He was the eldest son of John Adam Richard Newman of Newberry Manor, Mallow, County Cork and his wife Matilda née Bramston of Llangefni, Anglesey.
Following education at Charterhouse School and Trinity College, Cambridge,[1] Newman received a commission in the 5th Battalion, Royal Munster Fusiliers.
The seat was considered to be a safe Liberal constituency, but Newman managed to unseat the sitting member of parliament, James Branch by 1,242 votes.
[7] During the First World War Newman served with the Middlesex Regiment on the Western Front, reaching the rank of major.
He expressed admiration for fascism in his role as vice-president of the Middle Class Union formed in 1919 as an Anti-Socialist group to maintain public services in the event of strike action.