Walter McLaren

Who was Walter McLaren?

Walter Stowe Bright McLaren was a British Liberal Party politician who was Member of Parliament for the Crewe division of Cheshire for a total of 11 years between 1886 and 1912.

He was the youngest child of the Liberal MP Duncan McLaren and his third wife Priscilla Bright, a sister of the Radical MP John Bright. Two of his bothers, Charles McLaren, 1st Baron Aberconway and John also became Liberal Members of Parliament. Walter Mclaren was married in April 1883 to Eva Muller, who died on 16 August 1921.

McLaren first stood for election to the House of Commons at the 1885 general election, when he stood as an "independent liberal" candidate for the Inverness district of Burghs, in Scotland. He had been nominated by the Free Church Constitutional Party, and polled strongly against the official Liberal Party candidate, taking 47.5% of the votes.

At the 1886 general election he was elected in Crewe, where the sitting Liberal MP George Latham had not sought re-election. McLaren was re-elected in 1892, but lost his seat at the 1895 general election.