John Jacques, Baron Jacques

John Henry Jacques, Baron Jacques (11 January 1905 – 20 December 1995)[1] was a British businessman and politician for the Co-operative Party.

Background

Born in Ashington, he was the son of Thomas Dobsons Jacques, a miner.[2] A scholarship led him to the Co-operative College, located in Manchester, where he graducated with a Bachelor of Arts in commerce.[2] He then went to Low Moorsley as a secretary-manager of its Co-operative Society in 1925.[2]

Career

In 1929, Jacques became a tutor at his former school and from 1942 worked as an accountant for Plymouth's Co-op Society until 1945.[3] He was subsequently chief executive of the Portsea Island Co-operative Society until 1965[3] and during this time served as President of the 1961 Co-operative Congress.[4] From 1964, Jacques chaired the Co-operative Union, retiring after six years.[3] In 1971, he became president of the Retail Trades Education Council, a post he held until 1975.[3]

In recognition of his services to the Co-operative movement, on 11 July 1968 he received a life peerage with the title Baron Jacques, of Portsea Island, in the County of Hampshire, sitting as a Labour Co-operative peer.[5] After some years in the House of Lords, Jacques was appointed a Lord-in-Waiting in 1974, however was replaced three years later.[2] In 1977, he became a Deputy Chairman of Committees until 1985.[2] He served as Lord-in-Waiting again in 1979, shortly before Labour's defeat by the Conservative Party.[2]

Family

Jacques and Constance White were married in 1929 and had two sons and a daughter.[2] Constance died in 1987 and two years later Jacques married Violet Davies.[3] He died at Portsmouth in 1995 and was survived by his second wife.[3]

The Portsea Island Society's store in Fratton Road, Portsmouth is now a Wetherspoons pub and was named "The John Jacques" in his honour.[6]

References

  1. ↑ "Leigh Rayment - Peerage". Retrieved 10 December 2009.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 Charles Roger Dod and Robert Phipps Dod (1986). Dod's Parliamentary Companion. Dod's Parliamentary Companion Ltd. p. 146. ISBN 0-905702-11-5.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 Gallacher, John (22 December 1995). "Obituary - Lord Jacques". The Independent. Retrieved 20 December 2009.
  4. ↑ "National Co-operative Archive - Congress Presidents 1869-2002" (pdf). February 2002. Retrieved 10 May 2008.
  5. ↑ The London Gazette: no. 44631. p. 7695. 11 July 1968. Retrieved 10 December 2009.
  6. ↑ "Pub Profile - "The John Jacques"". Retrieved 29 May 2008.

External links