Constituency : Wells 1865-8, Bath 1873-85, Walsall 1893-5, 1900-06
Arthur took over from his father William at Wells.
Arthur was educated at Eton and Oxford, after which he joined the Grenadier Guards. He became a captain.
Arthur's maiden speech was moving an amendment calling for improvements to the 1866 Reform Bill which he felt dealt with borough representation in too narrow a fashion. It was not welcomed by the Government.
Wells was abolished in 1868 and Arthur didn't return until 1873 when the third of three by-elections in the constituency put him in at Bath. He was specifically chosen as a moderate to heal divisions that had surfaced in an earlier by-election. Handel Cossham described his politics as "milk and water policy with the milk taken out". A member of the National Education League threatened to stand against him because he would not publicly endorse their views on secular education. After a physical fracas broke out between their supporters Arthur toed the line and his challenger withdrew. He was not successful in dislodging the Tories at his first attempt but succeeded a Liberal in the second. His wife made a favourable impression on working class Liberals by canvassing hard in the poorest areas. In 1878 he succeeded to his father's baronetcy. Gladstone made him a whip from 1880 to 1882 when he became Financial Secretary to the War Office. He held the post to the end of the government.
Ejected from Bath in 1885, Arthur came back at Walsall in a by-election in 1893. He lost in 1895 but won in 1900 despite failing to support calls from the local Trades Council for payment of MPs and universal state pensions.
Arthur was chair of the Public Accounts Committee from 1901 to 1905. Just before the 1906 election he was created Baron Haversham.
He died in 1917 aged 81.
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