Alan David Walder (13 November 1928 – 26 October 1978) was a British Conservative Party politician. Born in St Pancras, London, Walder was educated at Latymer School and Christ Church, Oxford. He was commissioned into the

Royal Artillery The Royal Regiment of Artillery, commonly referred to as the Royal Artillery (RA) and colloquially known as "The Gunners", is one of two regiments that make up the artillery arm of the British Army. The Royal Regiment of Artillery comprises t ...

in 1948. In 1953 he transferred to the 4th Hussars ( Army Emergency Reserve) and was promoted

lieutenant A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations. The meaning of lieutenant differs in different militaries (see comparative military ranks), but it is often ...

. He was promoted captain in 1956. He became a barrister, called to the bar by

Inner Temple The Honourable Society of the Inner Temple, commonly known as the Inner Temple, is one of the four Inns of Court and is a professional associations for barristers and judges. To be called to the Bar and practise as a barrister in England and ...

in 1956. He unsuccessfully contested the

Leicester South West Leicester South West was a borough constituency in the city of Leicester. It returned one Member of Parliament (MP) to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom The Parliament of the United Kingdom is the supreme legi ...

constituency at the 1959 general election. He was elected

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 o ...

(MP) for High Peak at a 1961 by-election, but lost the seat at the 1966 general election, to Labour's Peter Jackson. He was returned to the

House of Commons The House of Commons is the name for the elected lower house of the bicameral parliaments of the United Kingdom and Canada. In both of these countries, the Commons holds much more legislative power than the nominally upper house of parliament. T ...

at the 1970 general election as MP for

Clitheroe Clitheroe () is a town and civil parish in the Borough of Ribble Valley, Lancashire, England; it is located north-west of Manchester. It is near the Forest of Bowland and is often used as a base for tourists visiting the area. In 2018, the Cl ...

, which he held until his death in

Chelsea Chelsea or Chelsey may refer to: Places Australia * Chelsea, Victoria Canada * Chelsea, Nova Scotia * Chelsea, Quebec United Kingdom * Chelsea, London, an area of London, bounded to the south by the River Thames ** Chelsea (UK Parliament consti ...

in 1978 at the age of 49. Walder was an assistant government whip from 1973 to 1974. Walder coined "Walder's Law" which stated that the first three speakers at any meeting of the

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 ...

were "Mad." Walder's successor at the by-election after his death was

David Waddington David Charles Waddington, Baron Waddington, (2 August 1929 – 23 February 2017) was a British politician and barrister. A member of the Conservative Party, he served as a Member of Parliament (MP) in the House of Commons from 1968 to 1974 a ...

. Walder was also a noted author and military historian. His works included humorous fiction relating primarily to his experiences in the army and politics, and comprised: *''Bags of Swank'' (1963) *''The Short List'' (1964) *''The House Party'' (1966) *''The Fair Ladies of Salamanca'' (1967) *''The Chanak Affair'' (1969) *''The Short Victorious War: Russo-Japanese Conflict 1904–5'' (1973) *''Nelson'' (1978).

References

*''Times Guide to the House of Commons October 1974'' *

External links

* 1928 births 1978 deaths Royal Artillery officers 4th Queen's Own Hussars officers Members of the Inner Temple Conservative Party (UK) MPs for English constituencies Members of the Parliament of the United Kingdom for constituencies in Derbyshire UK MPs 1959–1964 UK MPs 1964–1966 UK MPs 1970–1974 UK MPs 1974 UK MPs 1974–1979 People from St Pancras, London 20th-century British writers British military historians People educated at The Latymer School 20th-century British historians 20th-century British lawyers High Peak, Derbyshire {{England-Conservative-UK-MP-1920s-stub