{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2017}} {{Use British English|date=January 2017}} thumb|Robert Alstead '''Robert Alstead''' {{post-nominals|country=GBR|OBE|JP}} (23 October 1873 – 9 September 1946) was a self-made businessman in the clothing trade and a Liberal Party politician in the United Kingdom.
==Family and education== Alstead was born in Upholland, Lancashire, the son of a joiner and carpenter. He was educated at Wigan Elementary School and Wigan Mining Technical College.<ref name="auto">''Who was Who'', OUP 2007</ref> In 1896, he married Sarah Ann Deakin of Wigan.<ref>''Lady’s Who Who: a List of Names of Those Women who Play a Prominent Part in Society, Art, the Professions, Business, Etc''. Pallas Pub. Co., 1938 p22</ref> He and his wife had 7 children, 6 boys and a girl.<ref name="auto"/>
==Career== Alstead started life as a newsboy on a railway book stall at the age of 10.<ref>''The Times House of Commons 1929''; Politico’s Publishing 2003 p70</ref> He became a self-made businessman. He was a sauce and pickle manufacturer in the 1890s, then moved into the clothing trade, eventually owning a chain of shops tailoring for men in the Wigan area and founding Robert Alstead, Ltd, woollen manufacturers and clothing manufacturers.<ref name="auto1">Who was Who, OUP 2007</ref>
==Politics==
===Local politics===
Alstead was an elected member of Wigan Town Council from 1913 to 1929 and was Mayor of Wigan in 1926–27. He was a governor of Wigan Grammar School and a governor of the Wigan Mining Technical College between 1913 and 1932. He also served as a Justice of the Peace.<ref name="auto1"/>
===Parliament=== Alstead unsuccessfully contested the Wigan parliamentary constituency at the 1918 general election.
He next contested Altrincham in Cheshire at the 1922 general election. The Liberals had not contested Altrincham at the previous election in 1918 when a Labour candidate challenged the sitting Unionist. Despite this disadvantage, Alstead was easily able to push the Labour candidate into third place; {{Election box begin | |title=General election 1922 Electorate 45,085 }} {{Election box candidate with party link| |party = Unionist Party (UK) |candidate = Sir Collingwood George Clements Hamilton |votes = 19,361 |percentage = 53.8 |change = -18.9 }} {{Election box candidate with party link| |party = Liberal Party (UK) |candidate = Robert Alstead |votes = 11,692 |percentage = 32.5 |change = n/a }} {{Election box candidate with party link| |party = Labour Party (UK) |candidate = George Benson |votes = 4,930 |percentage = 13.7 |change = -13.6 }} {{Election box majority| |votes = 7,669 |percentage = 21.3 |change = n/a }} {{Election box turnout| |votes = 35,983 |percentage = 79.8 |change = +11.3 }} {{Election box hold with party link| |winner = Unionist Party (UK) |swing = n/a }} {{Election box end}} Another General Election took place a year later, fought on the issue of Free trade v Protectionism. Across the country there was a swing away from the Unionists and in Altrincham this helped Alstead, as the only challenger, to take the seat. He was the first Liberal to win Altrincham since January 1910. {{Election box begin | |title=General election 1923 Electorate 45,871 }} {{Election box candidate with party link| |party = Liberal Party (UK) |candidate = Robert Alstead |votes = 19,046 |percentage = 54.2 |change = +21.7 }} {{Election box candidate with party link| |party = Unionist Party (UK) |candidate = Sir Collingwood George Clements Hamilton |votes = 16,081 |percentage = 45.8 |change = -8.0 }} {{Election box majority| |votes = 2,965 |percentage = 8.4 |change = 29.7 }} {{Election box turnout| |votes = 35,127 |percentage = 76.6 |change = -3.2 }} {{Election box gain with party link| |winner = Liberal Party (UK) |loser = Unionist Party (UK) |swing = +14.9 }} {{Election box end}} With only a Labour minority government in office, another General Election was called a year later. With the Unionists regaining ground across the country, Alstead was defeated at Altrincham. {{Election box begin | |title=General election 1924 Electorate 47,253 }} {{Election box candidate with party link| |party = Unionist Party (UK) |candidate = Cyril Atkinson |votes = 24,439 |percentage = 61.0 |change = +15.2 }} {{Election box candidate with party link| |party = Liberal Party (UK) |candidate = Robert Alstead |votes = 15,654 |percentage = 39.0 |change = -15.2 }} {{Election box majority| |votes = 8,785 |percentage = 22.0 |change = 30.4 }} {{Election box turnout| |votes = 40,093 |percentage = 84.8 |change = +8.2 }} {{Election box gain with party link| |winner = Unionist Party (UK) |loser = Liberal Party (UK) |swing = +15.2 }} {{Election box end}} After 4 years of Unionist majority government which included a General Strike, the Liberal Party, now led by David Lloyd George, were challenging strongly again and Alstead had hopes of regaining Altrincham. However, this time, Alstead faced a Labour candidate as well as a Unionist, making winning the seat too difficult. {{Election box begin | |title=General election 1929 Electorate 69,607 }} {{Election box candidate with party link| |party = Unionist Party (UK) |candidate = Cyril Atkinson |votes = 28,512 |percentage = 50.7 |change = -10.3 }} {{Election box candidate with party link| |party = Liberal Party (UK) |candidate = Robert Alstead |votes = 18,475 |percentage = 32.9 |change = -6.1 }} {{Election box candidate with party link| |party = Labour Party (UK) |candidate = Alfred James Dobbs |votes = 9,242 |percentage = 16.4 |change = n/a }} {{Election box majority| |votes = 10,037 |percentage = 17.8 |change = -4.2 }} {{Election box turnout| |votes = 56,229 |percentage = 80.8 |change = -4.0 }} {{Election box hold with party link| |winner = Unionist Party (UK) |swing = -2.1 }} {{Election box end}} He did not contest the 1931 general election, when Atkinson was returned unopposed as a supporter of the National Government. Alstead did not stand for Parliament again, although he was prospective Liberal candidate for Preston in 1934–1935, but pulled out the month before the 1935 election.<ref>''The Times'', 25 October 1935, p16</ref>
==Honours== He received the Order of the British Empire in the 1939 New Year's Honours List.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.wiganworld.co.uk/stuff/chronology10.php?opt=chrono&yr=1939|title=❤ wiganworld - Local chronology from old Wigan Almanacs|website=www.wiganworld.co.uk}}</ref>
==Death== Alstead died at Gathurst, near Wigan, on 9 September 1946, aged 72 years.
== References == {{Reflist}} * {{cite book |last=Craig |first=F. W. S. |authorlink= F. W. S. Craig |title=British parliamentary election results 1918-1949 |orig-year=1969 |edition= 3rd |year=1983 |publisher= Parliamentary Research Services |location=Chichester |isbn= 0-900178-06-X}} *{{Rayment-hc|date=March 2012}}
== External links == * {{Hansard-contribs | mr-robert-alstead | Robert Alstead }}
{{s-start}} {{s-par|uk}} {{succession box | title = Member of Parliament for Altrincham | years = 1923 – 1924 | before = Sir George Clements Hamilton | after = Cyril Atkinson }} {{s-end}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Alstead, Robert}} Category:1873 births Category:1946 deaths Category:Liberal Party (UK) MPs for English constituencies Category:UK MPs 1923–1924 Category:Politics of Cheshire Category:People from Up Holland Category:Councillors in Greater Manchester Category:Mayors of Wigan Category:Officers of the Order of the British Empire