London University (UK Parliament constituency)
Encyclopedia
London University was a university constituency
electing one Member of Parliament
(MP) to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom
, from 1868 to 1950.
. The first election took place during the United Kingdom general election, 1868
. The constituency returned one Member of Parliament
, using the first past the post electoral system.
The constituency was not a physical area. Its electorate consisted of the graduates of the University of London
. Before 1918 only male graduates qualified. From 1918 all graduates qualified, including women over thirty (reduced to twenty one when universal adult suffrage on equal terms was introduced before the United Kingdom general election, 1929
).
The constituency was almost abolished in 1918. The original proposal of the Speaker's Conference, which considered electoral reform before the Representation of the People Act 1918
was enacted, was to combine all the English and Welsh universities except for Oxford and Cambridge into a three member constituency. However during consideration of the legislation it was agreed that London University should continue to return one member. The University of Wales
was also given its own seat. The other universities, which were still to be combined, had their proposed representation reduced to two members. (Source: Pugh).
All the university constituencies were abolished in 1950, by the Representation of the People Act 1948
.
between 1868 and 1950.
Notes:-
Coalition Conservative is considered to be equivalent to Conservative, as is National Independent equivalent to Independent.
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...
electing one 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) to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom
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...
, from 1868 to 1950.
Boundaries, electorate and history
This university constituency was created by the Reform Act 1867Reform Act 1867
The Representation of the People Act 1867, 30 & 31 Vict. c. 102 was a piece of British legislation that enfranchised the urban male working class in England and Wales....
. The first election took place during the United Kingdom general election, 1868
United Kingdom general election, 1868
The 1868 United Kingdom general election was the first after passage of the Reform Act 1867, which enfranchised many male householders, thus greatly increasing the number of men who could vote in elections in the United Kingdom...
. The constituency returned one 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,...
, using the first past the post electoral system.
The constituency was not a physical area. Its electorate consisted of the graduates of the University of London
University of London
-20th century:Shortly after 6 Burlington Gardens was vacated, the University went through a period of rapid expansion. Bedford College, Royal Holloway and the London School of Economics all joined in 1900, Regent's Park College, which had affiliated in 1841 became an official divinity school of the...
. Before 1918 only male graduates qualified. From 1918 all graduates qualified, including women over thirty (reduced to twenty one when universal adult suffrage on equal terms was introduced before the United Kingdom general election, 1929
United Kingdom general election, 1929
-Seats summary:-References:*F. W. S. Craig, British Electoral Facts: 1832-1987*-External links:***...
).
The constituency was almost abolished in 1918. The original proposal of the Speaker's Conference, which considered electoral reform before the Representation of the People Act 1918
Representation of the People Act 1918
The Representation of the People Act 1918 was an Act of Parliament passed to reform the electoral system in the United Kingdom. It is sometimes known as the Fourth Reform Act...
was enacted, was to combine all the English and Welsh universities except for Oxford and Cambridge into a three member constituency. However during consideration of the legislation it was agreed that London University should continue to return one member. The University of Wales
University of Wales (UK Parliament constituency)
University of Wales was a university constituency electing one member to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, from 1918 to 1950. It returned one Member of Parliament , elected under the first-past-the-post voting system....
was also given its own seat. The other universities, which were still to be combined, had their proposed representation reduced to two members. (Source: Pugh).
All the university constituencies were abolished in 1950, by the Representation of the People Act 1948
Representation of the People Act 1948
The Representation of the People Act 1948 was an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom that altered the law relating to parliamentary and local elections...
.
Members of Parliament
This is a list of people who have represented this University in the Parliament of the United KingdomParliament 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...
between 1868 and 1950.
| Election | Member | Party | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1868 United Kingdom general election, 1868 The 1868 United Kingdom general election was the first after passage of the Reform Act 1867, which enfranchised many male householders, thus greatly increasing the number of men who could vote in elections in the United Kingdom... |
Rt Hon. Robert Lowe Robert Lowe, 1st Viscount Sherbrooke Robert Lowe, 1st Viscount Sherbrooke PC , British and Australian statesman, was a pivotal but often forgotten figure who shaped British politics in the latter half of the 19th century. He held office under William Ewart Gladstone as Chancellor of the Exchequer between 1868 and 1873 and as Home... 1 |
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... |
|
| 1880 by-election | Rt Hon. Sir John Lubbock, Bt John Lubbock, 1st Baron Avebury John Lubbock, 1st Baron Avebury PC , FRS , known as Sir John Lubbock, 4th Baronet from 1865 until 1900, was a polymath and Liberal Member of Parliament.... 2 |
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... |
|
| 1886 | Liberal Unionist | ||
| 1900 by-election | Sir Michael Foster Michael Foster (physiologist) Sir Michael Foster was an English physiologist.He was born in Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire and educated at University College School, London.... |
Liberal Unionist | |
| 1903 | 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... |
||
| 1906 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**... |
Sir Philip Magnus, Bt | Liberal Unionist | |
| 1912 | 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... |
||
| 1918 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... |
Coalition Conservative | ||
| 1922 United Kingdom general election, 1922 The United Kingdom general election of 1922 was held on 15 November 1922. It was the first election held after most of the Irish counties left the United Kingdom to form the Irish Free State, and was won by Andrew Bonar Law's Conservatives, who gained an overall majority over Labour, led by John... |
Sir Sydney Russell Russell-Wells 3 | 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... |
|
| 1924 United Kingdom general election, 1924 - Seats summary :- References :* F. W. S. Craig, British Electoral Facts: 1832-1987* - External links :* * *... |
Sir Ernest Gorden Graham Graham-Little Ernest Graham-Little Sir Ernest Gordon Graham Graham-Little was a dermatologist and British Member of Parliament for London University from 1924 until 1950, sitting variously as an Independent and a National Independent. Graham-Little was born in Monghyr, Bengal, India, to Michael and Anna Little... 4 |
Independent | |
| 1931 | National Independent | ||
| 1950 United 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... |
Constituency abolished | ||
Notes:-
- 1 Lowe was elevated to the peerage as The 1st Viscount Sherbrooke.
- 2 Lubbock was elevated to the peerage as The 1st Baron Avebury.
- 3 Russell-Wells died on 14 July 1924 - the seat was vacant at dissolution.
- 4 Graham-Little, as an Independent MP, supported the National GovernmentNational Government 1931-1935See also First National MinistryThe United Kingdom's National Government was composed of members of the following parties:*National Labour*Conservative Party*Liberal Party*Liberal Nationals...
s in office from 1931 until the formation of the wartime coalition in 1940. He also supported Winston ChurchillWinston ChurchillSir 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...
's caretaker government in 1945Caretaker Government 1945The Caretaker Government 1945 was a United Kingdom Ministry, which held office from 23 May 1945 until 26 July 1945, during the latter stages of the Second World War...
and his proposed continuation in office if he had won the 1945 election. Graham-Little is therefore classified as a National Independent MP from 1931.
Elections
General Elections, from 1918 when most constituencies polled on the same day, were on different polling days than for territorial constituencies. The polls for university constituencies were open for five days.Coalition Conservative is considered to be equivalent to Conservative, as is National Independent equivalent to Independent.
1860s – 1870s – 1880s – 1890s – 1900s – 1910s – 1920s – 1930s – 1940s |
Elections in the 1860s
- Appointed Chancellor of the ExchequerChancellor of the ExchequerThe Chancellor of the Exchequer is the title held by the British Cabinet minister who is responsible for all economic and financial matters. Often simply called the Chancellor, the office-holder controls HM Treasury and plays a role akin to the posts of Minister of Finance or Secretary of the...
Elections in the 1870s
Elections in the 1880s
- Elevation to the peerage as the 1st Viscount Sherbrooke
- Changed allegiance to the Liberal Unionist PartyLiberal Unionist PartyThe Liberal Unionist Party was a British political party that was formed in 1886 by a faction that broke away from the Liberal Party. Led by Lord Hartington and Joseph Chamberlain, the party formed a political alliance with the Conservative Party in opposition to Irish Home Rule...
in 1886
- Gain from the previous general election, hold from the change of allegiance
Elections in the 1890s
- Elevation to the peerage as the 1st Baron Avebury
Elections in the 1900s
- Changed allegiance to the Liberal PartyLiberal 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...
in 1903
- Hold from the previous general election, gain from Liberal from the change of allegiance
Elections in the 1910s
- Swing from Liberal to Liberal Unionist
- Swing from Liberal to Liberal Unionist
- Changed allegiance to the Conservative PartyConservative 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...
on its merger with the Liberal Unionist Party in 1912
- Notional gain from the previous general election, hold from the change of allegiance
Elections in the 1920s
- Negative Swing from Conservative to Liberal
- Death - seat vacant on dissolution
Elections in the 1930s
Elections in the 1940s
- Constituency abolished (1950)