Arthur Creech Jones
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The Right Honourable Arthur Creech Jones |
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| Secretary of State for the Colonies | |
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In office 4 October 1946 – 28 February 1950 |
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| Preceded by | George Hall |
| Succeeded by | Jim Griffiths |
| Under-Secretary of State for the Colonies | |
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In office 1945–1946 |
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| Preceded by | The Duke of Devonshire |
| Succeeded by | Ivor Thomas |
| Member of Parliament for Shipley |
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In office 14 November 1935 – 23 February 1950 |
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| Preceded by | James Lockwood |
| Succeeded by | Geoffrey Hirst |
| Member of Parliament for Wakefield |
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In office 21 October 1954 – 15 October 1964 |
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| Preceded by | Arthur Greenwood |
| Succeeded by | Walter Harrison |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 15 May 1891 |
| Died | 23 October 1964 (aged 73) |
| Nationality | British |
| Political party | Labour |
| Profession | Civil servant |
Arthur Creech Jones (15 May 1891 – 23 October 1964) was a British trade union official and politician. Originally a civil servant, his imprisonment as a conscientious objector during the First World War forced him to change careers. A protégé of Ernest Bevin, he was elected to Parliament in 1935 and developed a reputation for interest in colonial matters, gaining the nickname "unofficial member of the Kikuyu at Westminster". He served in the Colonial Office in the Labour government of 1945–1950. After losing his seat in the 1950 general election he was involved in writing and lecturing about British colonies, before returning to Parliament in 1954. Initially he was known as Arthur Jones, but throughout his time in politics he invariably used his middle name.
Jones was the son of a lithographic printer from Bristol. He went to Whitehall Boys' School, and won a scholarship to study French, Mathematics and Commerce for an extra year when he was 13. On leaving school in 1905, he worked in a solicitor's office and prepared for the Civil Service Junior Clerks' Examination. Having passed the exam, he joined the War Office and later worked for the Crown Agents, who acted as the London representatives of British dominions and colonies. He also attended evening classes to improve his education.
In his spare time, Jones was also involved with political groups; he was an active member of the Liberal Christian League, which brought him into contact with senior members of the Liberal Party. His education about politics led him to question, and eventually drop, his membership of the Methodist church. He helped to found the Camberwell Trades and Labour Council in 1913, and later became honorary Secretary of the Dulwich branch of the Independent Labour Party (ILP). After the outbreak of the First World War, Jones was involved across London with the ILP; he had become a pacifist, and organised anti-conscription meetings when conscription was introduced in 1916.
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