Arthur Frederick Holt (8 August 1914 – 23 August 1995) was a hosiery manufacturer and

Liberal Party The Liberal Party is any of many political parties around the world. The meaning of ''liberal'' varies around the world, ranging from liberal conservatism on the right to social liberalism on the left. __TOC__ Active liberal parties This is a li ...

politician in the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...

, and

Member of Parliament A member of parliament (MP) is the representative in parliament of the people who live in their electoral district. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, this term refers only to members of the lower house since upper house members of ...

for thirteen years.

Background

Holt was born in Bolton. He was educated at

Mill Hill School Mill Hill School is a 13–18 mixed independent, day and boarding school in Mill Hill, London, England that was established in 1807. It is a member of the Headmasters' and Headmistresses' Conference. History A committee of Nonconformist me ...

and

Victoria University of Manchester The Victoria University of Manchester, usually referred to as simply the University of Manchester, was a university in Manchester, England. It was founded in 1851 as Owens College. In 1880, the college joined the federal Victoria University. Afte ...

. In 1939 he married Kathleen Mary Openshaw, MBE. They had one son and one daughter. He played Rugby for Bolton RUFC.

Professional career

Holt joined the Loyal Regiment as a Territorial Army officer in 1938 and left the Territorial Army Reserve of Officers in 1964. He was company commander in the

Reconnaissance Corps The Reconnaissance Corps, or simply Recce Corps, was a corps of the British Army, formed during the World War II, Second World War whose units provided reconnaissance for infantry Division (military), divisions. It was formed from infantry brigad ...

and was taken

prisoner A prisoner (also known as an inmate or detainee) is a person who is deprived of liberty against their will. This can be by confinement, captivity, or forcible restraint. The term applies particularly to serving a prison sentence in a prison. ...

at the

fall of Singapore The Fall of Singapore, also known as the Battle of Singapore,; ta, சிங்கப்பூரின் வீழ்ச்சி; ja, シンガポールの戦い took place in the South–East Asian theatre of the Pacific War. The Empire of ...

in 1942. He was twice

mentioned in dispatches To be mentioned in dispatches (or despatches, MiD) describes a member of the armed forces whose name appears in an official report written by a superior officer and sent to the high command, in which their gallant or meritorious action in the face ...

. Holt was a

hosiery Hosiery, also referred to as legwear, describes garments worn directly on the feet and legs. The term originated as the collective term for products of which a maker or seller is termed a hosier; and those products are also known generically as h ...

manufacturer. With his two brothers he built up in Bolton an industry new to the town. He was Chairman, Holt Hosiery Co. Ltd, Bolton, 1971–73.

Political career

Holt was first elected at the 1951 general election, when he defeated the only other candidate in the Bolton West constituency, sitting

Labour Labour or labor may refer to: * Childbirth, the delivery of a baby * Labour (human activity), or work ** Manual labour, physical work ** Wage labour, a socioeconomic relationship between a worker and an employer ** Organized labour and the labour ...

John Lewis John Robert Lewis (February 21, 1940 – July 17, 2020) was an American politician and civil rights activist who served in the United States House of Representatives for from 1987 until his death in 2020. He participated in the 1960 Nashville ...

. Holt was re-elected in straight contests with Labour at two further general elections. He was Parliamentary Chairman of the Liberal Party from 1952 to 1955. He was a Member of the Parliamentary delegation to Russia in 1954. He was

Liberal Chief Whip The Chief Whip of the Liberal Democrats is responsible for administering the whipping system in the party which ensures that members attend and vote in parliament when the party leadership requires a majority vote. Whips, of which two are appoin ...

from 1962 to 1963. His share of the vote was halved when 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 ...

fielded a candidate at the 1964 general elections, and the seat was won by Labour's

Gordon Oakes Gordon James Oakes (22 June 1931 – 15 August 2005) was a British Labour Party politician. Early life Oakes was born in Widnes, Cheshire, and was educated at Wade Deacon Grammar School, in Widnes and at Liverpool University. A solicitor by p ...

.Se
1959 election results
an

for Bolton West He was

President of the Liberal Party This is a list of people who served as President of the British Liberal Party. The Liberal Party merged into the Liberal Democrats in 1988. The post was established in 1877 as President of the National Liberal Federation. In 1936, this body was r ...

from 1974 to 1975.

Electoral record

References

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Holt, Arthur 1914 births 1995 deaths Liberal Party (UK) MPs for English constituencies Presidents of the Liberal Party (UK) UK MPs 1951–1955 UK MPs 1955–1959 UK MPs 1959–1964 Members of the Parliament of the United Kingdom for Bolton West People educated at Mill Hill School Alumni of the Victoria University of Manchester British Army personnel of World War II Loyal Regiment officers British World War II prisoners of war Reconnaissance Corps officers World War II prisoners of war held by Japan Military personnel from Lancashire