Arthur Vere Harvey, Baron Harvey of Prestbury, Kt. (31 January 1906 – 5 April 1994) was a senior Royal Air Force officer and a British Conservative politician who served as a Member of Parliament (MP) for 26 years.

Early life and Second World War

Harvey was educated at Framlingham College,

Suffolk Suffolk () is a ceremonial county of England in East Anglia. It borders Norfolk to the north, Cambridgeshire to the west and Essex to the south; the North Sea lies to the east. The county town is Ipswich; other important towns include Lowes ...

and served with the Royal Air Force 1925–30 and during the Second World War. He was an advisor to the Southern Chinese Air Forces 1932–35 and a squadron leader in the Auxiliary Air Force in 1937. He founded the No. 615 (County of Surrey) Squadron and commanded it through the

Battle of France The Battle of France (french: bataille de France) (10 May – 25 June 1940), also known as the Western Campaign ('), the French Campaign (german: Frankreichfeldzug, ) and the Fall of France, was the Nazi Germany, German invasion of French Third Rep ...

. He was appointed a Commander of the Order of the British Empire in 1942. He later became a company chairman and director of several firms.

Member of Parliament

Harvey was selected as the Conservative candidate for Macclesfield after the previous candidate Guy Gibson was killed in action. Harvey was elected as Member of Parliament for

Macclesfield Macclesfield is a market town and civil parish in the unitary authority of Cheshire East in Cheshire, England. It is located on the River Bollin in the east of the county, on the edge of the Cheshire Plain, with Macclesfield Forest to its east ...

in 1945, and held the seat in seven further general elections. He was

knighted A knight is a person granted an honorary title of knighthood by a head of state (including the Pope) or representative for service to the monarch, the Christian denomination, church or the country, especially in a military capacity. Knighthood ...

in 1957. In the Commons, Harvey was chairman of the backbench

1922 Committee The 1922 Committee, formally known as the Conservative Private Members' Committee, is the parliamentary group of the Conservative Party in the House of Commons of the United Kingdom. The committee, consisting of all Conservative backbench member ...

from 1966 to 1970. On 14 October 1969 he was made an Honorary Freeman of the

Borough of Macclesfield Macclesfield was, from 1974 to 2009, a local government district with borough status in Cheshire, England. It included the towns of Bollington, Knutsford, Macclesfield and Wilmslow and within its wider area the villages and hamlets of Adl ...

. Harvey was created a

life peer In the United Kingdom, life peers are appointed members of the peerage whose titles cannot be inherited, in contrast to hereditary peers. In modern times, life peerages, always created at the rank of baron, are created under the Life Peerages ...

as Baron Harvey of Prestbury, of Prestbury in the County Palatine of

Chester Chester is a cathedral city and the county town of Cheshire, England. It is located on the River Dee, close to the English–Welsh border. With a population of 79,645 in 2011,"2011 Census results: People and Population Profile: Chester Loca ...

on 1 May 1971. He was succeeded as MP in the subsequent by-election by fellow-Conservative, Nicholas Winterton.

Family and later life

He was married three times. * in 1940 to Jacqueline Dunnett (two sons, marriage dissolved 1954) * in 1955 Mrs Hilary Williams (died 1978; marriage dissolved 1977) * in 1978 Mrs Carol Cassar-Torreggiani; three adopted daughters. He died at St Martin's Port, Guernsey 5 April 1994.

Arms

Notes

External links

* , - , - , - 1906 births 1994 deaths Chairmen of the 1922 Committee Commanders of the Order of the British Empire Harvey of Prestbury, Arthur Harvey, Baron Conservative Party (UK) MPs for English constituencies People educated at Framlingham College Royal Air Force air commodores Royal Air Force personnel of World War II UK MPs 1945–1950 UK MPs 1950–1951 UK MPs 1951–1955 UK MPs 1955–1959 UK MPs 1959–1964 UK MPs 1964–1966 UK MPs 1966–1970 UK MPs 1970–1974 UK MPs who were granted peerages Life peers created by Elizabeth II {{England-Conservative-UK-MP-1900s-stub