Alan Chorlton

Alan Ernest Leofric Chorlton (24 February 1874 – 6 October 1946) was a British mechanical engineer and Conservative Party politician, and was involved in the development of the internal combustion engine.

Biography Chorlton was born om 24 February 1874, in Audenshaw. He was educated privately and at the mechanical engineering department of Manchester Technical School. He served an apprenticeship at Mather and Platt's ironworks in Salford, while studying part-time at Victoria University, Manchester.

At age 24, he became a consulting engineer to Hubbard Textile Printing Works, St Petersburg, Russia. He returned to England and the Salford Iron Works where he rose to become general works manager and was largely responsible for redesigning the Mather-Reynolds pump manufactured at the plant.

From 1918 to 1928, he worked for William Beardmore and Company designing high speed diesel engines. These engines had various applications ranging from use in railcars to the R101 airship. Although unsuccessful on this occasion, two years later he was elected as Platting's Member of Parliament (MP), unseating the sitting Labour member, John Clynes. He was elected President of the Institute of Mechanical Engineers in 1933. In 1939, he announced he would not be standing for parliament again. He remained Bury's member of parliament until he stood down at the next election in 1945,