Orkney and Shetland by-election, 1921
Encyclopedia
The Orkney and Shetland
by-election, 1921 was a parliamentary by-election
held for the British House of Commons
constituency of Orkney and Shetland
on 17 May 1921.
MP, Cathcart Wason
. Wason had represented Orkney and Shetland since the 1900 general election
. At the 1918 general election
he had been returned unopposed, having been awarded the Coalition coupon
.
, an ex-chief magistrate of Leith
and a native of Shetland with large commercial interests in the islands. The Unionists
did not seek to oppose their Coalition allies, although there was a strong expectation that the Independent Liberals would put up a candidate. There was no Labour Party
tradition in the seat at that time. The Asquithian Liberals selected Sir Robert Hamilton
, a judge in the East Africa Protectorate
, as their candidate but he withdrew his candidature.
when he did face a challenge from Hamilton who emerged the winner by a majority of 625 votes.
Northern Isles
The Northern Isles is a chain of islands off the north coast of mainland Scotland. The climate is cool and temperate and much influenced by the surrounding seas. There are two main island groups: Shetland and Orkney...
by-election, 1921 was a parliamentary by-election
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 Orkney and Shetland
Orkney and Shetland (UK Parliament constituency)
Orkney and Shetland is a 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 system of election...
on 17 May 1921.
Vacancy
The by-election was caused by the death in London on 19 April 1921 of the sitting Coalition 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, Cathcart Wason
Cathcart Wason
Cathcart Wason , generally known as Cathcart Wason, was a Scottish farmer and politician who served as a Member of Parliament in two countries: first in New Zealand and then in Scotland, after the failure of his colonial ventures...
. Wason had represented Orkney and Shetland since the 1900 general election
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**...
. At the 1918 general election
United Kingdom general election, 1918
The United Kingdom general election of 1918 was the first to be held after the Representation of the People Act 1918, which meant it was the first United Kingdom general election in which nearly all adult men and some women could vote. Polling was held on 14 December 1918, although the count did...
he had been returned unopposed, having been awarded the Coalition coupon
Coalition Coupon
The ‘Coalition Coupon’, often referred to as ‘the coupon’, refers to the letter sent to parliamentary candidates at the United Kingdom general election, 1918 endorsing them as official representatives of the Coalition Government. The 1918 election took place in the heady atmosphere of victory in...
.
Candidates
The Coalition Liberals selected Sir Malcolm SmithMalcolm Smith (Scottish politician)
Sir Malcolm Smith was a Scottish Liberal Party politician.Smith was born and brought up in a crofting family in Shetland but moved to the port of Leith as a young man...
, an ex-chief magistrate of Leith
Leith
-South Leith v. North Leith:Up until the late 16th century Leith , comprised two separate towns on either side of the river....
and a native of Shetland with large commercial interests in the islands. 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...
did not seek to oppose their Coalition allies, although there was a strong expectation that the Independent Liberals would put up a candidate. There was no 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...
tradition in the seat at that time. The Asquithian Liberals selected Sir Robert Hamilton
Robert William Hamilton
Sir Robert William Hamilton was a Scottish Liberal Party politician.Hamilton was Principal Judge and Chief Justice of the East Africa Protectorate from 1905 to 1920 and was Chairman of the Civil Service Commission in 1918....
, a judge in the East Africa Protectorate
East Africa Protectorate
East Africa Protectorate was an area of East Africa occupying roughly the same terrain as present-day Kenya from the Indian Ocean inland to Uganda and the Great Rift Valley...
, as their candidate but he withdrew his candidature.
Result
The field having been left free for Smith by the other parties, he was returned unopposed. However, Smith held the seat only until the 1922 general electionUnited 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...
when he did face a challenge from Hamilton who emerged the winner by a majority of 625 votes.
Votes
See also
- 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...