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Joseph Flores (1907– 8 March 1974) was a judge and politician from Malta.^[1]

Early life

Flores was born in 1907 in the Maltese town of Hamrun, close to the capital Valletta. Following school he enrolled at the University of Malta (the main university on the island) and began a course in the study of law. He used this to develop his career in the legal field, finally being appointed as a judge.

Political career

Flores was drawn to the political sphere, but his initial bid to get elected during the 1932 Maltese national elections was unsuccessful. However, he was eventually elected, as a candidate for the Malta Labour Party, for three successive terms during the 1950s. This period, just before independence from Great Britain, was one of turmoil for the Maltese left — a split between the MLP and the Maltese Workers Party led to the latter forming a coalition with the Nationalists. From 1949 until 1955, Flores served as Deputy Leader of the MLP in the Assembly. It was not until 1955 that the MLP finally formed the government under the leadership of Dom Mintoff. This legislature came to be dominated by the issue of integration with the United Kingdom.

Such was Flores' position within the dominant Labour grouping that he was appointed the Speaker of the Maltese Legislative Assembly that same year. He was later appointed Judge and thus he resigned as a member of the Legislative Assembly.

Flores was also influential in introducing the policy of criminal probation in Malta. In 1955, he adopted some of the proposals that had been developed by Sir Alexander Paterson, HM Commissioner of Prisons for England and Malta. Paterson had suggested using the social system already in place - in Malta's case the use of the police force and priesthood.^[2]

Post political life

Shortly before his retirement he took up a further post as vice-president of the Maltese constitutional court.

Flores was gay and it has been suggested that Flores had a relationship with the Maltese editor Herbert Ganado and served as his best man. Chetcuti describes how, "On the eve of the wedding, Flores dressed up as a woman, and on another occasion, Flores and others put on a drag show sending up Queen Victoria."^[3]^[4]

After he retired he taught law again at the University of Malta. He died in 1974 and was buried at the cemetery of Santa Maria Addolorata ("Our Lady of Sorrows") in Paola, which is the largest graveyard in Malta.^[1]

References

^ ^a ^b Bonnici, Eman (2019). Iċ-Ċimiterju ta' Santa Marija Addolorata (in Maltese). Kalkara: Heritage Malta. p. 248. ISBN 978-99932-57-75-2.
^ M. Montebello, 'The Impact of Radicalisation on community punishments in Malta, 2007' from "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2011-07-23. Retrieved 2009-10-12.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
^ Joseph Chetcuti in "Who's who in Gay and Lesbian History, Ed Aldrich and Wotherspoon, London, 2000
^ Queer Mediterranean Memories, Joseph Carmel Chetcuti, Australia, 2010

This article about a Maltese politician is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.

[:0-1] Bonnici, Eman (2019). Iċ-Ċimiterju ta' Santa Marija Addolorata (in Maltese). Kalkara: Heritage Malta. p. 248. ISBN 978-99932-57-75-2.

[2] M. Montebello, 'The Impact of Radicalisation on community punishments in Malta, 2007' from "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2011-07-23. Retrieved 2009-10-12.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)

[3] Joseph Chetcuti in "Who's who in Gay and Lesbian History, Ed Aldrich and Wotherspoon, London, 2000

[4] Queer Mediterranean Memories, Joseph Carmel Chetcuti, Australia, 2010

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@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
+{{Short description|Maltese judge and politician (1907–1974)}}
-{{cleanup|date=November 2009}}
+{{Other people |Joseph Flores}}
-'''Joseph Flores''' was a judge and politician from [[Malta]].
+'''Joseph Flores''' (1907– 8 March 1974) was a judge and politician from [[Malta]].<ref name=":0">{{Cite book |last=Bonnici |first=Eman |title=Iċ-Ċimiterju ta' Santa Marija Addolorata |publisher=[[Heritage Malta]] |year=2019 |isbn=978-99932-57-75-2 |location=[[Kalkara]] |pages=248 |language=mt}}</ref>
+==Early life==
 Flores was born in 1907 in the Maltese town of [[Hamrun]], close to the capital [[Valletta]]. Following school he enrolled at the [[University of Malta]] (the main university on the island) and began a course in the study of [[law]]. He used this to develop his career in the legal field, finally being appointed as a judge.
+==Political career==
-Flores was drawn to the political sphere, but an attempt to gain election during the 1932 Maltese national elections ended in failure. However, there was more success during the 1950s when he was elected for three successive terms, serving as a member of the [[Malta Labour Party]] in the period before independence from [[Great Britain]]. This was a period of turmoil for the Maltese left - a split between the MLP and the [[Maltese Workers Party]] led to the latter forming a coalition with the Nationalists. From 1949 until 1955, Flores served as Deputy Leader of the MLP in the Assembly. It was not until 1955 that the MLP finally formed the government under the leadership of [[Dom Mintoff]]. This legislature came to be dominated by the issue of integration with the [[United Kingdom]].
-[[File:Courthouse Valletta.jpg|thumb|left|180px|The Courthouse, [[Valletta]]]]
+[[File:Malta Valletta BW 2011-10-07 10-41-05.JPG|thumb|right|180px|The [[Courts of Justice building (Valletta)|Courts of Justice building]], [[Valletta]]]]
+Flores was drawn to the political sphere, but his initial bid to get elected during the 1932 Maltese national elections was unsuccessful. However, he was eventually elected, as a candidate for the [[Malta Labour Party]], for three successive terms during the 1950s. This period, just before independence from [[Great Britain]], was one of turmoil for the Maltese left — a split between the MLP and the [[Maltese Workers Party]] led to the latter forming a coalition with the Nationalists. From 1949 until 1955, Flores served as Deputy Leader of the MLP in the Assembly. It was not until 1955 that the MLP finally formed the government under the leadership of [[Dom Mintoff]]. This legislature came to be dominated by the issue of integration with the [[United Kingdom]].
-Such was Flores' position within the dominant Labour grouping that he was appointed the Speaker of the Maltese Legislative Assembly that same year. That however meant he had to formally resign as a member of the Legislative Assembly.
+Such was Flores' position within the dominant Labour grouping that he was appointed the Speaker of the Maltese Legislative Assembly that same year. He was later appointed Judge and thus he resigned as a member of the Legislative Assembly.
-Flores was also influential in introducing the policy of criminal [[probation]] in Malta. In 1955, he adopted some of the proposals that had been developed by Sir Alexander Paterson, HM Commissioner of Prisons for England and Malta. Paterson had suggested using the social system already in place - in Malta's case the use of the police force and priesthood.<ref>M. Montebello, 'The Impact of Radicalisation on community punishments in Malta, 2007' from http://users.onvol.net/98560/site/news/AGIS%20hate%202%20Research%20Study.doc</ref>
+Flores was also influential in introducing the policy of criminal [[probation]] in Malta. In 1955, he adopted some of the proposals that had been developed by Sir Alexander Paterson, HM Commissioner of Prisons for England and Malta. Paterson had suggested using the social system already in place - in Malta's case the use of the police force and priesthood.<ref>M. Montebello, 'The Impact of Radicalisation on community punishments in Malta, 2007' from {{cite web|url=http://users.onvol.net/98560/site/news/AGIS%20hate%202%20Research%20Study.doc |title=Archived copy |accessdate=2009-10-12 |url-status=dead|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20110723233347/http://users.onvol.net/98560/site/news/AGIS%20hate%202%20Research%20Study.doc |archivedate=2011-07-23 }}</ref>
-Shortly before his retirement he took up a further post as vice-president of the Maltese constitutional court.
+==Post political life==
-Flores was gay and it has been suggested that Flores had a relationship with the Maltese editor [[Herbert Ganado]] and served as his best man. Chetcuti describes how, "''On the eve of the wedding, Flores dressed up as a woman, and on another occasion, Flores and others put on a drag show sending up Queen Victoria''."<ref>Joseph Chetcuti in "Who's who in Gay and Lesbian History, Ed Aldrich and Wotherspoon, London, 2000</ref>
+Shortly before his retirement he took up a further post as vice-president of the Maltese constitutional court.
+Flores was gay and it has been suggested that Flores had a relationship with the Maltese editor [[Herbert Ganado]] and served as his best man. Chetcuti describes how, "''On the eve of the wedding, Flores dressed up as a woman, and on another occasion, Flores and others put on a [[drag show]] sending up Queen Victoria''."<ref>Joseph Chetcuti in "Who's who in Gay and Lesbian History, Ed Aldrich and Wotherspoon, London, 2000</ref><ref>''Queer Mediterranean Memories'', Joseph Carmel Chetcuti, Australia, 2010</ref>
-After he retired he taught law again at the university in Malta. He died in 1974.
+After he retired he taught law again at the [[University of Malta]]. He died in 1974 and was buried at the [[Addolorata Cemetery, Paola|cemetery of Santa Maria Addolorata]] ("Our Lady of Sorrows") in Paola, which is the largest graveyard in Malta.<ref name=":0" />
 ==See also==
@@ Line 21: / Line 26: @@
 ==References==
 {{reflist}}
-{{Malta-politician-stub}}
 {{DEFAULTSORT:Flores, Joseph}}
-[[Category: Maltese politicians]]
+[[Category:Speakers of the House of Representatives of Malta]]
-[[Category:Alumni of the University of Malta]]
+[[Category:University of Malta alumni]]
+[[Category:Labour Party (Malta) politicians]]
 [[Category:1907 births]]
+[[Category:Gay politicians]]
+[[Category:Maltese LGBTQ politicians]]
+[[Category:Maltese gay men]]
 [[Category:1974 deaths]]
+[[Category:People from Ħamrun]]
+[[Category:20th-century Maltese politicians]]
+[[Category:20th-century Maltese LGBTQ people]]
+[[Category:20th-century Maltese lawyers]]
+{{Malta-politician-stub}}