Arnold Muir Wilson (1857 – 1 October 1909) was a

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, ...

solicitor A solicitor is a legal practitioner who traditionally deals with most of the legal matters in some jurisdictions. A person must have legally-defined qualifications, which vary from one jurisdiction to another, to be described as a solicitor and ...

and

politician A politician is a person active in party politics, or a person holding or seeking an elected office in government. Politicians propose, support, reject and create laws that govern the land and by an extension of its people. Broadly speaking, a ...

Born in

Sheffield Sheffield is a city status in the United Kingdom, city in South Yorkshire, England, whose name derives from the River Sheaf which runs through it. The city serves as the administrative centre of the City of Sheffield. It is Historic counties o ...

, Wilson studied in

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

before becoming a solicitor based at

Clifford's Inn Clifford's Inn is a former Inn of Chancery in London. It was located between Fetter Lane, Clifford's Inn Passage, leading off Fleet Street and Chancery Lane in the City of London. The Inn was founded in 1344 and refounded 15 June 1668. It was di ...

. He built up a large practice in Sheffield, usually representing the defence at the Police Court, against

Arthur Neal Arthur Neal (23 September 1862 – 29 January 1933) was a British politician. Born in Sheffield, Neal attended Wesley College before becoming a solicitor. He was also the President of Sheffield's Chamber of Commerce. Political career Neal wa ...

. He was a key figure in the formation of an Amateur Parliament in the city, and in 1883 he was elected to

Sheffield City Council Sheffield City Council is the city council for the metropolitan borough of Sheffield in South Yorkshire, England. It consists of 84 councillors, elected to represent 28 wards, each with three councillors. It is currently under No Overall Contr ...

for the

Conservative Party The Conservative Party is a name used by many political parties around the world. These political parties are generally right-wing though their exact ideologies can range from center-right to far-right. Political parties called The Conservative P ...

.J. H. Stainton, ''The Making of Sheffield 1865-1914'' He was also known as an early motorist and

mountaineer Mountaineering or alpinism, is a set of outdoor activities that involves ascending tall mountains. Mountaineering-related activities include traditional outdoor climbing, skiing, and traversing via ferratas. Indoor climbing, sport climbing, an ...

.Roger Redfern,
Country diary: South Yorkshire
, ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...

'', 13 October 2009 In 1891, Wilson objected to an attack on him in the ''Sheffield Anarchist'', and successfully sued its editor,

John Creaghe John O’Dwyer Creaghe (1841 – February 19, 1920), also known as Juan Creaghe, was an Irish-born anarchist. Background Creaghe was born in Limerick, Ireland in 1841, and in 1865 he graduated from the Royal College of Surgeons in Dublin, beco ...

, for libel. Although he won the case, no damages were awarded, as the judge contended that the newspaper could inflict injury only on those who read it. In 1898, Wilson was appointed as an honorary consul for

Serbia Serbia (, ; Serbian language, Serbian: , , ), officially the Republic of Serbia (Serbian language, Serbian: , , ), is a landlocked country in Southeast Europe, Southeastern and Central Europe, situated at the crossroads of the Pannonian Bas ...

, and he attempted to use the position to promote British trade with the nation. In 1904, he travelled to

Belgrade Belgrade ( , ;, ; Names of European cities in different languages: B, names in other languages) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Serbia, largest city in Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers a ...

and worked with

Frank Mottershaw Frank Mottershaw (1850–1932) (often confused with his second son, Frank Storm Mottershaw) was an early English cinema director based in Sheffield, Yorkshire. His films, ''A Daring Daylight Burglary'' and ''The Robbery of the Mail Coach'' (featur ...

to film the coronation of

Peter I Peter I may refer to: Religious hierarchs * Saint Peter (c. 1 AD – c. 64–88 AD), a.k.a. Simon Peter, Simeon, or Simon, apostle of Jesus * Pope Peter I of Alexandria (died 311), revered as a saint * Peter I of Armenia (died 1058), Catholico ...

. This is the oldest surviving film shot in Serbia. In the 1900s, Wilson became known for his outspoken attacks on well-known figures in Sheffield. When

Lib-Lab The Liberal–Labour movement refers to the practice of local Liberal associations accepting and supporting candidates who were financially maintained by trade unions. These candidates stood for the British Parliament with the aim of representing ...

councillor Charles Hobson appeared to have received a bribe for making a favourable land deal, Wilson brought a private prosecution against him. Hobson was found guilty and sentenced to three months in prison, but public opinion was that the sentence was harsh.Helen Mathers, "Hobson, Charles (1845-1923)", ''Dictionary of Labour Biography'', vol.VII, pp.121-123 Wilson stood for the Conservatives in Sheffield Attercliffe at the

1906 general election The following elections occurred in the year 1906. Asia * 1906 Persian legislative election Europe * 1906 Belgian general election * 1906 Croatian parliamentary election * Denmark ** 1906 Danish Folketing election ** 1906 Danish Landsting ele ...

, taking 46.8% of the vote. In 1907, he began a lengthy trip around the world. Despite this, he objected to the nomination of an alternative Conservative candidate in the

1909 Sheffield Attercliffe by-election A by-election was held for the British House of Commons constituency of Sheffield Attercliffe on 4 May 1909. Vacancy The election was caused by the resignation of J. Batty Langley, due to long-term ill health.protectionist Protectionism, sometimes referred to as trade protectionism, is the economic policy of restricting imports from other countries through methods such as tariffs on imported goods, import quotas, and a variety of other government regulations. ...

platform, under the slogan "Vote for the Tory Chicken!! Kill the London Cuckoo!!".Sources for the Study of the election of Sheffield's first Labour Member of Parliament, 1909

He took a strong fourth place, with 21.7% of the votes cast. The week after the election, he called a public meeting, at which he complained that he had spent £1,100 on contesting the 1906 and 1909 elections, and that "if that is not enough to buy the seat of Attercliffe, I don't know what is". Later in the month, he sued the Conservative candidate for assault on the election night, and for damage to his bowler hat,"Sheffield by-election litigation", ''

Manchester Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...

'', 18 May 1909 but the case was dismissed before he was able to give evidence."Mr. Muir Wilson", ''

'', 4 October 1909 Wilson died in October 1909, in

Vancouver Vancouver ( ) is a major city in western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the ...

. His daughter became a prominent author under the pen-name

Romer Wilson Romer Wilson (born Florence Roma Muir Wilson (''married name'' O'Brien); 26 December 1891 in Sheffield – 11 January 1930 in Lausanne) was a British writer who wrote about 13 novels during the inter-war period. In 1921, she won the Hawthornd ...

, while his great-nephew was the author and journalist Roger Redfern.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Wilson, Arthur Muir 1857 births 1909 deaths Conservative Party (UK) parliamentary candidates Councillors in Sheffield English solicitors Politicians from Sheffield 19th-century English lawyers