North Cornwall by-election, 1939
Encyclopedia
The North Cornwall by-election, 1939 was a parliamentary by-election
held on 13 July 1939 for the British House of Commons
constituency
of North Cornwall
.
The by-election took place shortly before the start of the Second World War. It was the last peacetime by-election won by the Liberal Party
until the Torrington by-election, 1958
.
Member of Parliament (MP), the Rt Hon. Sir Francis Dyke Acland, Bt. died.
Acland (7 March 1874 – 9 June 1939), was a member of a family which provided several Liberal MPs during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. He was sworn of the Privy Council in 1915. He was also the 14th Acland Baronet, having inherited the title on his father's death in 1926.
Acland was a junior minister from 1908 until 1910 and again from 1911 until 1916.
Sir Francis Dyke Acland was first elected to Parliament, to represent Richmond (Yorkshire) from 1906 until January 1910 when he was defeated. He returned to Parliament, representing Camborne
from December 1910 until November 1922. He contested Tiverton
in 1922 and was later the MP there between June and December 1923. After contesting Hexham
in May 1929, Acland was first elected for this seat in the North Cornwall by-election, 1932
and retained it until his death.
1. The Liberal Party candidate was Thomas Lewis Horabin
(1896 – 26 April 1956). He was a business consultant.
Tom Horabin won the by-election and retained the seat in the 1945 general election. He was the Liberal Party Chief Whip
from August 1945 until he resigned and left the party in October 1946. He continued to represent North Cornwall until the 1950 general election, first as an Independent and then as a Labour
MP from November 1947. In 1950 Horabin contested Exeter
, but did not return to the House of Commons.
2. The Conservative candidate was E.R. Whitehouse. He had previously contested the seat at the United Kingdom general election, 1935
.
By-election
A by-election is an election held to fill a political office that has become vacant between regularly scheduled elections....
held on 13 July 1939 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 North Cornwall
North Cornwall (UK Parliament constituency)
North Cornwall 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.- Boundaries :...
.
The by-election took place shortly before the start of the Second World War. It was the last peacetime by-election won by 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...
until the Torrington by-election, 1958
Torrington by-election, 1958
The Torrington by-election of 1958, in Devon, England, was the first gain by the British Liberal Party at a by-election since Holland with Boston in 1929....
.
Previous Member of Parliament
The seat had become vacant when the constituency's LiberalLiberal 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 (MP), the Rt Hon. Sir Francis Dyke Acland, Bt. died.
Acland (7 March 1874 – 9 June 1939), was a member of a family which provided several Liberal MPs during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. He was sworn of the Privy Council in 1915. He was also the 14th Acland Baronet, having inherited the title on his father's death in 1926.
Acland was a junior minister from 1908 until 1910 and again from 1911 until 1916.
Sir Francis Dyke Acland was first elected to Parliament, to represent Richmond (Yorkshire) from 1906 until January 1910 when he was defeated. He returned to Parliament, representing Camborne
Camborne (UK Parliament constituency)
Camborne was a county constituency in Cornwall which returned one Member of Parliament to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom...
from December 1910 until November 1922. He contested Tiverton
Tiverton (UK Parliament constituency)
Tiverton was a constituency located in east Devon, formerly represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Enfranchised as a parliamentary borough in 1615 and first represented in 1621, it elected two Members of Parliament by the first past the post system of election...
in 1922 and was later the MP there between June and December 1923. After contesting Hexham
Hexham (UK Parliament constituency)
- Elections in the 2000s :- Elections in the 1990s :- Elections in the 1980s :- Elections in the 1970s :-Notes and references:...
in May 1929, Acland was first elected for this seat in the North Cornwall by-election, 1932
North Cornwall by-election, 1932
The North Cornwall by-election, 1932 was a parliamentary by-election held on 22 July 1932 for the British House of Commons constituency of North Cornwall.- Previous Member of Parliament :...
and retained it until his death.
Candidates
Two candidates were nominated for the by-election. The list below is set out in descending order of the number of votes received at the by-election.1. The Liberal Party candidate was Thomas Lewis Horabin
Tom Horabin
Thomas Lewis Horabin was a British Liberal Party politician who defected to the Labour Party. He sat in the House of Commons from 1939 to 1950.- Early life :Horabin was born in Merthyr Tydfil...
(1896 – 26 April 1956). He was a business consultant.
Tom Horabin won the by-election and retained the seat in the 1945 general election. He was the Liberal Party Chief Whip
Chief Whip
The Chief Whip is a political office in some legislatures assigned to an elected member whose task is to administer the whipping system that ensures that members of the party attend and vote as the party leadership desires.-The Whips Office:...
from August 1945 until he resigned and left the party in October 1946. He continued to represent North Cornwall until the 1950 general election, first as an Independent and then as a Labour
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...
MP from November 1947. In 1950 Horabin contested Exeter
Exeter (UK Parliament constituency)
Exeter is a borough 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....
, but did not return to the House of Commons.
2. The Conservative candidate was E.R. Whitehouse. He had previously contested the seat at the United Kingdom general election, 1935
United Kingdom general election, 1935
The United Kingdom general election held on 14 November 1935 resulted in a large, though reduced, majority for the National Government now led by Conservative Stanley Baldwin. The greatest number of MPs, as before, were Conservative, while the National Liberal vote held steady...
.
Votes
- Note on 1935 result: Change and swing are calculated from the result of the by-election on 22 July 1932.
See also
- North Cornwall by-election, 1932North Cornwall by-election, 1932The North Cornwall by-election, 1932 was a parliamentary by-election held on 22 July 1932 for the British House of Commons constituency of North Cornwall.- Previous Member of Parliament :...
- North Cornwall constituencyNorth Cornwall (UK Parliament constituency)North Cornwall 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.- Boundaries :...
- List of United Kingdom by-elections (1931–1950)
- United Kingdom by-election recordsUnited Kingdom by-election recordsUK by-election records is an annotated list of notable records from UK Parliamentary by-elections. A by-election occurs when a Member of Parliament resigns, dies, or is disqualified or expelled, and an election is held to fill the vacant seat...