Arthur Irvine

Sir Arthur James Irvine, QC (14 July 1909 – 15 December 1978) was a British politician.

Irvine was educated at Edinburgh Academy and Oriel College, Oxford, where he was president of the Oxford Union in 1932. He became a barrister in 1935, when he was called by Middle Temple, and became secretary to the Lord Chief Justice 1935-40. He became Queen's Counsel in 1958 and recorder of Colchester in 1965.

In his first two unsuccessful parliamentary contests in Kincardine and West Aberdeenshire in 1935 and 1939, Irvine was a Liberal Party candidate, but later joined the Labour Party. After two further election defeats in Twickenham in 1945 and Aberdeen South in 1946, he was eventually elected Member of Parliament (MP) for Liverpool Edge Hill at the 1947 by-election.

Sir Arthur was Solicitor General from 1967 to 1970. after his death in 1978, aged 69, the resulting by-election in his constituency was won by the Liberal candidate David Alton.

Irvine was the father of Conservative MP for Ipswich Michael Irvine.

References

*"Times Guide to the House of Commons", October 1974 and 1992 editions
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