John Lloyd (political reformer)
John Lloyd was a Welsh-born barrister who became a prominent figure in the local government of London.
The son of John Lloyd of Dinas, Brecon, he was educated at Bridgnorth Grammar School before attending St John's College, Oxford. He did not graduate, instead leaving Oxford to manage his family's estates in Breconshire, Monmouthshire and Herefordshire.
In 1877 Lloyd moved to London, where he was called to the bar at the Middle Temple. In London he became involved in local government, and as secretary of the London Municipal Reform League campaigned for the creation of the London County Council. When the first elections to the county council were held in January 1889, he was elected as a Progressive Party councillor representing North Kensington. Re-elected in 1892, he was defeated in 1895 and failed to regain his council seat at subsequent elections.
Lloyd took a great interest in the traditions and history of his native county. He amassed a collection of papers and documents which he used as the basis of three publications: Historical Memoranda of Breconshire, The Great Forest of Brecknock and The Early History of the Old South Wales Ironworks.
He died at his home in Bayswater, London in 1915, aged 81. He was buried in Talachddu, Breconshire.
