Glenarthur was son of James Arthur of Carlung in Ayrshire and of Barshaw in Renfrewshire, the founder of the wholesale clothing business of Arthur & Co. His mother was the suffragist and philanthropist Jane Glen Arthur,[1] daughter of Thomas Glen of Thornhill in Renfrewshire.

Apart from his business career he was also a member of the Royal Company of Archers.

Arthur was created a Baronet, of Carlung, in the parish of West Kilbride, in the County of Ayr, on 28 November 1902,[2][3] and on 5 July 1918 he was raised to the peerage as Baron Glenarthur, of Carlung, in the County of Ayr.

[4][5] The title of the barony derived from the joining of his mother's maiden name and his patronymic.

He died in September 1928, aged 76, and was succeeded in his titles by his son Cecil.