David Lloyd George
The statue of David Lloyd George in Y Maes, Castle Square was unveiled in 1921 when he was still Britain’s Prime Minister.
He was born 17th January 1863 in Chorlton-on-Medlock, Manchester to Welsh parents. After his schoolmaster father died in 1864 the family moved to Llanystumdwy, where he was raised by his mother and her brother who was a shoemaker. After attending Llanystumdwy school he was articled to solicitors in Porthmadog, passing his final examinations in 1884. His new practice in Criccieth soon expanded into other towns. He joined the local debating society and in 1889, aged 26, won a seat on Caernarvonshire County Council. In 1890 Lloyd George narrowly won a Parliamentary by-election for Caernarvon Boroughs, he held this seat as a Liberal until two months before his death in 1945.
He held key Government posts: President of the Board of Trade (1905-1908); Chancellor of the Exchequer (1908-1915); Minister of Munitions (1915-1916); and Prime Minister (1916-1922).
He was a controversial figure, particularly for his stances on the Boer War, Palestine and Irish independence. Although mostly supporting votes for women, his fluctuating stance made him an enemy of the suffragette movement and his meetings were often disrupted. His personal life was sometimes a source of gossip but he is primarily remembered as the initiator of the welfare state and as Britain’s leader in the First World War.
He died at Llanystumdwy on 26 March 1945 and is buried beside the River Dwyfor. He is so far the only British prime minister to have been Welsh and the only one to have spoken English as a second language.