William Atherton (politician)
Sir William Atherton QC (1806 – 22 January 1864)[1] was a British barrister and Liberal Party politician. An advanced Liberal who favoured the secret ballot and widening of suffrage,[2] he held a seat in the House of Commons from 1852 to 1864, and was a Law Officer of the Crown for four years.
Career
Atherton was the son of a Wesleyan Methodist minister, Rev. W Atherton, and his wife Margaret who was a daughter of the Church of Scotland minister Rev. Walter Morrison.[2] He was called to the bar at the Inner Temple and practised on the Northern Circuit, becoming a Queen's Counsel (QC) and a bencher in 1852.[2]
He was elected at the 1852 general election as a Member of Parliament (MP) for City of Durham,[3] and held the seat until his death in 1864.[1][3]
Atherton was appointed as Solicitor General on 16 December 1859,[4] having previously served as Counsel to the Admiralty and Judge Advocate of the Fleet.[5] He was knighted on 23 February 1860,[6] and promoted to Attorney General on 9 July 1861.[7]
Having taken an office of profit under the Crown, he was obliged on each occasion to present himself for re-election, and was returned unopposed at by-elections on 9 January 1860 and 8 July 1861.[3] In his acceptance speech in July 1861 he called for greater unity in the Liberal Party, and supported British neutrality in the American Civil War.[8]
Atherton retired as Attorney General in the autumn of 1863 due to ill-health,[9] and died on 22 January 1864, at his home in Westbourne Terrace, near Hyde Park in London.[2]
Family
In 1843 he married Agnes Mary Hall (died 1866), daughter of Thomas J. Hall, the chief magistrate of Bow Street Magistrates' Court.[2]
References
- 1 2 Leigh Rayment's Historical List of MPs – Constituencies beginning with "D" (part 4)
- 1 2 3 4 5 "Death Of The Right Hon. Sir W. Atherton". The Times (London). 23 January 1864. p. 9, col A.
- 1 2 3 Craig, F. W. S. (1989) [1977]. British parliamentary election results 1832–1885 (2nd ed.). Chichester: Parliamentary Research Services. pp. 118–9. ISBN 0-900178-26-4.
- ↑ The London Gazette: no. 22337. p. 4739. 16 December 1859. Retrieved 27 November 2010.
- ↑ "The Chancellor of the Exchequer acknowledges". The Times (London). 19 December 1859. p. 8, col E.
- ↑ The London Gazette: no. 22359. p. 649. 24 February 1860. Retrieved 27 November 2010.
- ↑ The London Gazette: no. 22528. p. 2833. 9 July 1861. Retrieved 27 November 2010.
- ↑ "THE DURHAM ELECTION". The Times (London). 9 July 1861. p. 5, col F.
- ↑ "THE ATTORNEY-GENERALSHIP". The Times (London). 1 October 1863. pp. 7, col A.
External links
- Hansard 1803–2005: contributions in Parliament by Sir William Atherton
- William Atherton at Find a Grave
| Parliament of the United Kingdom | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Henry Spearman Thomas Colpitts Granger |
Member of Parliament for City of Durham 1852 – 1864 With: Thomas Colpitts Granger to Dec 1852 Lord Adolphus Vane Dec 1852–1853 John Mowbray from 1853 |
Succeeded by John Henderson John Mowbray |
| Legal offices | ||
| Preceded by Thomas Phinn |
Judge Advocate of the Fleet 1855 – 1859 |
Succeeded by Robert Collier |
| Preceded by Henry Singer Keating |
Solicitor General for England and Wales 1859 – 1861 |
Succeeded by Sir Roundell Palmer |
| Preceded by Sir Richard Bethell |
Attorney General for England and Wales 1861 – 1863 |
Succeeded by Sir Roundell Palmer |