Arthur Bottomley facts for kids

Quick facts for kids The Right Honourable The Lord Bottomley OBE PC
Bottomley in 1946
Minister of Overseas Development
In office 11 August 1966 – 29 August 1967
Prime Minister	Harold Wilson
Preceded by	Anthony Greenwood
Succeeded by	Reg Prentice
Secretary of State for Commonwealth Relations
In office 16 October 1964 – 1 August 1966
Prime Minister	Harold Wilson
Preceded by	Duncan Sandys
Succeeded by	Herbert Bowden
Secretary for Overseas Trade
In office 7 October 1947 – 26 October 1951
Prime Minister	Clement Attlee
Preceded by	Harold Wilson
Succeeded by	Henry Hopkinson
Parliamentary offices Member of Parliament for Middlesbrough Middlesbrough East (1962–1974) In office 15 March 1962 – 13 May 1983 Preceded by Hilary Marquand Succeeded by Stuart Bell Member of Parliament for Rochester and Chatham Chatham (1945–1950) In office 5 July 1945 – 18 September 1959 Preceded by Leonard Plugge Succeeded by Julian Critchley
Personal details
Born	Arthur George Bottomley 7 February 1907 London
Died	3 November 1995 (aged 88) London
Political party	Labour
Spouse	Bessie Wiles (m. 1936)

Arthur George Bottomley, Baron Bottomley (born 7 February 1907 – died 3 November 1995) was an important British politician. He was a member of the Labour Party. He served as a Member of Parliament (MP) and held several top government jobs.

A Life in Public Service

Arthur Bottomley dedicated his life to helping people. He worked for many years in different roles. These roles included helping workers, serving his local community, and working in the national government.

Early Life and Community Work

Before becoming an MP, Arthur Bottomley worked as an organiser for a trade union. A trade union is a group that helps workers get fair pay and good working conditions. He worked for the National Union of Public Employees. This union later became part of UNISON.

From 1929 to 1949, he was a councillor in Walthamstow. A councillor helps make decisions for a local area. In 1945–1946, he even became the Mayor of Walthamstow. The mayor is the leader of a town or city council. He received an award called the Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in 1941 for his public service.

Becoming a Member of Parliament

Arthur Bottomley was first elected to the UK Parliament in 1945. He represented the area of Chatham in Rochester. He kept this seat until 1959.

He returned to Parliament in 1962. This time, he won the seat for Middlesbrough East. He continued to represent Middlesbrough until he retired in 1983.

Important Government Roles

Arthur Bottomley held many important jobs in the government. He worked under two different Prime Ministers.

• Under Prime Minister Clement Attlee (1947–1951):
  • He was a junior minister, helping with affairs related to other countries.
  • He served as Secretary for Overseas Trade. This role involved looking after Britain's trade with other nations.

• Under Prime Minister Harold Wilson (1964–1967):
  • He became the Secretary of State for Commonwealth Relations. This meant he was in charge of Britain's relationships with countries in the Commonwealth. During this time, he had to deal with a big challenge when Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe) declared itself independent.
  • He also served as Minister of Overseas Development. In this role, he managed Britain's aid and support to developing countries around the world.

Later Life

After retiring from Parliament in 1983, Arthur Bottomley was given a special honour. He was made a life peer in 1984. This meant he became Baron Bottomley of Middlesbrough. As a baron, he could sit in the House of Lords, which is the upper house of the UK Parliament.

Lord Bottomley passed away on 3 November 1995, at the age of 88.

Family Life

Arthur Bottomley married Bessie Ellen Wiles in 1936. Bessie also dedicated her life to public service. She was a Justice of the Peace (JP). A JP is a volunteer who helps with local court duties.

In 1970, Bessie was also recognised for her public and social work. She was made a Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire. This is a very high honour. Dame Bessie Bottomley died in 1998.