1407 Arthur Soames

Constituency : South  Norfolk  1898-1918

Arthur  took  South  Norfolk  for  the  Liberals  after  the  resignation  of  the  ailing   Liberal   Unionist  Francis  Taylor. He  won  by  1,330  votes.

Arthur  was  from  Brighton  where  his  father  had  founded  Brighton  College. He  was  educated  there  and  at  Cambridge. He  became  an  architect  and  ran  his  own  practice  between  1882  and  his  election  to  Parliament. He  was  a  Radical  and  stood  for  Ipswich  in  1892  and  1895.

Arthur  wanted  the  scope  of  the  Workmen's  Compensation  Act  to  be  extended  to  agricultural  workers.

In  his  last  speech  in  the  Commons  in  1915 , Arthur  backed  the  Office  of  Works's  scheme  for  the  Houses  of  Parliament  repair.

Both  of  Arthur's  sons  were  killed  in  the  First  World  War.

Arthur  decided  not  to  stand  again  in  1918.

He  died  in  1934  aged  81.