903 Arthur Pease

Constituency : Whitby  1880-85,  Darlington  1895-8  ( Liberal  Unionist )

Arthur  succeeded  Gladstone's  son  William  at  Whitby.

Arthur  was  the  son  of  Joseph  Pease, the  Quaker  MP  and  railway  magnate. He  was  educated  at  a  Quaker  school. He  was  mayor  of  Darlington  in  1873  when  just  36. He  was  heavily  involved  in  the  family  business  - railways. ironworks , water, a  building  society. He  was  a  local  benefactor.

Arthur  supported  restricting  the  hours  of  sale  for  pubs  on  a  Sunday. He  became  president  of  the  British  and  Foreign  Anti-Slavery  Society. He  was  also  president  of  the  North  of  England  Temperance League.

Arthur  was  defeated  in  1885.

Arthur  became  a  Liberal  Unionist  and   contested  the  1892  election  against  his  relative  Theodore  Fry  and  narrowly  lost

Arthur  sat  on  the  Royal  Commission  on  opium  in  India  from  1893  to  1895.

Arthur  defeated  Fry  and  won  Darlington  in  1895.

Arthur  was  in  poor  health  in  his  last  years  and  spent  some  time  abroad.

He  was  taken  ill  while  helping  at  a  by-election  at  Launceston  in  1898   and  died  of  kidney  failure  aged  60.