William Alexander McArthur (1857 – 7 June 1923), was a British

Liberal Liberal or liberalism may refer to: Politics * a supporter of liberalism ** Liberalism by country * an adherent of a Liberal Party * Liberalism (international relations) * Sexually liberal feminism * Social liberalism Arts, entertainment and m ...

politician and businessman.

Biography

McArthur was born in

Sydney Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mountain ...

, Australia, the eldest son of

Alexander McArthur Alexander McArthur (10 March 1814 – 1 August 1909) was an Irish-born Australian and British businessman. He was a politician in both countries. Early life and career Alexander McArthur was born on 10 March 1814 in Enniskillen, Ireland, to ...

and his wife Maria Bowden, the second daughter of the Rev. William B. Boyce. McArthur's father was a businessman and politician in Australia and England, becoming MP for

Leicester Leicester ( ) is a city status in the United Kingdom, city, Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority and the county town of Leicestershire in the East Midlands of England. It is the largest settlement in the East Midlands. The city l ...

.British Census 1881. McArthur was educated privately. On 12 August 1890 at the Trinity Wesleyan Church,

Abingdon-on-Thames Abingdon-on-Thames ( ), commonly known as Abingdon, is a historic market town and civil parish in the Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county of Oxfordshire, England, on the River Thames. Historic counties of England, Historically the ...

Berkshire Berkshire ( ; in the 17th century sometimes spelt phonetically as Barkeshire; abbreviated Berks.) is a historic county in South East England. One of the home counties, Berkshire was recognised by Queen Elizabeth II as the Royal County of Berk ...

, he married Florence Creemer (died 24 October 1940), the third daughter of John Creemer Clarke of Wayste Court, Abingdon, and the couple had one son and two daughters.Debrett's House of Commons, 1901.''The Times'', 14 August 1890, p. 1.''Daily Commercial News and Shipping List'' (Sydney), 8 June 1923, p. 4. He worked as a merchant like his father, and became a partner in the firm of W. and A. McArthur, Colonial Merchants. He was a Director of the

Bank of Australasia The Bank of Australasia was an Australian bank in operation from 1835 to 1951. Headquartered in London, the bank was incorporated by Royal Charter in March 1834. It had initially been planned to additionally include first South Africa and then ...

. He was Mas Commr. for New South Wales at the Colonial and Indian Exhibition in 1886. McArthur was elected to Parliament for

Buckrose Buckrose was a wapentake of the historic East Riding of Yorkshire, England consisting of the north-west part of the county; its territory is now partly in the modern East Riding and partly in North Yorkshire. Established in medieval times, it ...

at the 1886 general election, with a majority of a single vote, but was unseated on a scrutiny being held and the seat was awarded to the Conservative candidate, Christopher Sykes. He entered Parliament for

St Austell St Austell (; kw, Sans Austel) is a town in Cornwall, England, south of Bodmin and west of the border with Devon. St Austell is one of the largest towns in Cornwall; at the 2011 census it had a population of 19,958. History St Austell wa ...

in an 1887 by-election, a seat he held until 1908. McArthur served in the Liberal administrations of

William Ewart Gladstone William Ewart Gladstone ( ; 29 December 1809 – 19 May 1898) was a British statesman and Liberal politician. In a career lasting over 60 years, he served for 12 years as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, spread over four non-conse ...

and the

Earl of Rosebery Earl of Rosebery is a title in the Peerage of Scotland created in 1703 for Archibald Primrose, 1st Viscount of Rosebery, with remainder to his issue male and female successively. Its name comes from Roseberry Topping, a hill near Archibald's wif ...

as a

Junior Lord of the Treasury In the United Kingdom there are at least six Lords Commissioners of His Majesty's Treasury, serving as a commission for the ancient office of Treasurer of the Exchequer. The board consists of the First Lord of the Treasury, the Second Lord of the ...

from 1892 to 1895. McArthur died on 7 June 1923 at a private hospital in

, aged 66, and was interred 8 June at South Head Cemetery.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:McArthur, William Alexander 1857 births 1923 deaths Politicians from Cornwall Liberal Party (UK) MPs for English constituencies UK MPs 1886–1892 UK MPs 1892–1895 UK MPs 1895–1900 UK MPs 1900–1906 UK MPs 1906–1910 Members of the Parliament of the United Kingdom for constituencies in Cornwall Politicians from Sydney