Dafydd Elis-Thomas
The Lord Elis-Thomas | |||||||||||||||||||
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Official portrait, 2019 | |||||||||||||||||||
| Minister for Culture, Sport and Tourism | |||||||||||||||||||
| In office 3 November 2017 – 13 May 2021 | |||||||||||||||||||
| First Minister | Carwyn Jones Mark Drakeford | ||||||||||||||||||
| Preceded by | Ken Skates | ||||||||||||||||||
| Succeeded by | Dawn Bowden | ||||||||||||||||||
| 1st Presiding Officer of the National Assembly for Wales | |||||||||||||||||||
| In office 12 May 1999 – 11 May 2011 | |||||||||||||||||||
| Monarch | Elizabeth II | ||||||||||||||||||
| First Minister | Alun Michael Rhodri Morgan Carwyn Jones | ||||||||||||||||||
| Deputy Presiding Officer | Jane Davidson John Marek Rosemary Butler | ||||||||||||||||||
| Preceded by | Position established | ||||||||||||||||||
| Succeeded by | Rosemary Butler | ||||||||||||||||||
| Assembly Member for Dwyfor Meirionnydd Meirionnydd Nant Conwy (1999–2007) | |||||||||||||||||||
| In office 6 May 1999 – 29 April 2021 | |||||||||||||||||||
| Preceded by | Position established | ||||||||||||||||||
| Succeeded by | Mabon ap Gwynfor | ||||||||||||||||||
| Leader of Plaid Cymru | |||||||||||||||||||
| In office 1984–1991 | |||||||||||||||||||
| Preceded by | Dafydd Wigley | ||||||||||||||||||
| Succeeded by | Dafydd Wigley | ||||||||||||||||||
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| Personal details | |||||||||||||||||||
| Born | Dafydd Elis Thomas 18 October 1946 Carmarthen, Carmarthenshire, Wales | ||||||||||||||||||
| Died | 7 February 2025 (aged 78) | ||||||||||||||||||
| Political party | Independent (2016–2025) | ||||||||||||||||||
| Other political affiliations | Plaid Cymru (1970–2016) | ||||||||||||||||||
| Spouse(s) |
Elen Williams
(m. 1970, divorced)Mair Parry Jones (m. 1993) | ||||||||||||||||||
| Children | 3 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Signature | |||||||||||||||||||
Dafydd Elis Elis-Thomas, Baron Elis-Thomas, PC (né Thomas; 18 October 1946 – 7 February 2025) was a Welsh politician who served as the leader of Plaid Cymru from 1984 to 1991 and represented the Dwyfor Meirionnydd constituency in the Senedd from 1999 to 2021.
Born in Carmarthen, Wales, he was raised in Ceredigion and the Conwy Valley. He represented Merioneth and later Meirionnydd Nant Conwy as a member of Parliament (MP) from 1974 to 1992, and was Presiding Officer of the National Assembly for Wales from the office's inception in 1999 to 2011. Elis-Thomas was a member of the House of Lords and a privy counsellor from 1992 and 2004, respectively, until his death.
From 2007 to 2017 he was the Chancellor of Bangor University. In 2016, he left Plaid Cymru to support Carwyn Jones's government in the Senedd, sitting as an independent. He joined the Welsh government in November 2017 and was Minister for Culture, Sport and Tourism until May 2021. Elis-Thomas applied to rejoin Plaid Cymru in August 2023, but withdrew his application later in the year.