Alfred Scott (British politician)

Scott was born in Ardwick, Manchester, the eldest son of Charles Henry Scott JP. He was educated at Altrincham Grammar School; Tideswell Grammar School and Lichfield Grammar School. In 1907 he married Katherine Duncan, the widow of Mr Lewis of Kentucky.[1]

He entered business as a merchant in the city.[2] He was elected to Manchester City Council in 1897. At the 1900 general election he was the Liberal candidate at Manchester East, where he stood against the Conservative First Lord of the Treasury, Arthur Balfour. In his election address he set out his political views: he supported reform of the Army, Home Rule for Ireland, the temperance movement, abolition of the House of Lords, and nationalisation or municipalisation of land, railways and mines.[2]

At the next general election in 1906 he stood at Ashton under Lyne, and was elected as the town's Member of Parliament.[4]

Following his election to parliament, he stood down from Manchester City Council, after 9 years service. In 1907 he became Vice-President of the Association of Municipal Corporations. Whilst an MP he voted in favour of the 1908 Women's Enfranchisement Bill.[5] He held the seat at the January 1910 election.

A second general election was held in December of the same year. Scott was defeated by the Canadian millionaire Max Aitken (later Lord Beaverbrook), who had been "parachuted" in as the Liberal Unionist candidate.[6]

Scott moved to London. In 1913 he contested the 1913 London County Council election as a Progressive Party candidate at Greenwich but was defeated.[7]

Greenwich in the metropolitan area, 1885-1918

London County Council election, 1913: Greenwich Electorate

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Municipal Reform	Y George Hume	4,815
	Municipal Reform	Y Lord Hill	4,787
	Progressive	Alfred Scott	4,486
	Progressive	Hugh Moulton	4,463
Majority			301
	Municipal Reform hold		Swing
	Municipal Reform hold		Swing

Despite this defeat he was immediately appointed to be a Progressive Party alderman on the London County Council.[8] The Progressives were the municipal wing of the Liberal Party in London. He remained a member of the LCC until 1919. Scott attempted to return to the Commons, and was the unsuccessful Liberal candidate at Darlington in 1918, where the Unionist candidate was endorsed by the Coalition Government;

In 1922 he stood for election to the London County Council and was defeated by a Municipal Reform Party opponent in the St Pancras South East Division.[10]

St Pancras South East in the London County area 1918-49

1922 London County Council election: St. Pancras South East[11] Electorate 26,111

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Municipal Reform	Y E J Hopkins	5,158	26.8
	Municipal Reform	Y David Davies	5,114	26.6
	Labour	S Presbury	2,617	13.6
	Labour	HD Large	2,613	13.6
	Progressive	Arthur Lewis Leon	1,859	9.7
	Progressive	Alfred Scott	1,856	9.7
Majority			2,497	13.0
	Municipal Reform hold		Swing
	Municipal Reform hold		Swing

Later that year he again stood as a candidate at the General Election; West Ham Stratford in 1922

Stratford in Essex, showing boundaries used in 1922

and the following year he stood for parliament at Finsbury in 1923.[13]

Finsbury in the County of London, showing boundaries used in 1923

He retired to Birchington, Margate where he was appointed as an Alderman and served as a Justice of the Peace. He died in Thanet, Kent aged 71.

• Hansard 1803–2005: contributions in Parliament by Alfred Henry Scott