Born in Sheffield, Neal attended Wesley College before becoming a solicitor.
[1] Neal was elected to Sheffield City Council as a Liberal in 1903, holding a seat until 1921.
He stood for Parliament in Sheffield Hallam at both the January and December 1910 UK general elections.
At the 1918 election, he won the new constituency of Sheffield Hillsborough as a supporter of the Lloyd George Coalition.
After hearing Neal speak in the House of Commons, Prime Minister Lloyd George appointed Neal as Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Transport, at that time he had been in the House less than 12 months.