1925 Galloway by-election
The Galloway by-election, 1925 was a by-election held for the British House of Commons constituency of Galloway in Scotland on 17 November 1925. The by-election was won by the Unionist Party candidate Sidney Streatfeild.
Vacancy[]
The Unionist MP Vice-Admiral Sir Arthur Henniker-Hughan had died on 4 October 1925. He had held the seat since gaining it from the Liberals at the 1924 general election;
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Unionist | Arthur Henniker-Hughan | 12,268 | 53.1 | ||
Liberal | Cecil Dudgeon | 10,852 | 46.9 | ||
Majority | 1,416 | 6.2 | N/A | ||
Turnout | 23,120 | 76.8 | |||
Unionist gain from Liberal | Swing | N/A |
History[]
The constituency was created for the 1918 general election, at which a Coalition Government supporting, couponed, sitting Liberal MP was returned unopposed. At the following General Election in 1922, after the Coalition Government had ended, a Liberal beat a Unionist and in 1923, the sitting Liberal was returned unopposed.
Candidates[]
The Unionist candidate was 31-year-old company director, Captain Sidney Streatfeild, who had previously contested the City of Durham constituency at the 1924 general election.
The Liberal Party candidate was 40-year-old local farmer, Major Cecil Dudgeon, (Portrait)[1] who had held the seat from 1922 until his defeat in 1924 by Henniker-Hughan.
The Labour Party, which had never before contested the constituency, decided to intervene and fielded as candidate, John Mitchell.
Campaign[]
Polling Day was fixed for 17 November 1925, 43 days after the death of the previous member, allowing for a long campaign.
Result[]
On an increased turnout, Streatfeild held the seat for the Unionists, with a reduced majority of 928 votes. The Labour candidate finished third, splitting the anti-Unionist vote enough to deny the Liberal victory;
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Unionist | Sidney Streatfeild | 10,846 | 43.5 | −9.6 | |
Liberal | Cecil Dudgeon | 9,918 | 39.7 | −9.2 | |
Labour | John Mitchell | 4,207 | 16.8 | New | |
Majority | 928 | 3.8 | −2.4 | ||
Turnout | 24,971 | 83.3 | +6.5 | ||
Unionist hold | Swing | − |
Aftermath[]
At the following General Election in 1929, Dudgeon gained the seat for the Liberals;
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Liberal | Cecil Dudgeon | 13,461 | 42.4 | +2.7 | |
Unionist | Sidney Streatfeild | 13,360 | 42.1 | -1.4 | |
Labour | Hector McNeill | 4,903 | 15.5 | -1.3 | |
Majority | 101 | 0.3 | N/A | ||
Turnout | 31,724 | 80.1 | -3.2 | ||
Liberal gain from Unionist | Swing | +2.1 |
See also[]
Notes[]
- ^ The Times, 1 June 1929
References[]
- Craig, F. W. S. (1983) [1969]. British parliamentary election results 1918–1949 (3rd ed.). Chichester: Parliamentary Research Services. ISBN 0-900178-06-X.
- Leigh Rayment's Peerage Pages [self-published source][better source needed]
- By-elections to the Parliament of the United Kingdom in Scottish constituencies
- 1925 in Scotland
- 1920s elections in Scotland
- 1925 elections in the United Kingdom
- Politics of Dumfries and Galloway
- History of Galloway
- November 1925 events