Gwynfor Evans | |
|---|---|
 Evans in 1951 | |
| President of Plaid Cymru | |
| In office 1945–1981 | |
| Preceded by | Abi Williams |
| Succeeded by | Dafydd Wigley |
| Member of Parliament for Carmarthen | |
| In office 15 July 1966 – 29 May 1970 | |
| Preceded by | Megan Lloyd George |
| Succeeded by | Gwynoro Jones |
| In office 10 October 1974 – 7 April 1979 | |
| Preceded by | Gwynoro Jones |
| Succeeded by | Roger Thomas |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Gwynfor Richard Evans 1 September 1912 Barry, Wales |
| Died | 21 April 2005 (aged 92) Pencarreg, Carmarthenshire, Wales |
| Political party | Plaid Cymru |
| Spouse |
Rhiannon Prys Thomas
(m. 1941) |
| Children | 7 |
| Relatives |
|
| Alma mater | University of Wales, Aberystwyth St John's College, Oxford |
Gwynfor Richard Evans (1 September 1912 – 21 April 2005) was a Welsh politician, lawyer and author. He was President of the Welsh political party Plaid Cymru for thirty-six years and was the first member of Parliament to represent it at Westminster, which he did twice, from 1966 to 1970, and again from 1974 to 1979.
On entering the House of Commons, he famously failed in his attempt to obtain permission to take the oath in the Welsh language.[1] He was the first MP to attempt to do so, but the right to take the oath in any of the UK's native languages was not granted until 1974.[2] His most notable achievement was his successful campaign for the creation of a Welsh-language television channel.[3]
- ^ "Oath of Allegiance (Welsh language)". Hansard. 21 July 1966. Retrieved 10 March 2021.
- ^ British Academy (2003). The British Constitution in the Twentieth Century. British Academy. p. 615. ISBN 978-0-19-726271-9.
- ^ David Crystal (29 April 2002). Language Death. Cambridge University Press. p. 87. ISBN 978-0-521-01271-3.