Arthur Wellesley Willey
Encyclopedia
Arthur Wellesley Willey was an English solicitor
and racehorse owner, who was briefly the Conservative
Member of Parliament
(MP) for Leeds Central
.
Willey was born in Leeds
in 1868 and became one of the most successful solicitors in the West Riding
of Yorkshire
. He married Maud Evelyn Ellicott in 1894. He entered politics, serving on Leeds City Council
.
He was elected MP for Leeds Central at 1922 general election
, defeating the incumbent Liberal
MP, Robert Armitage. On the eve of his election his gave a racing tip to an audience at an election meeting. They should back his own horse, Leeds United, which was running in a race at Leicester
. The horse duly won, and the bookmakers reputedly paid out £190,000 to the people of Leeds.
Willey was not very active in Parliament
owing to his commitments as a solicitor, although he intended to increase his Parliamentary work in the near future, and had taken a particular interest in the Criminal Justice Bill during his first session as an MP. He intended to make his maiden speech during the debate on the bill, but it was delayed.
On the morning of Sunday, 1 July 1923, Willey prepared to go to church with his wife Maud. It was the anniversary of the death of his son Tom, killed at the age of 18 at the Battle of the Somme exactly seven years previously.
Willey was taken by a sudden seizure, and never regained consciousness. He died early the following morning, aged 54.
That same day, a notice that Willey had already placed in The Times
"In Memoriam" section appeared:
At Willey's funeral, thousands of mourners lined the streets of Leeds, and a large number of public bodies and institutions were represented, together with representatives of the north country jockeys. At northern race meetings that day, jockeys wore crepe in memory of Willey.
Solicitor
Solicitors are lawyers who traditionally deal with any legal matter including conducting proceedings in courts. In the United Kingdom, a few Australian states and the Republic of Ireland, the legal profession is split between solicitors and barristers , and a lawyer will usually only hold one title...
and racehorse owner, who was briefly the Conservative
Conservative Party (UK)
The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
Member of Parliament
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
(MP) for Leeds Central
Leeds Central (UK Parliament constituency)
Leeds Central is a borough constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elects one Member of Parliament by the first past the post system of election.- Boundaries :...
.
Willey was born in Leeds
Leeds
Leeds is a city and metropolitan borough in West Yorkshire, England. In 2001 Leeds' main urban subdivision had a population of 443,247, while the entire city has a population of 798,800 , making it the 30th-most populous city in the European Union.Leeds is the cultural, financial and commercial...
in 1868 and became one of the most successful solicitors in the West Riding
West Riding of Yorkshire
The West Riding of Yorkshire is one of the three historic subdivisions of Yorkshire, England. From 1889 to 1974 the administrative county, County of York, West Riding , was based closely on the historic boundaries...
of Yorkshire
Yorkshire
Yorkshire is a historic county of northern England and the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its great size in comparison to other English counties, functions have been increasingly undertaken over time by its subdivisions, which have also been subject to periodic reform...
. He married Maud Evelyn Ellicott in 1894. He entered politics, serving on Leeds City Council
Leeds City Council
Leeds City Council is the local authority for the City of Leeds metropolitan district of West Yorkshire, England.-History:The city council was established in 1974, with the first elections being held in advance in 1973...
.
He was elected MP for Leeds Central at 1922 general election
United Kingdom general election, 1922
The United Kingdom general election of 1922 was held on 15 November 1922. It was the first election held after most of the Irish counties left the United Kingdom to form the Irish Free State, and was won by Andrew Bonar Law's Conservatives, who gained an overall majority over Labour, led by John...
, defeating the incumbent Liberal
Liberal Party (UK)
The Liberal Party was one of the two major political parties of the United Kingdom during the 19th and early 20th centuries. It was a third party of negligible importance throughout the latter half of the 20th Century, before merging with the Social Democratic Party in 1988 to form the present day...
MP, Robert Armitage. On the eve of his election his gave a racing tip to an audience at an election meeting. They should back his own horse, Leeds United, which was running in a race at Leicester
Leicester
Leicester is a city and unitary authority in the East Midlands of England, and the county town of Leicestershire. The city lies on the River Soar and at the edge of the National Forest...
. The horse duly won, and the bookmakers reputedly paid out £190,000 to the people of Leeds.
Willey was not very active in Parliament
Parliament of the United Kingdom
The Parliament of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the supreme legislative body in the United Kingdom, British Crown dependencies and British overseas territories, located in London...
owing to his commitments as a solicitor, although he intended to increase his Parliamentary work in the near future, and had taken a particular interest in the Criminal Justice Bill during his first session as an MP. He intended to make his maiden speech during the debate on the bill, but it was delayed.
On the morning of Sunday, 1 July 1923, Willey prepared to go to church with his wife Maud. It was the anniversary of the death of his son Tom, killed at the age of 18 at the Battle of the Somme exactly seven years previously.
Willey was taken by a sudden seizure, and never regained consciousness. He died early the following morning, aged 54.
That same day, a notice that Willey had already placed in The Times
The Times
The Times is a British daily national newspaper, first published in London in 1785 under the title The Daily Universal Register . The Times and its sister paper The Sunday Times are published by Times Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary since 1981 of News International...
"In Memoriam" section appeared:
WILLEY - In proud and loving memory of SEC. LIEUT. TOM WILLEY, Leeds Pals Division, killed in the Somme attack on the 1st of July 1916. - MAUD AND ARTHUR WILLEY, "The Grove", Roundhay, Leeds.
At Willey's funeral, thousands of mourners lined the streets of Leeds, and a large number of public bodies and institutions were represented, together with representatives of the north country jockeys. At northern race meetings that day, jockeys wore crepe in memory of Willey.