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
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