Arthur Shirley Benn, 1st Baron Glenravel, (20 December 1858 – 13 June 1937), known as Sir Arthur Benn, Bt, between 1926 and 1936, was a British businessman and politician.

Early life

He was born on 20 December 1858, in Cork,

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

, the son of Reverend John Watkins Benn. He received his formal education at

Clifton College ''The spirit nourishes within'' , established = 160 years ago , closed = , type = Public schoolIndependent boarding and day school , religion = Christian , president = , head_label = Head of College , hea ...

, then at

Inner Temple The Honourable Society of the Inner Temple, commonly known as the Inner Temple, is one of the four Inns of Court and is a professional associations for barristers and judges. To be called to the Bar and practise as a barrister in England and W ...

Business career

He became a managing director, then the British

Vice-Consul A consul is an official representative of the government of one state in the territory of another, normally acting to assist and protect the citizens of the consul's own country, as well as to facilitate trade and friendship between the people ...

to Mobile, Alabama.

Political career

Benn became active in the Conservative Party, and stood in

Battersea Battersea is a large district in south London, part of the London Borough of Wandsworth, England. It is centred southwest of Charing Cross and extends along the south bank of the River Thames. It includes the Battersea Park. History Batte ...

at the

1906 general election The following elections occurred in the year 1906. Asia * 1906 Persian legislative election Europe * 1906 Belgian general election * 1906 Croatian parliamentary election * Denmark ** 1906 Danish Folketing election ** 1906 Danish Landsting ele ...

. In 1907, he was elected to

London County Council London County Council (LCC) was the principal local government body for the County of London throughout its existence from 1889 to 1965, and the first London-wide general municipal authority to be directly elected. It covered the area today kno ...

, representing the equivalent seat, a post he held for four years. He stood for Parliament in Battersea again in January 1910. In

December December is the twelfth and final month of the year in the Julian and Gregorian calendars and is also the last of seven months to have a length of 31 days. December got its name from the Latin word ''decem'' (meaning ten) because it was orig ...

, he was instead elected at

Plymouth Plymouth () is a port city and unitary authority in South West England. It is located on the south coast of Devon, approximately south-west of Exeter and south-west of London. It is bordered by Cornwall to the west and south-west. Plymout ...

. In 1915 during the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fig ...

he was a member of the House of Commons' 'Ammunition Committee', established by

David Lloyd George David Lloyd George, 1st Earl Lloyd-George of Dwyfor, (17 January 1863 – 26 March 1945) was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1916 to 1922. He was a Liberal Party politician from Wales, known for leading the United Kingdom during ...

Minister of Munitions The Minister of Munitions was a British government position created during the First World War to oversee and co-ordinate the production and distribution of munitions for the war effort. The position was created in response to the Shell Crisis o ...

. Benn moved to represent Plymouth Drake in

1918 This year is noted for the end of the First World War, on the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month, as well as for the Spanish flu pandemic that killed 50–100 million people worldwide. Events Below, the events ...

, and in the Birthday Honours that year was appointed to the

Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...

as a Knight Commander (KBE). In 1921, he became the President of the Association of British Chambers of Commerce, a position he held until 1923, and also became the Chair of the National Unionist Association. In 1926 he was created a

baronet A baronet ( or ; abbreviated Bart or Bt) or the female equivalent, a baronetess (, , or ; abbreviation Btss), is the holder of a baronetcy, a hereditary title awarded by the British Crown. The title of baronet is mentioned as early as the 14th ...

, of Plymouth in the County of Devon. From 1927, he was the Director of the

International Chamber of Commerce The International Chamber of Commerce (ICC; French: ''Chambre de commerce internationale'') is the largest, most representative business organization A business entity is an entity that is formed and administered as per corporate law in order ...

. Benn lost his seat in

1929 This year marked the end of a period known in American history as the Roaring Twenties after the Wall Street Crash of 1929 ushered in a worldwide Great Depression. In the Americas, an agreement was brokered to end the Cristero War, a Catholi ...

, and at the next general election in 1931 was elected for Sheffield Park, but then lost this seat in

1935 Events January * January 7 – Italian premier Benito Mussolini and French Foreign Minister Pierre Laval conclude an agreement, in which each power agrees not to oppose the other's colonial claims. * January 12 – Amelia Earhart bec ...

. In 1936 he was raised to the peerage as Baron Glenravel, of Kensington in the County of London.

Death

He died on 13 June 1937 at the age of 78, without issue, when the baronetcy and barony became extinct. His body was buried at Hanwell Cemetery in

Ealing Ealing () is a district in West London, England, west of Charing Cross in the London Borough of Ealing. Ealing is the administrative centre of the borough and is identified as a major metropolitan centre in the London Plan. Ealing was hi ...

, London.

Personal life

He married Alys Maria Luling, daughter of Florenz Augustus Luling of

New Orleans New Orleans ( , ,New Orleans

Mobile, Alabama, on 9 May 1888.

Arms

References

*Michael Stenton and Stephen Lees, ''Who's Who of British MPs: Volume III, 1919-1945''

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Benn, Arthur Shirley Glenravel Glenravel Glenravel Politics of Sheffield Conservative Party (UK) MPs for English constituencies Glenravel Glenravel UK MPs 1910–1918 UK MPs 1918–1922 UK MPs 1922–1923 UK MPs 1923–1924 UK MPs 1924–1929 UK MPs 1931–1935 UK MPs who were granted peerages Members of London County Council Glenravel Members of the Parliament of the United Kingdom for Plymouth Peers created by Edward VIII