Cockermouth by-election, 1906
Encyclopedia
The Cockermouth by-election, 1906 was a by-election
held on 3 August 1906 for the British House of Commons
constituency
of Cockermouth
.
The by-election was triggered by the death of the town's Liberal
Member of Parliament
(MP) Sir Wilfrid Lawson.
The Liberal candidate was Captain Frederick Guest
, a former Conservative
who had followed his cousin Winston Churchill
into the Liberal Party in 1904. Four of his brothers were also active in politics, and three became Members of Parliament. The Conservative candidate was Sir John Randles
, who had held the seat from 1900 until losing narrowly in the general election in January. There was also a third candidate, Robert Smillie
of the Independent Labour Party
.
Turnout was only slightly down since the general election, when only two candidates had run, and although the Conservative vote fell slightly, the Liberals lost much more, probably due to the intervention of Smillie. The result was a gain for the Conservatives.
Sir John Randles lost the seat again in the December 1910 election, this time to Sir Wilfred Lawson
, son of the former MP. Frederick Guest was eventually returned as a Member of Parliament for East Dorset
in the January 1910 general election.
By-election
A by-election is an election held to fill a political office that has become vacant between regularly scheduled elections....
held on 3 August 1906 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 Cockermouth
Cockermouth (UK Parliament constituency)
Cockermouth was the name of a constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of England in 1295, and again from 1641, then of the Parliament of Great Britain from 1707 to 1800 and of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1801 to 1918. It was a parliamentary borough represented by two...
.
The by-election was triggered by the death of the town's Liberal
Liberal 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...
Member of Parliament
Member 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) Sir Wilfrid Lawson.
The Liberal candidate was Captain Frederick Guest
Frederick Edward Guest
Frederick Edward Guest CBE DSO PC , often known as Freddie Guest, was a British politician best known for being Chief Whip of Prime Minister David Lloyd George's Coalition Liberal Party between 1917 and 1921. He was also Secretary of State for Air between 1921 and 1922...
, a former Conservative
Conservative Party (UK)
The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
who had followed his cousin Winston Churchill
Winston Churchill
Sir Winston Leonard Spencer-Churchill, was a predominantly Conservative British politician and statesman known for his leadership of the United Kingdom during the Second World War. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest wartime leaders of the century and served as Prime Minister twice...
into the Liberal Party in 1904. Four of his brothers were also active in politics, and three became Members of Parliament. The Conservative candidate was Sir John Randles
John Scurrah Randles
Sir John Scurrah Randles was a British businessman and Conservative politician.He was born in Boston, Lincolnshire, son of a Wesleyan minister. An industrialist in the coal and steel business, he was elected Member of Parliament for Cockermouth in the 1900 general election...
, who had held the seat from 1900 until losing narrowly in the general election in January. There was also a third candidate, Robert Smillie
Robert Smillie
Robert Smillie was a trade unionist and Labour Party politician in the United Kingdom.-Biography:Born into the city of Belfast, the second son of John Smillie a Scottish Crofter. Until into his adult years he spelt his name as Smellie; he spelt it like this even on his wedding certificate in 1878...
of the Independent Labour Party
Independent Labour Party
The Independent Labour Party was a socialist political party in Britain established in 1893. The ILP was affiliated to the Labour Party from 1906 to 1932, when it voted to leave...
.
Turnout was only slightly down since the general election, when only two candidates had run, and although the Conservative vote fell slightly, the Liberals lost much more, probably due to the intervention of Smillie. The result was a gain for the Conservatives.
Sir John Randles lost the seat again in the December 1910 election, this time to Sir Wilfred Lawson
Sir Wilfrid Lawson, 3rd Baronet, of Brayton
Sir Wilfrid Lawson, 3rd Baronet, of Brayton was English Liberal politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1910 to 1916....
, son of the former MP. Frederick Guest was eventually returned as a Member of Parliament for East Dorset
East Dorset (UK Parliament constituency)
East Dorset is a former United Kingdom Parliamentary constituency. It was formally known as the Eastern Division of Dorset. It was a constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom...
in the January 1910 general election.
Votes
See also
- List of United Kingdom by-elections
- Cockermouth constituencyCockermouth (UK Parliament constituency)Cockermouth was the name of a constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of England in 1295, and again from 1641, then of the Parliament of Great Britain from 1707 to 1800 and of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1801 to 1918. It was a parliamentary borough represented by two...