Walter John Stanton (24 March 1828 – 2 August 1913) was an English civil engineer, woollen manufacturer and a

Liberal Party The Liberal Party is any of many political parties around the world. The meaning of ''liberal'' varies around the world, ranging from liberal conservatism on the right to social liberalism on the left. For example, while the political systems ...

politician. He sat in the

House of Commons The House of Commons is the name for the elected lower house of the Bicameralism, bicameral parliaments of the United Kingdom and Canada. In both of these countries, the Commons holds much more legislative power than the nominally upper house of ...

briefly in 1874 and from 1880 to 1885. He was also one of the successors to (

Marling School Marling School is a grammar school with academy status for boys, with a co-educational Sixth Form located in Stroud, Gloucestershire, England. It is on the Cainscross Road, the main route out of Stroud towards the M5, and is situated next to th ...

), Stroud

Early life

Stanton was the son of Charles Stanton of Upfield Stroud and his wife Martha Holbrow, daughter of Thomas Holbrow. His uncle William Henry Stanton had been a Member of Parliament (MP) for the borough of Stroud from 1841 to 1852. He was educated at

Westminster School Westminster School is a Public school (United Kingdom), public school in Westminster, London, England, in the precincts of Westminster Abbey. It descends from a charity school founded by Westminster Benedictines before the Norman Conquest, as do ...

and originally became a

civil engineer A civil engineer is a person who practices civil engineering – the application of planning, designing, constructing, maintaining, and operating infrastructure while protecting the public and environmental health, as well as improving existing i ...

, studying under

Joseph Locke Joseph Locke FRSA (9 August 1805 – 18 September 1860) was an English civil engineer of the nineteenth century, particularly associated with railway projects. Locke ranked alongside Robert Stephenson and Isambard Kingdom Brunel as one of the ...

Career

Later he became a woollen manufacturer and a J.P. for Gloucestershire and a captain in the 2nd Gloucestershire Rifle Volunteers. From 1861 to 1874 he was chairman of the Stroud Local Board. Along with other members of his family, he ran a major

carpet A carpet is a textile floor covering typically consisting of an upper layer of Pile (textile), pile attached to a backing. The pile was traditionally made from wool, but since the 20th century synthetic fiber, synthetic fibres such as polyprop ...

-manufacturing business in

Shrewsbury Shrewsbury ( , ) is a market town and civil parish in Shropshire (district), Shropshire, England. It is sited on the River Severn, northwest of Wolverhampton, west of Telford, southeast of Wrexham and north of Hereford. At the 2021 United ...

. At the 1874 general election Stanton was elected as an MP for the borough of Stroud, but his election was voided on

petition A petition is a request to do something, most commonly addressed to a government official or public entity. Petitions to a deity are a form of prayer called supplication. In the colloquial sense, a petition is a document addressed to an officia ...

. The election court ruled that his agent had openly used

treating In law and politics, treating is the act of serving food, drink, and other refreshments to influence people for political gain, often shortly before an election. In various countries, treating is considered a form of corruption, and is illegal ...

and entertainments. His cousin Alfred Stanton was elected in his place, and at the 1880 general election, and Alfred stood aside and Walter was re-elected, holding the seat until 1885. At the 1885 general election, the two-seat

parliamentary borough A borough is an administrative division in various English language, English-speaking countries. In principle, the term ''borough'' designates a self-governing walled town, although in practice, official use of the term varies widely. History ...

of Stroud was abolished, and the town became part of a larger single-seat division of

Gloucestershire Gloucestershire ( , ; abbreviated Glos.) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South West England. It is bordered by Herefordshire to the north-west, Worcestershire to the north, Warwickshire to the north-east, Oxfordshire ...

. Stroud's other Liberal MP, Henry Brand, was chosen to contest the new seat, and narrowly won it. However, he later joined the breakaway

Liberal Unionist The Liberal Unionist Party was a British political party that was formed in 1886 by a faction that broke away from the Liberal Party. Led by Lord Hartington (later the Duke of Devonshire) and Joseph Chamberlain, the party established a political ...

s, and at the 1886 general election Stanton was again the Liberal candidate in Stroud. Brand stood unsuccessfully in Cardiff Boroughs,Craig, election results 1885–1918, page 454 and in Stroud Stanton was beaten by the Conservative candidate George Holloway. Stanton died at the age of 85, on 2 August 1913. His funeral was held in Stroud Parish Church.

Family

In 1865 Stanton married Mary Capel, the daughter of William Capel of Stroud.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Stanton, Walter John 1828 births 1913 deaths Liberal Party (UK) MPs for English constituencies UK MPs 1874–1880 UK MPs 1880–1885 People educated at Westminster School, London