Herbert Lewis (Q59865)

Sir John Herbert Lewis (1858-1933) served as the Liberal MP for the Flint Boroughs, 1892-1906, Flintshire, 1906-18, and the University of Wales, 1918-22. Together with his close political associates, Tom Ellis and David Lloyd George, Lewis took advantage of every opportunity of bringing Welsh issues to the attention of Parliament. He played an important role in the campaigns to secure government grants for the setting up and maintenance of a national museum and library for Wales, and helped to ensure that the new national library was one of the beneficiaries of the 1911 Copyright Act. He was chosen Liberal Whip in 1905, became Parliamentary Secretary to the Local Government Board in 1909, and Parliamentary Secretary to the Board of Education in 1915. He remained keenly interested in educational matters throughout his life, taking a particular interest in the development of the University of Wales and in the securing of grants for ex-service men. His public life was brought to an abrupt end by an accident at Aberystwyth in 1925, although he survived, a bed-ridden invalid at Plas Penucha, Caerwys, until 1933.