South Shields by-election, 1918
Encyclopedia
The South Shields by-election, 1918 was a parliamentary by-election
held for the British House of Commons
constituency of South Shields
on 28 October 1918.
MP Cecil Cochrane. Cochrane had held the seat since himself winning it in a by-election on 18 March 1916
.
a former trade union
official who had previously been MP for Middlesbrough
from 1892
– 1900
and from 1906
–January 1910.
The Labour Party
had earlier selected Mr George Rowe of the Boilermakers’ Society as their candidate but in the end decided not to contest the seat. Part of the reason for this might have been Havelock Wilson’s long connection with the trade union movement and his decision to describe himself as Coalition Liberal and Trade Union candidate.
With the exception of the December 1910 general election when Russell Rea was returned unopposed for the Liberals, all recent elections had been contested by the Unionists
. That they chose not to do so in the by-election was presumably because Havelock Wilson was nominated as the candidate of the Coalition government
of David Lloyd George
in which the Conservative Party participated.
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 of South Shields
South Shields (UK Parliament constituency)
South Shields 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.-Boundaries:...
on 28 October 1918.
Vacancy
The by-election was caused by the resignation of the sitting 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...
MP Cecil Cochrane. Cochrane had held the seat since himself winning it in a by-election on 18 March 1916
South Shields by-election, 1916
The South Shields by-election, 1916 was a parliamentary by-election held for the House of Commons constituency of South Shields on 18 March 1916. -Vacancy:...
.
Candidates
The only candidate nominated was the Liberal Joseph Havelock WilsonJoseph Havelock Wilson
Joseph Havelock Wilson was a trade union leader, Liberal Party politician, and campaigner for the rights of merchant seamen....
a former trade union
Trade union
A trade union, trades union or labor union is an organization of workers that have banded together to achieve common goals such as better working conditions. The trade union, through its leadership, bargains with the employer on behalf of union members and negotiates labour contracts with...
official who had previously been MP for Middlesbrough
Middlesbrough (UK Parliament constituency)
Middlesbrough 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.- Boundaries :...
from 1892
United Kingdom general election, 1892
The 1892 United Kingdom general election was held from 4 July to 26 July 1892. It saw the Conservatives, led by Lord Salisbury, win the greatest number of seats, but not enough for an overall majority as William Ewart Gladstone's Liberals won many more seats than in the 1886 general election...
– 1900
United Kingdom general election, 1900
-Seats summary:-See also:*MPs elected in the United Kingdom general election, 1900*The Parliamentary Franchise in the United Kingdom 1885-1918-External links:***-References:*F. W. S. Craig, British Electoral Facts: 1832-1987**...
and from 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**...
–January 1910.
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...
had earlier selected Mr George Rowe of the Boilermakers’ Society as their candidate but in the end decided not to contest the seat. Part of the reason for this might have been Havelock Wilson’s long connection with the trade union movement and his decision to describe himself as Coalition Liberal and Trade Union candidate.
With the exception of the December 1910 general election when Russell Rea was returned unopposed for the Liberals, all recent elections had been contested by the Unionists
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...
. That they chose not to do so in the by-election was presumably because Havelock Wilson was nominated as the candidate of the Coalition government
Coalition Government 1916-1922
The Coalition Government of David Lloyd George came to power in the United Kingdom in December 1916, replacing the earlier wartime coalition under H.H. Asquith, which had been held responsible for reverses during the Great War. Those Liberals who continued to support Asquith served as the Opposition...
of David Lloyd George
David Lloyd George
David Lloyd George, 1st Earl Lloyd-George of Dwyfor OM, PC was a British Liberal politician and statesman...
in which the Conservative Party participated.
The result
Havelock Wilson was returned unopposed.See also
- South Shields by-election, 1916South Shields by-election, 1916The South Shields by-election, 1916 was a parliamentary by-election held for the House of Commons constituency of South Shields on 18 March 1916. -Vacancy:...
- List of United Kingdom by-elections
- 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...