Arthur Black

Sir Arthur William Black (28 February 1863 – 13 July 1947) was an English lace manufacturer from Nottingham and a Liberal Party politician who served in local government in Nottingham before holding a seat in the House of Commons from 1906 to 1918.

Career Black was born in Nottingham, the son of William Edward Black. He was educated there before entering into business as a lace manufacturer in 1888, he later became a director of Turney Brothers and of the Sceptre Life Association. a Justice of the Peace and chairman of the Nottingham education committee. He was a member of Alfred Mosely's Commission of Inquiry into the educational systems of the United States in 1903, and visited the U.S. that year as part of the work of the commission.

At the 1906 general election he was elected as MP for the Biggleswade division of Bedfordshire, unseating the Liberal Unionist MP Lord Alwyne Compton by a majority of 23% of the votes. He was re-elected at both the January 1910 and December 1910 After that defeat, Black did not stand for Parliament again.

He was knighted in 1916.

Black spoke out in 1930 against a proposal by the Labour Chancellor of the Exchequer Philip Snowden, to end the duty on imported lace. Although describing himself as a free trader, Black said that the end of the duty would be a "serious matter" for both workers and investors in the industry. He denied that the duty had led to higher prices, in the United Kingdom, saying that keen competition in the domestic market had prevented this. The Sir Arthur Black Charities in Nottingham continue to bear his name, awarding between £11,000 and £15,000 annually to causes in Nottingham in the years 2005 to 2009.