Career
He was a Labour Party Member of Parliament (Member of Parliament) from 1914 to 1922 for the constituency of Bolton. He was elected in a by-election held on 22 September 1914 following the death of his predecessor Alfred Gill and held the seat in the 1918 general election. He was invested as a Commander of the Order of the British Empire in the 1918 Birthday Honours for his work on the National War Aims Committee.