Salisbury by-election, 1931
Encyclopedia
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. The seat had become vacant on the resignation
of the sitting Conservative
Member of Parliament
Hugh Morrison
, and the by-election was won by the Conservative candidate James Despencer-Robertson
.
had first won the seat at the 1918 general election
and had held it until 1923
before regaining it the following year. He resigned his seat on 16 February 1931, and died on 15 March 1931, aged 62.
, who had previously been the member for Islington West
, serving from the 1922 general election
until his defeat at the 1923 general election
.
The Liberal Party
candidate was Mrs L. B. Masterman, who had been the second-placed candidate for Salisbury at the 1929 general election
. The Labour Party
fielded Mr. F. R. Hancock, who had been placed third in 1929.
Masterman did not stand for Parliament again, but Hancock stood again three times, without success: in Lewes
at the 1931
and 1935 general election
s, and at the Monmouth by-election, 1939
.
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 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....
in Wiltshire
Wiltshire
Wiltshire is a ceremonial county in South West England. It is landlocked and borders the counties of Dorset, Somerset, Hampshire, Gloucestershire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire. It contains the unitary authority of Swindon and covers...
on 11 March 1931. The seat had become vacant on the resignation
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...
of the sitting 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...
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,...
Hugh Morrison
Hugh Morrison (UK politician)
Hugh Morrison was a British Conservative Party politician.He was elected as Member of Parliament for Wilton at a by-election in November 1918, holding the seat for a few weeks until it was abolished for the 1918 general election...
, and the by-election was won by the Conservative candidate James Despencer-Robertson
James Despencer-Robertson
Lieutenant-Colonel James Archibald St George Fitzwarenne-Despencer Robertson OBE , born James Archibald St George Robertson, was a Conservative Party politician in the United Kingdom....
.
Vacancy
The outgoing Conservative member Hugh MorrisonHugh Morrison (UK politician)
Hugh Morrison was a British Conservative Party politician.He was elected as Member of Parliament for Wilton at a by-election in November 1918, holding the seat for a few weeks until it was abolished for the 1918 general election...
had first won the seat 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...
and had held it until 1923
United Kingdom general election, 1923
-Seats summary:-References:*F. W. S. Craig, British Electoral Facts: 1832-1987*-External links:***...
before regaining it the following year. He resigned his seat on 16 February 1931, and died on 15 March 1931, aged 62.
Candidates
The Conservative candidate was 44-year-old James Despencer-RobertsonJames Despencer-Robertson
Lieutenant-Colonel James Archibald St George Fitzwarenne-Despencer Robertson OBE , born James Archibald St George Robertson, was a Conservative Party politician in the United Kingdom....
, who had previously been the member for Islington West
Islington West (UK Parliament constituency)
Islington West was a borough constituency in the Metropolitan Borough of Islington, in North London.It returned one Member of Parliament to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1885 until it was abolished for the 1950 general election...
, serving from 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...
until his defeat at the 1923 general election
United Kingdom general election, 1923
-Seats summary:-References:*F. W. S. Craig, British Electoral Facts: 1832-1987*-External links:***...
.
The Liberal Party
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 was Mrs L. B. Masterman, who had been the second-placed candidate for Salisbury at the 1929 general election
United Kingdom general election, 1929
-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...
fielded Mr. F. R. Hancock, who had been placed third in 1929.
Result
On a reduced turnout, Despencer-Robertson held the seat for the Conservatives, with a significntly-increased majority of 6,213. He held the seat until his death in 1942.Masterman did not stand for Parliament again, but Hancock stood again three times, without success: 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 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...
s, and at the Monmouth by-election, 1939
Monmouth by-election, 1939
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.- Vacancy :...
.
Votes
See also
- Salisbury (UK Parliament constituency)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....
- SalisburySalisburySalisbury is a cathedral city in Wiltshire, England and the only city in the county. It is the second largest settlement in the county...
- Salisbury by-election, 1942Salisbury by-election, 1942The Salisbury by-election, 1942 was a by-election held for the British House of Commons constituency of Salisbury in Wiltshire on 8 July 1942. It was won by the Conservative Party candidate John Morrison, later Baron Margadale.- Vacancy :...
- Salisbury by-election, 1965Salisbury by-election, 1965The Salisbury by-election, 1965 was a by-election held for the British House of Commons constituency of Salisbury in Wiltshire on 4 February 1965. It was won by the Conservative Party candidate Michael Hamilton.- Vacancy :...
- List of United Kingdom by-elections