{{Short description|Australian politician (1814–1909)}} {{Use dmy dates|date=August 2021}}{{Use Australian English|date=August 2021}} {{other people}} [[File:East0072.jpg|right|300px|thumb|Nugal Hall, a Gothic Revival home in Randwick, New South Wales, built for McArthur]]'''Alexander McArthur''' (10 March 1814 – 1 August 1909) was an Irish-born Australian and British businessman. He was a politician in both countries.
==Early life and career== Alexander McArthur was born on 10 March 1814 in Enniskillen, Ireland, to Wesleyan minister John McArthur and Sarah McArthur {{Nee|Finlay}}. He was privately educated and, in 1830, was apprenticed to a merchant in Omagh. After being struck by severe fevers, McArthur arrived at Sydney on 24 January 1842.<ref name="adb">{{cite AuDB|id2=mcarthur-alexander-4057|title=McArthur, Alexander (1814–1909)|volume=5|year=1974|pages=121–122|first=Ruth|last=Teale}}</ref>
He began business with a consignment from his brother William before becoming partners with William Little and James H. Atkinson and returning to Ireland in 1848, where he founded the softgood merchants W. and A. McArthur & Co. in 1850. Returning to Sydney the following year, McArthur worked as a shipping agent and profited greatly from gold exports. W. and A. McArthur built a large warehouse in the city and opened branches in Adelaide, Melbourne, Brisbane and Auckland.<ref name="adb" />
On 19 August 1853, McArthur married Maria Bowden, the daughter of William Binnington Boyce, in the Toxteth Park Chapel. Living together at Strathmore, Glebe Point, they had two daughters and six sons,<ref name="adb" /><ref>{{cite news |date=22 August 1853 |title=Family Notices |page=3 |newspaper=The Sydney Morning Herald |url=https://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article12948255 |accessdate=10 November 2019 |via=trove.nla.gov.au}}</ref> the eldest of which was the British politician William Alexander McArthur.{{Citation needed|date=January 2023}} After visiting England 1854–55, McArthur served on the Sydney Chamber of Commerce, as director of many building societies and insurance and mining companies, and as justice of the peace, and became a shareholder in the Australian Joint Stock Bank.<ref name="adb" />
He was a devout Methodist and in 1843 he was elected to the committee of the Wesleyan Auxiliary Missionary Society of New South Wales. He was also treasurer of the Young Men's Christian Association of Sydney and a committee member of the Benevolent Asylum, the New South Wales Auxiliary Bible Society and other charities.
==Political career== In June 1859 McArthur was elected to the New South Wales Legislative Assembly for Newtown. He was a free trader and opposed state aid to religion. After being re-elected for Newtown in December 1860, he resigned in June 1861 when he was appointed to the New South Wales Legislative Council.<ref name="Alexander McArthur NSW parl">{{Cite NSW Parliament |name=The Hon Alexander McArthur (1814-1909) |id=409 |former=Yes |access-date=10 November 2019}}</ref> In 1863 McArthur went to England to take over the London business and as a result vacated his seat through absence in October 1865.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article13120856 |title=Legislative Council: vacated seats |newspaper=The Sydney Morning Herald |date=25 October 1865 |access-date=15 September 2021 |page=2 |via=Trove}}</ref>
==Return to Britain== McArthur was then a London merchant engaged in colonial trade and lived at Raleigh Hall, Brixton. He was a J. P. for Surrey<ref>British Census 1881</ref> and Deputy Lieutenant for the City of London. He became a Fellow of the Imperial Institute and from 1863 a Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society. He became a member of the Royal Colonial Institute in 1869, and also of the Victoria Institute and the British Association. From 1870 to 1873 he was a member of the first London School Board.<ref name="adb"/> In 1874 he was chosen as the Liberal Party candidate for Leicester. As an "advanced Liberal", his programme had much in common with Joseph Chamberlain's 'New Radicalism' and included the assimilation of the county to the borough franchise, reform of the land laws, abolition of clause 25 of the Education Act, and legislation against intemperance.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=66565|title=The City of Leicester: Parliamentary history since 1835|editor=R. A. McKinley |publisher=Institute of Historical Research|year=1958|work=A History of the County of Leicester: volume 4: The City of Leicester|accessdate=9 March 2009|pages=201–250}}</ref> He was elected Member of Parliament for Leicester in 1874. In parliament he advocated the annexation of Fiji, stricter observance of the Sabbath and Home Rule for Ireland. He retired after holding the seat for 18 years in 1892. In 1898 his firm became a limited liability company and in 1908 was reconstituted after liquidation.
McArthur died at Sydenham, London on 1 August 1909.<ref name="adb" /> He is buried with his family in a large mausoleum in West Norwood Cemetery.{{Citation needed|date=January 2023}}
==References== {{Reflist}} *{{Rayment-hc|l|2|date=May 2014}}
== External links == * {{Hansard-contribs | mr-alexander-mcarthur | Alexander McArthur }}
{{s-start}} {{s-par|uk}} {{succession box | title=Member of Parliament for Leicester | years=1874–1892 | with = Peter Alfred Taylor 1874–1884<br />James Allanson Picton 1884–1892 | before=John Dove Harris<br />Peter Alfred Taylor | after=Sir James Whitehead<br />James Allanson Picton }} {{s-end}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:McArthur, Alexander}} Category:1814 births Category:1909 deaths Category:Liberal Party (UK) MPs for English constituencies Category:UK MPs 1874–1880 Category:UK MPs 1880–1885 Category:UK MPs 1885–1886 Category:UK MPs 1886–1892 Category:Fellows of the Royal Geographical Society Category:Members of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly Category:Members of the New South Wales Legislative Council Category:Burials at West Norwood Cemetery Category:Members of the London School Board Category:People from Enniskillen Category:Politicians from County Fermanagh