Arthur Walter James facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Arthur Walter James
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| Born | 30 June 1912 |
| Died | 5 August 2015 (aged 103) |
| Occupation | Politician |
Arthur Walter James (born 30 June 1912 – died 5 August 2015) was a British journalist and politician. He was a member of the Liberal Party. He lived a long life, reaching the age of 103.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Arthur Walter James was the son of W.J. James. He went to Uckfield Grammar School. Later, he studied at Keble College, Oxford, a famous university. He earned a top degree in Modern History.
He married Elisabeth Howroyd in 1939. They had one daughter. This marriage ended in 1956. In 1957, he married Ann Jocelyn Burton. They had one daughter, one adopted son, and two adopted daughters. Ann passed away in 2004.
His Work as a Journalist and Editor
Arthur Walter James had an interesting career. He was a scholar at Magdalen College, Oxford and in Rome.
He worked for the Manchester Guardian newspaper from 1937 to 1946. This was a big newspaper in Britain. He then moved to London. There, he became the Deputy Editor of The Times Educational Supplement in 1947. He became the Editor of this important education newspaper in 1952, staying until 1969. He also edited a magazine called Technology.
Later, he taught journalism. He was a Reader in Journalism at the University of Canterbury in New Zealand from 1971 to 1974. He was also a member of several important groups. These included the BBC General Advisory Council.
Getting Involved in Politics
Arthur Walter James and his first wife, Elisabeth, were active in politics. They supported the Liberal Party. He was very interested in the Liberal idea of Profit sharing, which means sharing company profits with employees.
He ran for Parliament in the 1945 General Election. He was the Liberal candidate for the Bury area in Lancashire. Here are the results from that election:
| General Election 1945: Bury | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
| Conservative | Walter Fletcher | 14,012 | 39.9 | ||
| Labour | Sydney Hand | 13,902 | 39.6 | ||
| Liberal | Arthur Walter James | 7,211 | 20.5 | ||
| Majority | 110 | 0.3 | |||
| Turnout | 78.2 | ||||
| Conservative hold | Swing | ||||
After the election, he was chosen again to run for the Bury seat. However, he moved to London in 1947. The election area also changed. He did not run for Parliament again after that.
Later Life
When Arthur Walter James turned 100 years old, he wrote an article for The Sunday Times newspaper. In it, he shared his thoughts on growing older. He was one of only three known people still alive who had run in the 1945 general election. The other two were Denis Healey and Jeremy Hutchinson.
Arthur Walter James passed away on 5 August 2015. He was 103 years old.
