Monmouth by-election, 1945
Encyclopedia
The Monmouth by-election, 1945 was a by-election
held for the British House of Commons
constituency
of Monmouth
in Wales
on 30 October 1945. The seat had become vacant on the death of the sitting Conservative
Member of Parliament
(MP) Leslie Pym
, and the by-election was won by the Conservative candidate Peter Thorneycroft.
had died at the age of 61 on 17 July 1945, only 5 days after polling in the 1945 general election
, but 9 days before the declaration. He was thus unusually declared elected posthumously. Pym had held the seat since a by-election in 1939
.
from a 1938 by-election until his defeat at the 1945 general election
.
The Labour Party
candidate was A. B. L. Oakley, who had been the unsuccessful candidate at the general election in July.
, serving as a senior Cabinet
in the government of Harold Macmillan
.
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 Monmouth
Monmouth (UK Parliament constituency)
Monmouth is a county constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom . It elects one Member of Parliament by the first past the post of election...
in Wales
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
on 30 October 1945. The seat had become vacant on the death of the sitting 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...
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) Leslie Pym
Leslie Pym
Leslie Ruthven Pym was a Conservative Party politician in the United Kingdom.He was elected as Member of Parliament for Monmouth in Wales at a by-election in 1939. He represented the constituency in the House of Commons until his death during the 1945 general election. Polling took place on 5...
, and the by-election was won by the Conservative candidate Peter Thorneycroft.
Vacancy
The Conservative MP Leslie PymLeslie Pym
Leslie Ruthven Pym was a Conservative Party politician in the United Kingdom.He was elected as Member of Parliament for Monmouth in Wales at a by-election in 1939. He represented the constituency in the House of Commons until his death during the 1945 general election. Polling took place on 5...
had died at the age of 61 on 17 July 1945, only 5 days after polling in 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...
, but 9 days before the declaration. He was thus unusually declared elected posthumously. Pym had held the seat since a by-election in 1939
Monmouth by-election, 1939
The Monmouth by-election, 1939 was a by-election held for the British House of Commons constituency of Monmouth in Wales on 25 July 1939. The by-election was won by the Conservative candidate Leslie Pym.- Vacancy :...
.
Candidates
The Conservative candidate was 36-year-old Peter Thorneycroft, who had been the MP for StaffordStafford (UK Parliament constituency)
Stafford is a county constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elects one Member of Parliament by the first past the post system of election. The sitting MP is the Conservative Jeremy Lefroy....
from a 1938 by-election until his defeat 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...
.
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 A. B. L. Oakley, who had been the unsuccessful candidate at the general election in July.
Result
On a slightly reduced turnout, Thorneycroft held the seat for the Conservatives, a narrowly-increased majority of 2,139. He held the seat until his defeat at the 1966 general electionUnited Kingdom general election, 1966
The 1966 United Kingdom general election on 31 March 1966 was called by sitting Labour Prime Minister Harold Wilson. Wilson's decision to call an election turned on the fact that his government, elected a mere 17 months previously in 1964 had an unworkably small majority of only 4 MPs...
, serving as a senior Cabinet
Cabinet of the United Kingdom
The Cabinet of the United Kingdom is the collective decision-making body of Her Majesty's Government in the United Kingdom, composed of the Prime Minister and some 22 Cabinet Ministers, the most senior of the government ministers....
in the government of Harold Macmillan
Harold Macmillan
Maurice Harold Macmillan, 1st Earl of Stockton, OM, PC was Conservative Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 10 January 1957 to 18 October 1963....
.
Votes
See also
- Monmouth (UK Parliament constituency)Monmouth (UK Parliament constituency)Monmouth is a county constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom . It elects one Member of Parliament by the first past the post of election...
- MonmouthMonmouthMonmouth is a town in southeast Wales and traditional county town of the historic county of Monmouthshire. It is situated close to the border with England, where the River Monnow meets the River Wye with bridges over both....
- Monmouth by-election, 1934Monmouth by-election, 1934The Monmouth by-election, 1934 was a by-election held for the British House of Commons constituency of Monmouth in Wales on 14 June 1934. It was won by the Conservative candidate John Arthur Herbert.- Vacancy :...
- Monmouth by-election, 1939Monmouth by-election, 1939The Monmouth by-election, 1939 was a by-election held for the British House of Commons constituency of Monmouth in Wales on 25 July 1939. The by-election was won by the Conservative candidate Leslie Pym.- Vacancy :...
- Monmouth by-election, 1991Monmouth by-election, 1991The Monmouth by-election, 1991 was a by-election held for the British House of Commons constituency of Monmouth in Wales on 16 May 1991. It was won by the Labour Party candidate Huw Edwards.- Vacancy :...
- List of United Kingdom by-elections (1931 - 1950)