Career
Schofield hailed from Oldham, Lancashire and was active in the cotton-spinning industry. He also served as senior vice-President of Oldham Chamber of Commerce and on the British national committee of the International Chamber of Commerce and the British Empires Chambers of Commerce. Also interested in foreign affairs, Schofield was an authority on the Congo Basin Treaties and served with the Territorial Army for 33 years, commanding a battalion of the Royal Tank Regiment in World World War II, gaining the rank of lieutenant-colonel.
Schofield contested the Rochdale seat without success at the 1950 general election but was first elected to Parliament in the 1951 general election, defeating the Labour incumbent.
He retained the seat until his death in 1957. In the consequent Rochdale by-election, 1958, he was succeeded as Member of Parliament by the Labour candidate Jack McCann, who fought off a strong challenge from the Liberal Ludovic Kennedy.
