Oxford by-election, 1924
Encyclopedia
The Oxford by-election, 1924 was a parliamentary by-election
held on 5 June 1924 for the British House of Commons constituency
of Oxford
. The seat had become vacant when the Liberal
Member of Parliament
(MP) Frank Gray
had been unseated on petition, after his agent had falsified the account for his expenses at the 1923 election
. Gray had held the seat since the 1922 election
.
selected the 35-year-old Robert Croft Bourne
, who had been a member of the New College
boat which won silver in the men’s eights
at the 1912 Olympics
.
The Liberal Party selected the 52-year-old C.B. Fry, the all-round sport
sman. Fry had contested Brighton
in the 1922 election
and Banbury
in the 1923 election
.
The Labour Party
selected the 26-year-old Kenneth Lindsay
, recently down from Worcester
and contesting his first Parliamentary election. He had been President of the Oxford Union
in Michaelmas
1922.
.
By-election
A by-election is an election held to fill a political office that has become vacant between regularly scheduled elections....
held on 5 June 1924 for the British House of Commons 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 Oxford
Oxford (UK Parliament constituency)
Oxford was a parliamentary constituency in the United Kingdom. It comprised the city of Oxford in the county of Oxfordshire, and elected two Members of Parliament from its creation in 1295 until 1881...
. The seat had become vacant when the 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...
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) Frank Gray
Frank Gray (politician)
Frank Gray was a British politician. He served as a Liberal Member of Parliament for Oxford from 1922 to 1924....
had been unseated on petition, after his agent had falsified the account for his expenses at the 1923 election
United Kingdom general election, 1923
-Seats summary:-References:*F. W. S. Craig, British Electoral Facts: 1832-1987*-External links:***...
. Gray had held the seat since the 1922 election
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...
.
Candidates
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...
selected the 35-year-old Robert Croft Bourne
Robert Bourne (rower)
Robert Croft Bourne was a British rower who competed in the 1912 Summer Olympics, and a Conservative Party politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1924 to 1938....
, who had been a member of the New College
New College, Oxford
New College is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom.- Overview :The College's official name, College of St Mary, is the same as that of the older Oriel College; hence, it has been referred to as the "New College of St Mary", and is now almost always...
boat which won silver in the men’s eights
Rowing at the 1912 Summer Olympics - Men's eights
The men's eights was a rowing event held as part of the Rowing at the 1912 Summer Olympics programme. It was the fourth appearance of the event...
at the 1912 Olympics
1912 Summer Olympics
The 1912 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the V Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event held in Stockholm, Sweden, between 5 May and 27 July 1912. Twenty-eight nations and 2,407 competitors, including 48 women, competed in 102 events in 14 sports...
.
The Liberal Party selected the 52-year-old C.B. Fry, the all-round sport
Sport
A Sport is all forms of physical activity which, through casual or organised participation, aim to use, maintain or improve physical fitness and provide entertainment to participants. Sport may be competitive, where a winner or winners can be identified by objective means, and may require a degree...
sman. Fry had contested Brighton
Brighton (UK Parliament constituency)
Brighton was a parliamentary constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1832 until it was divided into single-member seats from the United Kingdom general election, 1950...
in the 1922 election
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...
and Banbury
Banbury (UK Parliament constituency)
Banbury is a constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It is a strongly Conservative seat.The constituency was created January 26, 1554 through the efforts of Henry Stafford and Thomas Denton...
in the 1923 election
United Kingdom general election, 1923
-Seats summary:-References:*F. W. S. Craig, British Electoral Facts: 1832-1987*-External links:***...
.
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...
selected the 26-year-old Kenneth Lindsay
Kenneth Lindsay
Kenneth Martin Lindsay was a Labour Party politician on the United Kingdom who joined the breakaway National Labour group....
, recently down from Worcester
Worcester College, Oxford
Worcester College is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England. The college was founded in the eighteenth century, but its predecessor on the same site had been an institution of learning since the late thirteenth century...
and contesting his first Parliamentary election. He had been President of the Oxford Union
Oxford Union
The Oxford Union Society, commonly referred to simply as the Oxford Union, is a debating society in the city of Oxford, Britain, whose membership is drawn primarily but not exclusively from the University of Oxford...
in Michaelmas
Michaelmas term
Michaelmas term is the first academic term of the academic years of the following British and Irish universities:*University of Cambridge*University of Oxford*University of St...
1922.
Result
The result was a gain for the Conservatives. Bourne would hold the seat until his death in 1938, which precipitated another by-electionOxford by-election, 1938
The Oxford by-election, 1938 was a parliamentary by-election for the British House of Commons constituency of Oxford, held on October 27, 1938. The by-election was triggered when Robert Croft Bourne, the sitting Conservative Member of Parliament died on August 7, 1938...
.