Goronwy Owen (politician)

Goronwy Owen (22 June 1881 – 26 September 1963) was a Welsh Liberal politician and businessman.

Owen was born at Penllwyn, Aberystwyth. He was educated at Ardwyn Grammar School and the University College of Wales, Aberystwyth where he gained an MA degree. He worked as a schoolteacher in London until 1914 but then joined the London Welsh Battalion (15th Royal Welch Fusiliers) as an officer. He served in France and was awarded the Distinguished Service Order in 1916. He was promoted to Brigade Major and twice mentioned in dispatches. By 1948 however he was being referred to as having achieved the rank of Lieutenant-Colonel. After the war, he was called to the Bar by Grays Inn but the law was a subordinate interest to business and politics. He became a member of the and went into the oil business. He became president of British Controlled Oilfields which had interests in Venezuela and the Caribbean and was on the board of the Trinidad Petroleum Development Company as well as having interests in other commercial and trading companies.

Owen was elected as Liberal Member of Parliament (MP) for Caernarvonshire at the 1923 general election. He defended the seat at the 1929 general election as a Liberal, beating Labour, Conservative and Welsh Nationalist opposition with a majority of 3,460. At the 1931 election he was styled an Independent Liberal. He held his seat against Labour and two Nationalist opponents but by the much narrower majority of 694. At the next election in 1935, Owen again stood as an Independent Liberal against Labour and Nationalist opposition, increasing his majority to 1,497. At Labour’s landslide victory in the 1945 general election, he again had no Conservative candidate to contend with but he once more faced Labour and Welsh Nationalist challenge. He was beaten by the similarly named Labour candidate Goronwy Owen Roberts by a majority of over 6,000.

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