East Fife by-election, 1961
Encyclopedia
The East Fife by-election, 1961 was a by-election
held for the British House of Commons
constituency
of East Fife in Scotland
on 9 November 1961. It was won by the Conservative
and National Liberal
candidate Sir John E. Gilmour.
Member of Parliament
(MP), Sir James Henderson-Stewart
had died at the age of 63 on 3 September 1961. He had held the seat since a by-election in 1933.
and Cambridge-educated baronet
who was a local farmer and land-owner, and a decorated war-hero. His father, also called John, had been an MP for thirty years, serving as a minister in the 1920s and 30s including a period as Home Secretary
. Gilmour was a reluctant by-election candidate; he had stood unsuccessfully at the 1945 general election
in Clackmannan and Eastern Stirlingshire
, but preferred local politics and had been a member of Fife County Council since 1955. However, he was pressured to stand by the constituency association which feared the imposition of an unpopular Conservative candidate.
The Labour Party
candidate was John Smith
, a 23-year-old law student at Glasgow University, who much later became leader of the party.
The Liberal Party
candidate was Donald Leach.
Gilmour was re-elected at the 1964 general election
, with an increased majority over Smith, and held the seat until he stepped down at the 1979 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 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 East Fife in Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
on 9 November 1961. It was won by the 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...
and National Liberal
National 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 Sir John E. Gilmour.
Vacancy
The seat had become vacant when the sitting 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...
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 James Henderson-Stewart
Sir James Henderson-Stewart, 1st Baronet
Sir James Henderson-Stewart, 1st Baronet, was a British banker, Army officer and politician. He was a National Liberal Member of Parliament for East Fife from 1933 until his death, and was the sessional chairman of the Parliamentary Party in 1945...
had died at the age of 63 on 3 September 1961. He had held the seat since a by-election in 1933.
Candidates
The Conservative and National Liberal candidate was 49-year-old Sir John Gilmour, an EtonEton College
Eton College, often referred to simply as Eton, is a British independent school for boys aged 13 to 18. It was founded in 1440 by King Henry VI as "The King's College of Our Lady of Eton besides Wyndsor"....
and Cambridge-educated baronet
Baronet
A baronet or the rare female equivalent, a baronetess , is the holder of a hereditary baronetcy awarded by the British Crown...
who was a local farmer and land-owner, and a decorated war-hero. His father, also called John, had been an MP for thirty years, serving as a minister in the 1920s and 30s including a period as Home Secretary
Home Secretary
The Secretary of State for the Home Department, commonly known as the Home Secretary, is the minister in charge of the Home Office of the United Kingdom, and one of the country's four Great Offices of State...
. Gilmour was a reluctant by-election candidate; he had stood unsuccessfully at the 1945 general election
United Kingdom general election, 1945
The United Kingdom general election of 1945 was a general election held on 5 July 1945, with polls in some constituencies delayed until 12 July and in Nelson and Colne until 19 July, due to local wakes weeks. The results were counted and declared on 26 July, due in part to the time it took to...
in Clackmannan and Eastern Stirlingshire
Clackmannan and Eastern Stirlingshire (UK Parliament constituency)
Clackmannan and Eastern Stirlingshire was a parliamentary constituency in the Clackmannan area of Central Scotland. It returned one Member of Parliament to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, elected by the first past the post system.The constituency was created for the...
, but preferred local politics and had been a member of Fife County Council since 1955. However, he was pressured to stand by the constituency association which feared the imposition of an unpopular Conservative candidate.
The Labour Party
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...
candidate was John Smith
John Smith (UK politician)
John Smith was a British Labour Party politician who served as Leader of the Labour Party from July 1992 until his sudden death from a heart attack in May 1994...
, a 23-year-old law student at Glasgow University, who much later became leader of the party.
The Liberal Party
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...
candidate was Donald Leach.
Result
After a campaign notable for a large influx of students supporting the Labour candidate, Gilmour was elected with a reduced but still large majority, with nearly 50% of the votes. Labour narrowly pushed the Liberals into third place.Gilmour was re-elected at the 1964 general election
United Kingdom general election, 1964
The United Kingdom general election of 1964 was held on 15 October 1964, more than five years after the preceding election, and thirteen years after the Conservative Party had retaken power...
, with an increased majority over Smith, and held the seat until he stepped down at the 1979 general election
United Kingdom general election, 1979
The United Kingdom general election of 1979 was held on 3 May 1979 to elect 635 members to the British House of Commons. The Conservative Party, led by Margaret Thatcher ousted the incumbent Labour government of James Callaghan with a parliamentary majority of 43 seats...
.
Votes
See also
- East Fife (UK Parliament constituency)
- FifeFifeFife is a council area and former county of Scotland. It is situated between the Firth of Tay and the Firth of Forth, with inland boundaries to Perth and Kinross and Clackmannanshire...
- East Fife by-election, 1933
- List of United Kingdom by-elections (1950–1979)