Monmouth by-election, 1939
Encyclopedia
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
.
had resigned
his seat on 1 July 1939, having been appointed as Governor of Bengal
. Herbert had held the seat since a by-election in 1934
.
, who had not had previously contested a parliamentary election.
The Labour Party
candidate at the 1935 general election
had been 22-year-old Michael Foot
, who later became Leader of the Labour Party. Foot did not contest the by-election, when the Labour candidate was F.R. Hancock, who had been unsuccessful in Salisbury
at the 1929 general election
and at a by-election in 1931
. He had also been an unsuccessful candidate in Lewes
at the 1931
and 1935 general elections.
, but died five days later.
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 25 July 1939. The by-election was won by the Conservative candidate 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...
.
Vacancy
The Conservative MP John Arthur HerbertJohn Arthur Herbert
Sir John Arthur Herbert GCIE was a Conservative Party politician in the United Kingdom, and a colonial governor.He was commissioned a Second Lieutenant in the British Army in 1919. He was elected as Member of Parliament for Monmouth in Wales at a by-election in 1934. In that year, he was made an...
had resigned
Resignation from the British House of Commons
Members of Parliament sitting in the House of Commons in the United Kingdom are technically forbidden to resign. To circumvent this prohibition, a legal fiction is used...
his seat on 1 July 1939, having been appointed as Governor of Bengal
Governor of Bengal
From 1690, a governor represented the British East India Company in Bengal, which had been granted the right to establish a trading post by the local rulers, the nawabs of Murshidabad, who were nominal vassals of the Mughal emperor in Delhi....
. Herbert had held the seat since a by-election in 1934
Monmouth by-election, 1934
The 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 :...
.
Candidates
The Conservative candidate was 55-year-old 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...
, who had not had previously contested a parliamentary election.
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 at the 1935 general election
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...
had been 22-year-old Michael Foot
Michael Foot
Michael Mackintosh Foot, FRSL, PC was a British Labour Party politician, journalist and author, who was a Member of Parliament from 1945 to 1955 and from 1960 until 1992...
, who later became Leader of the Labour Party. Foot did not contest the by-election, when the Labour candidate was F.R. Hancock, who had been unsuccessful in Salisbury
Salisbury (UK Parliament constituency)
Salisbury is a county constituency centred on the city of Salisbury in Wiltshire. It elects one Member of Parliament to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, by the first past the post voting system....
at the 1929 general election
United Kingdom general election, 1929
-Seats summary:-References:*F. W. S. Craig, British Electoral Facts: 1832-1987*-External links:***...
and at a by-election in 1931
Salisbury by-election, 1931
The Salisbury by-election, 1931 was a by-election held for the British House of Commons constituency of Salisbury in Wiltshire on 11 March 1931...
. He had also been an unsuccessful candidate in Lewes
Lewes (UK Parliament constituency)
Lewes is a constituency located in East Sussex and centred on the town of Lewes. It is represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It was a safe Conservative seat until 1997, but the Liberal Democrats have gained a strong foothold.-Boundaries:The constituency is...
at the 1931
United Kingdom general election, 1931
The United Kingdom general election on Tuesday 27 October 1931 was the last in the United Kingdom not held on a Thursday. It was also the last election, and the only one under universal suffrage, where one party received an absolute majority of the votes cast.The 1931 general election was the...
and 1935 general elections.
Result
On a slightly reduced turnout, Pym held the seat for the Conservatives, with a reduced but still large majority of 5,815. He was re-elected at the 1945 general electionUnited 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 died five days later.
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, 1945Monmouth by-election, 1945The Monmouth by-election, 1945 was a by-election held for the British House of Commons constituency of Monmouth in Wales on 30 October 1945...
- 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)