Robert Alstead

Robert Alstead 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.

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. In 1896, he married Sarah Ann Deakin of Wigan. He and his wife had 7 children, 6 boys and a girl.

Alstead started life as a newsboy on a railway book stall at the age of 10. 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.

Alstead was an elected member of Wigan Town Council from 1913–1929 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 1913–1932. He also served as a Justice of the Peace.

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;

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.

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