John Jacques, Baron Jacques

Born in Ashington, he was the son of Thomas Dobsons Jacques, a miner and Ann Jaques, (née Bircham)[2] A scholarship led him to the Co-operative College, located in Manchester, where he graduated 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]

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]

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][6]

The Portsea Island Society's store in Fratton Road, Portsmouth is now a Wetherspoons pub and was named "The John Jacques" in his honour.[7]

• Hansard 1803–2005: contributions in Parliament by John Jacques, Baron Jacques