Arthur Booth-Clibborn

Commissioner Arthur Sydney Booth-Clibborn (né Clibborn) (1855 – 20 February 1939) was a pioneering Salvation Army officer in France and Switzerland. He was the husband of Kate Booth, the oldest daughter of General William and Catherine Booth. Early life Clibborn was born in Moate, County Westmeath in Ireland, the son of a linen mill owner. At age 13 he was sent to boarding school in France and Switzerland. He graduated from the University of Lausanne. During this time abroad, he developed his capacity for languages. At age 26 he was appointed a Quaker minister. Salvation Army career Joining The Salvation Army in 1881 at the invitation of General William Booth, Major Clibborn became Kate Booth’s chief of staff during her mission in France. They married on 18 February 1887. On marriage, Arthur and Kate changed their surname by deed poll to Booth-Clibborn at the insistence of General Booth. They had ten children, including the Pentecostal preacher William Emmanuel Booth-Clibborn. A grandson was Stanley Eric Francis Booth-Clibborn, who became the Anglican Bishop of Manchester. The Booth-Clibborns were posted by The Salvation Army to Switzerland in 1889. However, opposition to their movement eventually led to the Swiss government's order that all Salvation Army halls be closed, and Arthur Booth-Clibborn was imprisoned for a time.