1909 Edinburgh East by-election
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The Edinburgh East by-election was a Parliamentary by-election. It 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[]
Sir George McCrae had been Liberal MP for the seat of Edinburgh East since the 1899 Edinburgh East by-election. He resigned from the House of Commons to take up a position in Scottish government service, accepting the appointment of Vice-President of the Scottish Local Government Board.[1]
Electoral history[]
The seat had been won by a Liberal at every election since it was created in 1885. They easily held the seat at the last election, with an increased majority;
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Liberal | George McCrae | 6,606 | 73.1 | +14.6 | |
Liberal Unionist | Rankin Dawson | 2,432 | 26.9 | −14.6 | |
Majority | 4,174 | 46.2 | +29.2 | ||
Turnout | 9,038 | 78.1 | +8.9 | ||
Registered electors | 11,572 | ||||
Liberal hold | Swing | +14.6 |
Candidates[]
The local Liberal Association selected 60-year-old James Gibson to defend the seat. He had been Lord Provost, of Edinburgh since 1906. The Conservatives selected 29-year-old Patrick Ford as their candidate.
Campaign[]
Polling Day was fixed for 16 April 1909.
Result[]
The Liberal majority was only a ninth of their 1906 result. This was generally ascribed to the loss of the Roman Catholic vote because of the failure to settle the education question.;[4]
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/7/7a/Sir_James_Gibson.jpg/120px-Sir_James_Gibson.jpg)
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Liberal | James Gibson | 4,527 | 52.7 | −20.4 | |
Liberal Unionist | Patrick Ford | 4,069 | 47.3 | +20.4 | |
Majority | 458 | 5.4 | −40.8 | ||
Turnout | 8,596 | 73.4 | −4.7 | ||
Registered electors | 11, | ||||
Liberal hold | Swing | −20.4 |
Aftermath[]
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Liberal | James Gibson | 6,760 | 61.3 | +8.6 | |
Liberal Unionist | Patrick Ford | 4,273 | 38.7 | -8.6 | |
Majority | 2,487 | 22.6 | +17.2 | ||
Turnout | 11,033 | 88.0 | +14.6 | ||
Registered electors | 12,544 | ||||
Liberal hold | Swing | +8.6 |
References[]
- ^ Edmund Burke, The Annual Register of World Events: A Review of the Year; Longmans, Green, 1910
- ^ Whitaker's Almanack, 1907
- ^ a b Craig, FWS, ed. (1974). British Parliamentary Election Results: 1885-1918. London: Macmillan Press. ISBN 9781349022984.
- ^ A Liberal Chronicle: Journals and Papers of J.A. Pease
- 1909 in Scotland
- 1900s elections in Scotland
- 1909 elections in the United Kingdom
- April 1909 events
- By-elections to the Parliament of the United Kingdom in Edinburgh constituencies
- 1900s in Edinburgh