JONES, Aubrey 1911-2003

OBITUARY NOTICE—See index for CA sketch: Born November 20, 1911, in Merthyr Tydfil, Wales (one source says Pen-y-darren, Glamorgan, Wales); died April 10, 2003, in Westhampnett, West Sussex, England. Politician, journalist, businessman, and author. Jones was a conservative member of Parliament during the 1950s and 1960s who became known for his perceptive vision of the future, but whose initiatives to make changes in government were often blocked by opponents. A graduate of the London School of Economics, where he was a first-class graduate in 1933 and won the Gladstone Memorial Prize, Jones worked for the League of Nations before joining the London Times as a sub-editor on foreign affairs. When World War II started, he served in military intelligence in England and the Middle East until 1946. His first forays into politics were two unsuccessful attempts in 1945 and again 1946 to run for office. Barring this, he took a job with the Iron and Steel Federation, where he remained until 1955. His prospects in politics saw the light in 1950, when he won the seat to Hall Green, Birmingham. From 1955 to 1957 he was minister of fuel and power, and from 1957 to 1959 he was minister of supply. According to Jones, however, his happiest post came after he resigned from Parliament in 1965 and became chair of the National Board for Prices and Incomes from 1965 to 1970. While a member of Parliament, Jones's philosophy was that government should be highly involved in the course of the economy, and he objected to Tory notions of a free economy, a stand that was in marked contrast to his other conservative party colleagues. Eventually, this conflict in philosophies led him to switch to the Liberal Party in 1981. His later career was occupied by chairing companies such as Laporte Industries and Cornhill Insurance; during the 1960s and 1970s, he was also director of Guest, Keen & Nettlefolds Steel Company, Courtaulds Ltd., and Black & Decker. He was an adviser for the Nigerian Public Service Review Commission from 1973 to 1974, the Iranian government from 1974 to 1978, and Plessey Ltd. from 1978 to 1980. Jones was also president of the Oxford Energy Policy Club from 1976 to 1988. He was the author of several books about the economy and politics, including The Pendulum of Politics (1946), The New Inflation: The Politics of Prices and Incomes (1973), and Britain's Economy: The Roots of Stagnation (1985).

OBITUARIES AND OTHER SOURCES:

PERIODICALS

Guardian (London, England), April 12, 2003, p. 25.

Independent (London, England), April 21, 2003, p. 16.

Times (London, England), April 17, 2003, p. 37.