Ripon by-election, 1925
Encyclopedia
The Ripon by-election, 1925 was a parliamentary by-election
held on 5 December 1925 for the British House of Commons
constituency
of Ripon
.
The by-election was a consequence of the sitting MP Edward Wood (later the 1st Earl of Halifax
) being elevated to the peerage as Baron Irwin in order to serve as Viceroy of India. Wood had served Ripon as a Conservative
since 1910.
, who had represented the City of Durham until he was defeated by the Labour candidate in the 1922 General Election
. He was opposed in the by-election by the Liberal
candidate John Murray
, another former MP who had lost his seat to Labour in the 1923 General Election
in Leeds West
; Murray had subsequently fought unsuccessfully in the Kirkcaldy District of Burghs
constituency in the 1924 General Election
. There was no Labour
candidate.
Hills was to remain MP for Ripon until his death in 1939.
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 December 1925 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 Ripon
Ripon (UK Parliament constituency)
Ripon was a constituency sending members to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom until 1983, centred on the city of Ripon in North Yorkshire.-History:...
.
The by-election was a consequence of the sitting MP Edward Wood (later the 1st Earl of Halifax
E. F. L. Wood, 1st Earl of Halifax
Edward Frederick Lindley Wood, 1st Earl of Halifax, , known as The Lord Irwin from 1925 until 1934 and as The Viscount Halifax from 1934 until 1944, was one of the most senior British Conservative politicians of the 1930s, during which he held several senior ministerial posts, most notably as...
) being elevated to the peerage as Baron Irwin in order to serve as Viceroy of India. Wood had served Ripon as a 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...
since 1910.
Candidates
Two candidates were nominated. The winning candidate was the Conservatives' John Waller HillsJohn Waller Hills
John Waller Hills PC DCL was a British Conservative politician.The second son of Herbert Augustus and Anna Hills of High Head Castle, Cumberland, Hills was educated at Eton and Balliol College, Oxford....
, who had represented the City of Durham until he was defeated by the Labour candidate in the 1922 General 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...
. He was opposed in the by-election by 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...
candidate John Murray
John Murray (MP for Leeds West)
John Murray was a Scottish civil servant, university administrator and Liberal Party politician.-Family and education:...
, another former MP who had lost his seat to Labour in the 1923 General Election
United Kingdom general election, 1923
-Seats summary:-References:*F. W. S. Craig, British Electoral Facts: 1832-1987*-External links:***...
in Leeds West
Leeds West (UK Parliament constituency)
Leeds West is a borough constituency in the city of Leeds, West Yorkshire which is represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom...
; Murray had subsequently fought unsuccessfully in the Kirkcaldy District of Burghs
Kirkcaldy Burghs (UK Parliament constituency)
Kirkcaldy Burghs was a burgh constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1832 to 1974. It elected one Member of Parliament by the first-past-the-post voting system...
constituency in the 1924 General Election
United Kingdom general election, 1924
- Seats summary :- References :* F. W. S. Craig, British Electoral Facts: 1832-1987* - External links :* * *...
. There was no 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...
candidate.
Hills was to remain MP for Ripon until his death in 1939.