1183 Walter McLaren

Constituency : Crewe  1886-95, 1910-12

Walter succeeded  George  Latham  at  Crewe.

Walter  was  the  son  of  the  Edinburgh  MP  Duncan McLaren. He  was  also  a  nephew  of  John  Bright. In  1885  he  stood  against  and  nearly  unseated  Robert  Finlay  at  Inverness  Burghs  as  an  independent  Liberal  put  up  by  the  Free  Church  Constitutional  Party

Despite  sitting  for  Crewe,  Walter's  maiden  speech  was  in  support  of  the  crofters'  grievances.

Walter  was  a  noted  supporter of  female  suffrage. His  wife  Eva  was  a keen  feminist. He  was  partly  responsible  for  some  women  being  included  in  the  local  government  franchise  in  1894.

Walter  was  defeated  in  1895  and  declined  to  stand  in  1900  when  James  Tomkinson  won  it  back  for  the  Liberals. When  Tomkinson  died  early  in  1910,  Walter  won  the  seat  at  the  by- election.

He  died  in  1912  aged  59.