Aberdeenshire and Kincardineshire Central by-election, 1919
Encyclopedia
The Aberdeenshire and Kincardineshire Central by-election was a parliamentary by-election
held for the British House of Commons
constituency
of Aberdeenshire and Kincardineshire Central
on 16 April 1919.
(MP) Alexander Theodore Gordon
died on 6 March 1919 aged just 37, from heart failure after suffering from influenza
. He had held the seat only since the 1918 general election
.
of David Lloyd George
and Andrew Bonar Law and the Independent, Asquithian Liberals were making the most of the government's popularity to revive.
candidate at the 1918 general election, John McDonald Henderson, who had been Liberal MP for West Aberdeenshire
since 1906 had only lost to Gordon by the narrow margin of 638 votes. Henderson had been expected to be the Liberals' by-election candidate. In fact, because of Henderson's strong showing at the general election and the traditional strength of the Liberal Party in the area, the Coalition whips
were apparently prepared to endorse him for the by-election, giving him the equivalent of coalition coupon which had been offered to authorised candidates at the 1918 general election. Henderson, no doubt eager to return to Parliament, and fully supported by the local Liberal Association, had reportedly made his peace with Freddie Guest, Lloyd George's Chief Whip
. However the local Conservatives were not happy with this arrangement and decided to stand their own candidate, Mr L F W Davidson. This situation proved depressing for the Coalition leaders and no 'coupon' was forthcoming for either Henderson or Davidson by the time the by-election writ was moved on 24 March.
, a barrister and former Gordon Highlander, who had unsuccessfully fought Ayr Burghs
at the 1918 general election. By the time the by-election campaigning was properly under way, the 'coupon', such as it was, had presumably been bestowed on Davidson as he was described in the election literature and the press as the Coalition Unionist or Coalition Conservative candidate.
, fighting the seat for Labour
.
and Leyton West
. As was pointed out in The Times, no Coalition seat could be considered safe given the temper of the electorate at the time and the Coalition coupon which had been a talisman for candidates a few short weeks before was turning into a curse.
By-election
A by-election is an election held to fill a political office that has become vacant between regularly scheduled elections....
held for the British House of Commons
British House of Commons
The House of Commons is the lower house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, which also comprises the Sovereign and the House of Lords . Both Commons and Lords meet in the Palace of Westminster. The Commons is a democratically elected body, consisting of 650 members , who are known as Members...
constituency
United Kingdom constituencies
In the United Kingdom , each of the electoral areas or divisions called constituencies elects one or more members to a parliament or assembly.Within the United Kingdom there are now five bodies with members elected by constituencies:...
of Aberdeenshire and Kincardineshire Central
Aberdeen and Kincardine Central (UK Parliament constituency)
Aberdeen and Kincardine Central, also known as Central Aberdeenshire, was a county constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1918 until 1950...
on 16 April 1919.
Vacancy
The seat had become vacant when the Coalition Conservative Member of ParliamentMember of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
(MP) Alexander Theodore Gordon
Alexander Theodore Gordon
Alexander Theodore Gordon was a British Conservative politician. He was elected Member of Parliament for Aberdeen and Kincardine Central in the 1918 General Election, but died two months later....
died on 6 March 1919 aged just 37, from heart failure after suffering from influenza
Influenza
Influenza, commonly referred to as the flu, is an infectious disease caused by RNA viruses of the family Orthomyxoviridae , that affects birds and mammals...
. He had held the seat only since the 1918 general election
United Kingdom general election, 1918
The United Kingdom general election of 1918 was the first to be held after the Representation of the People Act 1918, which meant it was the first United Kingdom general election in which nearly all adult men and some women could vote. Polling was held on 14 December 1918, although the count did...
.
Political background
According to reports in The Times, popular opinion was swinging against the coalition governmentCoalition Government 1916-1922
The Coalition Government of David Lloyd George came to power in the United Kingdom in December 1916, replacing the earlier wartime coalition under H.H. Asquith, which had been held responsible for reverses during the Great War. Those Liberals who continued to support Asquith served as the Opposition...
of David Lloyd George
David Lloyd George
David Lloyd George, 1st Earl Lloyd-George of Dwyfor OM, PC was a British Liberal politician and statesman...
and Andrew Bonar Law and the Independent, Asquithian Liberals were making the most of the government's popularity to revive.
Coalition
The LiberalLiberal Party (UK)
The Liberal Party was one of the two major political parties of the United Kingdom during the 19th and early 20th centuries. It was a third party of negligible importance throughout the latter half of the 20th Century, before merging with the Social Democratic Party in 1988 to form the present day...
candidate at the 1918 general election, John McDonald Henderson, who had been Liberal MP for West Aberdeenshire
West Aberdeenshire (UK Parliament constituency)
West Aberdeenshire was a Scottish county constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1868 to 1918 and form 1950 to 1983...
since 1906 had only lost to Gordon by the narrow margin of 638 votes. Henderson had been expected to be the Liberals' by-election candidate. In fact, because of Henderson's strong showing at the general election and the traditional strength of the Liberal Party in the area, the Coalition whips
Whip (politics)
A whip is an official in a political party whose primary purpose is to ensure party discipline in a legislature. Whips are a party's "enforcers", who typically offer inducements and threaten punishments for party members to ensure that they vote according to the official party policy...
were apparently prepared to endorse him for the by-election, giving him the equivalent of coalition coupon which had been offered to authorised candidates at the 1918 general election. Henderson, no doubt eager to return to Parliament, and fully supported by the local Liberal Association, had reportedly made his peace with Freddie Guest, Lloyd George's Chief Whip
Chief Whip
The Chief Whip is a political office in some legislatures assigned to an elected member whose task is to administer the whipping system that ensures that members of the party attend and vote as the party leadership desires.-The Whips Office:...
. However the local Conservatives were not happy with this arrangement and decided to stand their own candidate, Mr L F W Davidson. This situation proved depressing for the Coalition leaders and no 'coupon' was forthcoming for either Henderson or Davidson by the time the by-election writ was moved on 24 March.
Liberal
Henderson further muddied the waters by standing down as Liberal candidate and the local Association turned instead to Major Murdoch McKenzie WoodMurdoch McKenzie Wood
Major Sir Murdoch McKenzie Wood OBE, DL was a Scottish Liberal politician.The second son of James Wood of Cullen, Banffshire, Wood was educated at Edinburgh University...
, a barrister and former Gordon Highlander, who had unsuccessfully fought Ayr Burghs
Ayr Burghs (UK Parliament constituency)
Ayr Burghs was a district of burghs constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of Great Britain from 1708 to 1800 and of the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1801 to 1950...
at the 1918 general election. By the time the by-election campaigning was properly under way, the 'coupon', such as it was, had presumably been bestowed on Davidson as he was described in the election literature and the press as the Coalition Unionist or Coalition Conservative candidate.
Labour
The contest was a three-cornered affair, with J.F. Duncan, the general secretary of the Scottish Farm Servants' UnionScottish Farm Servants' Union
The Scottish Farm Servants' Union was a trade union in the United Kingdom. It merged with the Transport and General Workers' Union in 1933.-See also:* List of trade unions* Transport and General Workers' Union* TGWU amalgamations...
, fighting the seat for Labour
Labour Party (UK)
The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after...
.
The popularity of the Coalition
Duncan's candidacy was expected to complicate the possible outcome of the election by splitting the anti-Coalition vote. In the event, this turned out to be the case but not by quite enough to deliver the seat to the Coalition candidate and Wood was returned to Parliament with a majority of 186 over Davidson. However the combined Liberal and Labour vote amounted to 63.9% of the poll and was clearly a severe blow to the Coalition, coming so soon after their overwhelming success in the 1918 general election and hard on the heels of other by-election defeats in HullKingston upon Hull Central by-election, 1919
The Kingston upon Hull Central by-election, 1919 was a parliamentary by-election held for the British House of Commons constituency of Kingston upon Hull Central on 29 March 1919....
and Leyton West
Leyton West by-election, 1919
The Leyton West by-election, 1919 was a parliamentary by-election held on 1 March 1919 for the British House of Commons constituency of Leyton West, in the Urban District of Leyton, Essex...
. As was pointed out in The Times, no Coalition seat could be considered safe given the temper of the electorate at the time and the Coalition coupon which had been a talisman for candidates a few short weeks before was turning into a curse.
Votes
See also
- List of United Kingdom by-elections (1918–1931)
- United Kingdom by-election recordsUnited Kingdom by-election recordsUK by-election records is an annotated list of notable records from UK Parliamentary by-elections. A by-election occurs when a Member of Parliament resigns, dies, or is disqualified or expelled, and an election is held to fill the vacant seat...