Gwenan Jones

Gwenan Jones (3 November 1889 – 12 January 1971)[1] was a Welsh cultural historian, also known as the first woman to stand in a general election for Plaid Cymru.

Jones studied for a master's degree at the University of Wales, then received a doctorate from the University of Minnesota in 1918, both in Welsh literature. She then became a lecturer at University of Wales, Aberystwyth, settling in Llandre.[2] Jones became prominent in the Undeb Cymru Fydd, and on behalf of it, was a founder of the Wales International Society.[3]

At the 1945 general election, Jones stood for the University of Wales constituency, taking 24.5% of the vote, and becoming the first female Plaid candidate at a general election,[4] and the only Plaid candidate in 1945 to hold her deposit.[5] Despite this relative success, Jones felt disappointed at the party's lack of progress, and did not stand for election again.[6] However, she remained involved with the party; in 1949, she chaired the launch of Plaid's "Parliament for Wales in Five Years" campaign.[7]

Jones also became the president of the Welsh teachers' union, Undeb Cenedlaethol Athrawon Cymru.[8]

In 1948, Jones took in a Latvian family from a displaced persons camp in Germany. The mother of the family initially worked as her housekeeper, but later became a teacher and artist.[9]

References
  1. Nerys Ann Jones. "Jones, Gwenan (1889-1971), educationalist and author". Dictionary of Welsh Biography. Retrieved 30 September 2019.
  2. "a Dr Gwenan Jones", National Library of Wales
  3. Wales International Society, History of the Wales International Society
  4. Gwynfor Evans, For the sake of Wales, p. 143
  5. Alan Butt Philip, The Welsh Question, p. 74
  6. Gwynfor Evans, For the sake of Wales, p. 97
  7. Peter Berresford Ellis, Wales - a nation again, p. 116
  8. Gareth Elwyn Jones, Controls and conflicts in Welsh secondary education, 1889-1944, p. 183
  9. Andris Lielmanis, "Welsh-Latvian ties", The Baltic Times, 10 November 2004
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