1905 Elgin Burghs by-election
The Elgin Burghs by-election was a Parliamentary by-election held on 8 September 1905.[1] The constituency returned one Member of Parliament (MP) to the House of Commons of the United Kingdom, elected by the first past the post voting system.
Vacancy[edit]
Alexander Asher had been Liberal MP for the seat of Elgin Burghs since the 1881 Elgin Burghs by-election. He died on 5 August 1905, causing a by-election.[2]
Electoral history[edit]
The seat had been Liberal since the party was founded in 1859. They easily held the seat at the last election, with a comfortable majority;
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Liberal | Alexander Asher | 1,744 | 59.5 | -2.0 | |
| Conservative | John Moffat | 1,187 | 40.5 | +2.0 | |
| Majority | 557 | 19.0 | -4.0 | ||
| Turnout | 2,931 | 64.6 | -3.3 | ||
| Liberal hold | Swing | ||||
Candidates[edit]
- On 17 August the local Liberal Association selected 51-year-old John Sutherland as their candidate to defend the seat.[4] He had not stood for Parliament before. He was born in nearby Lossiemouth.[5] He was educated at Aberdeen University.[6] He was a partner in the firm of J & P Sutherland, fish curers of Portsoy.[7]
- The local Conservative Association selected 52-year-old Patrick Rose-Innes as their candidate to gain the seat.[8] He also had not stood for Parliament before. He was born in Aberdeenshire and educated at Aberdeen University. He had been a barrister since 1878.[9]
Campaign[edit]
Polling day was fixed for 8 September 1905, 34 days after the death of the previous MP.
Result[edit]
There was a large swing of over 11% to the Liberals who comfortably held the seat:
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Liberal | John Sutherland | 2,474 | 70.8 | +11.3 | |
| Conservative | Patrick Rose-Innes | 1,021 | 29.2 | -11.3 | |
| Majority | 1,458 | 41.6 | +22.6 | ||
| Turnout | 3,495 | 73.6 | +9.0 | ||
| Liberal hold | Swing | +11.3 | |||
The result was the biggest victory that the Liberals had ever had in the constituency.
Aftermath[edit]
Sutherland was re-elected at the following General Election. The result was:
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Liberal | John Sutherland | 2,742 | 77.7 | +6.9 | |
| Conservative | E.N.B. Mackenzie | 786 | 22.3 | -6.9 | |
| Majority | 1,956 | 55.4 | +13.8 | ||
| Turnout | 3,528 | 72.5 | -1.1 | ||
| Liberal hold | Swing | +6.9 | |||
Rose-Innes was not his opponent and instead contested West Lothian in 1906, the 1907 Jarrow by-election and Middleton in 1910 without success. Sutherland remained as the MP until his death in 1918.
References[edit]
- ^ Craig, F.W.S. (1987). Chronology of British Parliamentary By-elections 1833–1987. Chichester: Parliamentary Research Services. p. 99.
- ^ 'ASHER, Alexander', Who Was Who, A & C Black, an imprint of Bloomsbury Publishing plc, 1920–2014; online edn, Oxford University Press, April 2014 accessed 13 May 2014
- ^ Debrett's House of Commons and the Judicial Bench, 1901
- ^ "Election Intelligence." The Times. London, England. 18 August 1905. p. 5. The Times Digital Archive. Web. 13 May 2014.
- ^ The Times, 19 August 1918
- ^ The Times, House of Commons, 1910; Politico's Publishing 2004, p. 94
- ^ The Times, 19 August 1918
- ^ "News in Brief." Times [London, England] 8 Aug. 1905: 8. The Times Digital Archive. Web. 13 May 2014.
- ^ 'ROSE-INNES, His Honour Sir Patrick', Who Was Who, A & C Black, an imprint of Bloomsbury Publishing plc, 1920–2014; online edn, Oxford University Press, 2014 ; online edn, April 2014 accessed 13 May 2014
- ^ The Times, 11 September 1905, p. 4
- ^ Whitaker's Almanack, 1907