Combined Scottish Universities by-election, 1938
Encyclopedia
The Combined Scottish Universities by-election, 1938 was a by-election
held from 21 February to 25 February 1938 for the Combined Scottish Universities, a university constituency
of the British House of Commons
.
(MP) (and former Prime Minister), Ramsay MacDonald
had died on 9 November 1937, aged 71. He had held the seat since the by-election in 1936
, having held several other seats since he was first elected to Parliament
at the 1906 general election
.
candidate.
The National Government supported a "National" candidate Sir John Anderson
, a former civil servant who had been Governor of Bengal
from 1932 to 1937.
The Scottish National Party
candidate was Andrew Dewar Gibb
, the Regius Professor of Law at Glasgow University who had also contested the by-election in 1936
. Two other candidates stood as independents.
.
By-election
A by-election is an election held to fill a political office that has become vacant between regularly scheduled elections....
held from 21 February to 25 February 1938 for the Combined Scottish Universities, a university constituency
University constituency
A university constituency is a constituency, used in elections to a legislature, that represents a university rather than a geographical area. University constituencies may involve plural voting, in which eligible voters are permitted to vote in both a university constituency and a geographical...
of 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...
.
Vacancy
The seat had become vacant when the National Labour 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) (and former Prime Minister), Ramsay MacDonald
Ramsay MacDonald
James Ramsay MacDonald, PC, FRS was a British politician who was the first ever Labour Prime Minister, leading a minority government for two terms....
had died on 9 November 1937, aged 71. He had held the seat since the by-election in 1936
Combined Scottish Universities by-election, 1936
The Combined Scottish Universities by-election, 1936 was a by-election held from 27 January to 31 January 1936 for the Combined Scottish Universities, a university constituency of the British House of Commons.- Vacancy :...
, having held several other seats since he was first elected to Parliament
Parliament of the United Kingdom
The Parliament of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the supreme legislative body in the United Kingdom, British Crown dependencies and British overseas territories, located in London...
at the 1906 general election
United Kingdom general election, 1906
-Seats summary:-See also:*MPs elected in the United Kingdom general election, 1906*The Parliamentary Franchise in the United Kingdom 1885-1918-External links:***-References:*F. W. S. Craig, British Electoral Facts: 1832-1987**...
.
Candidates
The parties in the National Government did not usually stand candidates against each other, and since in this case the seat was held by National Labour, there was no Unionist of National LiberalNational Liberal Party (UK, 1931)
The National Liberal Party, known until 1948 as the Liberal National Party, was a liberal political party in the United Kingdom from 1931 to 1968...
candidate.
The National Government supported a "National" candidate Sir John Anderson
John Anderson, 1st Viscount Waverley
John Anderson, 1st Viscount Waverley, GCB, OM, GCSI, GCIE, PC, PC was a British civil servant then politician who served as a minister under Neville Chamberlain and Winston Churchill as Home Secretary, Lord President of the Council and Chancellor of the Exchequer...
, a former civil servant who had been Governor of Bengal
Governor of Bengal
From 1690, a governor represented the British East India Company in Bengal, which had been granted the right to establish a trading post by the local rulers, the nawabs of Murshidabad, who were nominal vassals of the Mughal emperor in Delhi....
from 1932 to 1937.
The Scottish National Party
Scottish National Party
The Scottish National Party is a social-democratic political party in Scotland which campaigns for Scottish independence from the United Kingdom....
candidate was Andrew Dewar Gibb
Andrew Dewar Gibb
Andrew Dewar Gibb was a Scottish politician, barrister and professor....
, the Regius Professor of Law at Glasgow University who had also contested the by-election in 1936
Combined Scottish Universities by-election, 1936
The Combined Scottish Universities by-election, 1936 was a by-election held from 27 January to 31 January 1936 for the Combined Scottish Universities, a university constituency of the British House of Commons.- Vacancy :...
. Two other candidates stood as independents.
Result
The result was a victory for Anderson (the National candidate), won nearly 50% of the votes, the remainder being quite evenly between the other candidates. He held the seat until the university constituencies were abolished for the 1950 general electionUnited Kingdom general election, 1950
The 1950 United Kingdom general election was the first general election ever after a full term of a Labour government. Despite polling over one and a half million votes more than the Conservatives, the election, held on 23 February 1950 resulted in Labour receiving a slim majority of just five...
.
Votes
See also
- Combined Scottish Universities (UK Parliament constituency)
- Combined Scottish Universities by-election, 1927Combined Scottish Universities by-election, 1927The Combined Scottish Universities by-election, 1927 was a by-election held from 26 April to 29 April 1927 for the Combined Scottish Universities, a university constituency of the British House of Commons.- Vacancy :...
- Combined Scottish Universities by-election, 1934Combined Scottish Universities by-election, 1934The Combined Scottish Universities by-election, 1934 was a by-election held from 7 March to 12 March 1934 for the Combined Scottish Universities, a university constituency of the British House of Commons.- Vacancy :...
- Combined Scottish Universities by-election, 1935Combined Scottish Universities by-election, 1935The Combined Scottish Universities by-election, 1935 was a by-election held from 17 June to 22 June 1935 for the Combined Scottish Universities, a university constituency of the British House of Commons.- Vacancy :...
- Combined Scottish Universities by-election, 1936Combined Scottish Universities by-election, 1936The Combined Scottish Universities by-election, 1936 was a by-election held from 27 January to 31 January 1936 for the Combined Scottish Universities, a university constituency of the British House of Commons.- Vacancy :...
- Combined Scottish Universities by-election, 1945Combined Scottish Universities by-election, 1945The Combined Scottish Universities by-election, 1945 was a by-election held from 9 April to 13 April 1945 for the Combined Scottish Universities, a university constituency of the British House of Commons.- Vacancy :...
- Combined Scottish Universities by-election, 1946Combined Scottish Universities by-election, 1946The Combined Scottish Universities by-election, 1946 was a by-election held from 22 November to 27 November 1946 for the Combined Scottish Universities, a university constituency of the British House of Commons....
- List of United Kingdom by-elections (1931–1950)