Background
Chorlton was born in Audenshaw, Lancashire.
Chorlton was born in Audenshaw, Lancashire.
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 the age of 24 he became a consulting engineer to Hubbard Textile Printing Works, Street 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.
In 1913 he moved to Ruston and Hornsby at Lincoln.
During the First World War he was appointed Deputy Controller of Aeronautical Engines at the Ministry of Munitions. In 1917 he was awarded a Telford Premium medal by the Institute of Civil Engineers, and was made a Commander of the British Empire for his wartime services.
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.
In 1929 he was nominated as Conservative candidate for the parliamentary constituency of Manchester Platting.
He was elected President of the Institute of Mechanical Engineers in 1933. At the 1935 election, Chorlton was elected Member of Parliament for Bury. In 1939 he announced he would not be standing for parliament again.
A East L Chorlton retired from politics in 1945, and died in the following year, aged seventy-two.
36th United Kingdom Parliament. 37th United Kingdom Parliament]
Although unsuccessful on this occasion, two years later he was elected as Platting"s Member of Parliament (Member of Parliament), unseating the sitting Labour member, John Clynes. He remained Bury"s member of parliament until he stood down at the next election in 1945, which was delayed due to the Second World War.