Arthur Leonard Bateman (22 August 1879 – 8 May 1957) 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, ...

businessman and

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 ...

politician. Born in London, he was privately educated before entering business as a sack manufacturer. He was a member of the

Worshipful Company of Basketmakers The Worshipful Company of Basketmakers is one of the Livery Companies of the City of London. The Company was constituted in 1569. It was recognised as a Livery Company in 1825, and received a Royal Charter in 1937. The Company has recently instit ...

and a

Freeman of the City of London The Freedom of the City of London started around 1237 as the status of a 'free man' or 'citizen', protected by the charter of the City of London and not under the jurisdiction of a feudal lord. In the Middle Ages, this developed into a freedom or ...

. He became involved in local politics as a member of the Conservative-backed

Municipal Reform Party The Municipal Reform Party was a local party allied to the parliamentary Conservative Party in the County of London. The party contested elections to both the London County Council and metropolitan borough councils of the county from 1906 to 1945 ...

. He was elected to Camberwell Borough Council in 1922 and was the

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of Camberwell in 1929–1930. In 1931 he was elected to represent

Peckham Peckham () is a district in southeast London, within the London Borough of Southwark. It is south-east of Charing Cross. At the United Kingdom Census 2001, 2001 Census the Peckham ward had a population of 14,720. History "Peckham" is a Saxon p ...

on the

London County Council London County Council (LCC) was the principal local government body for the County of London throughout its existence from 1889 to 1965, and the first London-wide general municipal authority to be directly elected. It covered the area today kno ...

. At the 1931 general election he was chosen to contest the seat of Camberwell North on behalf of the Conservatives. The election had been called following the formation of a National Government. This had caused a split in the Labour Party with the majority opposing the coalition. Among these were

Charles Ammon Charles George Ammon, 1st Baron Ammon, PC, DL, JP (22 April 1873 – 2 April 1960) was a British Labour Party politician. Background and education The son of Charles George and Mary Ammon, he was educated at public elementary schools. He was ...

, sitting MP for Camberwell North. Bateman was the government candidate, with the

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 ...

stepping aside from the contest. Bateman was elected, overturning a Labour majority of 7,823 to win by 765 votes. Bateman proved to be a controversial member of parliament. In April 1932 the North Camberwell Liberal and Radical Association organised protests calling for his resignation. The Liberals claimed he had broken his election pledges and voted to support taxes on food. Bateman countered that his loyalty was not to the voters but to the National Government and that he would not resign. By the time the next election was called in

1935 Events January * January 7 – Italian premier Benito Mussolini and French Foreign Minister Pierre Laval conclude Franco-Italian Agreement of 1935, an agreement, in which each power agrees not to oppose the other's colonial claims. * ...

Bateman had made it clear that he no longer wished to represent North Camberwell as the constituency had shown him "no gratitude". He stated that in.. "some parts of North Camberwell I have had to have as many as fifty policemen to get me out of meetings. I will not risk my life any longer." He initially hoped that the Conservative Party would find another constituency for him to contest. When this did not occur he decided to stand as an

independent Independent or Independents may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Artist groups * Independents (artist group), a group of modernist painters based in the New Hope, Pennsylvania, area of the United States during the early 1930s * Independ ...

in the neighbouring seat of

, although he withdrew his candidacy prior to the election. In 1942 Bateman moved to

Warwick Warwick ( ) is a market town, civil parish and the county town of Warwickshire in the Warwick District in England, adjacent to the River Avon. It is south of Coventry, and south-east of Birmingham. It is adjoined with Leamington Spa and Whi ...

, where he was to be a member of the borough council. By the time of the

1945 general election The following elections occurred in the year 1945. Africa * 1945 South-West African legislative election Asia * 1945 Indian general election Australia * 1945 Fremantle by-election Europe * 1945 Albanian parliamentary election * 1945 Bulgaria ...

he had healed his rift with the Conservatives and contested Tottenham South, but failed to be elected. Apart from his political and business activities, Bateman was the founder of a charity, the Camberwell Children's Christmas Treat and Summer Holiday Camp Fund. As part of fundraising activities for the organisation he paraded along

Bond Street Bond Street in the West End of London links Piccadilly in the south to Oxford Street in the north. Since the 18th century the street has housed many prestigious and upmarket fashion retailers. The southern section is Old Bond Street and the l ...

dressed in a coronet. He died at his home in Warwick in May 1957 aged 77.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Bateman, Arthur 1879 births 1957 deaths Conservative Party (UK) MPs for English constituencies UK MPs 1931–1935 Members of London County Council Members of Camberwell Metropolitan Borough Council