James Arthur Harley

James Arthur Harley (15 May 1873 – 12 May 1943) was an Antiguan-born clergyman and local politician. After extensive education in the United States and England, he became a curate and priest in the Church of England. In later life he was a member of Shepshed Urban Council, from 1927 to 1930 as a Labour Party member, and from 1932 until 1943 as an Independent.

Early life and church work Harley was born on 15 May 1873 to Henry James Harley and Eleanora Josephine Lake. His father is assumed to be a landlord, and in 1891 he attended Micro Training College in Antigua. At Harvard he was a debator for their championship team and won prizes for excellence in English Composition. He later matriculated at Jesus College, Oxford to study Theology and Anthropology. Afterward, he did a curacy in Chislet near Canterbury, but he left due to a feud over his stipend to St. Leonard near Chislet.

Personal life He married Washington-born Josephine Maritcha Lawson in Oxford on 1 July 1910, although they separated soon after.