One Man's Vision". Aberystwyth University, Department of International Politics. Retrieved 27 January 2015.

[inflation-UKGDP-9] United Kingdom Gross Domestic Product deflator figures follow the MeasuringWorth "consistent series" supplied in Thomas, Ryland; Williamson, Samuel H. (2024). "What Was the U.K. GDP Then?". MeasuringWorth. Retrieved 15 July 2024.

[10] England and Wales, Death Index, 2007-2017

[11] "Fallen Officers". The Times. 23 October 1944. p. 6.

[12] Debrett's Peerage. 2019. p. 2280.

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v t e Parliamentary Private Secretaries to the Prime Minister
Prime Minister's Office
to Henry Campbell-Bannerman	Carr-Gomm 1906–1908
to H. H. Asquith	Howard 1908–1909 Lyell 1908–1915
to David Lloyd George	Barran 1916–1918 D. Davies 1916–1918 Sutherland 1916–1918, 1919–1920 Astor 1918 Sassoon 1920–1922
to Bonar Law	Davidson 1922–1923
to Stanley Baldwin	Herbert 1923–1924, 1924–1927 Rhys 1927–1929 Geoffery-Lloyd 1935 Dugdale 1935–1937
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