# Arthur Marshall (British politician)

Sir Arthur Harold Marshall, KBE (2 August 1870 – 18 January 1956) was an English Liberal Party politician. He was Member of Parliament (MP) for Wakefield 1910–1918 and for Huddersfield 1922–1923.

## Background

Arthur Harold Marshall was born in Ashton-under-Lyne, Lancashire, a son of Methodist Minister Rev. H.T. Marshall DD and Mary Keats of Hanley. He was educated privately and at Yorkshire College (University of Leeds). He travelled extensively in South Africa, Canada, U.S.A. and Europe. In 1896 he married Louie Hepworth, the third daughter of Joseph Hepworth JP of Leeds, Torquay and Harrogate. In 1918 he became a Knight Commander of the British Empire. In 1948 his wife died.

## Profession

In 1904 Marshall qualified as a barrister, being called to the Bar by Gray's Inn. He practiced on the North-Eastern Circuit. He was a director of the Legal Insurance Company and of J Hepworth & Son (Limited). He was director of Bradford & District Newspaper Company Limited.

## Political

Marshall was elected to Harrogate Town Council, serving for six years. In December 1910 he was elected to parliament as Liberal MP for Wakefield. He gained his seat from the Conservatives. He was the first Liberal to win the division since 1880. From 1910–1918 he served as a Liberal Whip. He was Chairman and Honorary Secretary of the Yorkshire Liberal Federation. He was Chairman of the Central Billeting Board. He was a member of the National War Savings Committee and of the National War Aims Committee.
In December 1918 he lost his seat to the Unionist candidate who had the endorsement of the wartime Coalition Government. In 1920 when a Conservative vacancy occurred in Ashton-under-Lyne, the town of his birth, he became the Liberal candidate for the by-election where he came third. At the next general election in 1922 he stood in Huddersfield where he had the support of Huddersfield Liberal Association, and the defending member stood as a National Liberal with the support of David Lloyd George and the local Conservatives. Marshall gained the seat. In parliament he again served as a Liberal Whip. A year later in 1923 there was another general election. This time the Liberals were united, but he narrowly lost the seat to Labour, he failing to regain the seat in the 1924 general election. He did not stand for parliament again.

### Electoral record

General election December 1910: Wakefield :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | Arthur Harold Marshall | 2,837 | 51.7 | n/a |
| | Conservative | Edward Brotherton | 2,651 | 48.3 | −6.2 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 186 | 3.4 | n/a |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 5,488 | | |
| | Liberal gain from Conservative | Liberal gain from Conservative | Swing | n/a | |
General election 1918: Wakefield :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| C | Unionist | Edward Brotherton | 9,128 | 52.3 |
| | Labour | Albert Bellamy | 5,882 | 33.7 |
| | Liberal | Arthur Harold Marshall | 2,448 | 14.0 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 3,246 | 18.6 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | | 72.1 |
| | Unionist gain from Liberal | Unionist gain from Liberal | Swing | |
| C indicates candidate endorsed by the coalition government. ||||||
1920 Ashton-under-Lyne by-election :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| C | Unionist | Walter de Frece | 8,864 | 43.3 | −15.0 |
| | Labour | William Cornforth Robinson | 8,127 | 39.6 | n/a |
| | Liberal | Arthur Harold Marshall | 3,511 | 17.1 | n/a |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 738 | 3.7 | −12.9 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 20,502 | 82.3 | +13.9 |
| | Unionist hold | Unionist hold | Swing | n/a | |
| C indicates candidate endorsed by the coalition government. ||||||
General election 1922: Huddersfield :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | Arthur Harold Marshall | 15,879 | 34.0 | +5.3 |
| | Labour | James Hudson | 15,673 | 33.5 | +1.0 |
| | National Liberal | Charles Sykes | 15,212 | 32.5 | −6.3 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 206 | 0.5 | 11.6 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 46,764 | 83.1 | +13.3 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 56,243 | | |
| | Liberal gain from National Liberal | Liberal gain from National Liberal | Swing | +5.8 | |
General election 1923: Huddersfield :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | James Hudson | 17,430 | 36.7 | +3.2 |
| | Liberal | Arthur Harold Marshall | 17,404 | 36.6 | +2.6 |
| | Unionist | Charles Tinker | 12,694 | 26.7 | +26.7 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 26 | 0.1 | 0.6 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 47,528 | 81.9 | −1.2 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 58,029 | | |
| | Labour gain from Liberal | Labour gain from Liberal | Swing | +0.3 | |
General election 1924: Huddersfield :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | James Hudson | 19,010 | 36.3 | −0.4 |
| | Unionist | Enoch Hill | 16,745 | 32.0 | +5.3 |
| | Liberal | Arthur Harold Marshall | 16,626 | 31.7 | −4.9 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 2,265 | 4.3 | 4.2 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 52,381 | 88.5 | +6.6 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 59,176 | | |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | −2.8 | |