Dulwich by-election, 1932
Encyclopedia
The Dulwich by-election, 1932 was a by-election
held on 8 June 1932 for the British House of Commons
constituency
of Dulwich
in South London
.
The by-election was triggered by the death of the serving Conservative Party
Member of Parliament
(MP), Sir Frederick Hall
.
The Conservative and National
candidate was Bracewell Smith
, Mayor of Holborn and a member of London County Council. The Labour candidate was Helen Bentwich
, a trade unionist. She was a niece of the Home Secretary
, Sir Herbert Samuel
, and had recently returned from Palestine where her husband, Norman Bentwich
, had been Attorney-General. The Liberal
candidate was Dr C. R. Cooke-Taylor
, a medical practitioner who was running in the constituency for the seventh time.
The former Conservative member had had a large majority and the seat was considered a safe seat for the party. The major issues were the stringent financial policies of the National Government
, and for the Liberal candidate, opposition to protectionism
.
The result was much as expected, with turnout around two-thirds of what it had been in the previous year's general election. The Conservative candidate's majority was slashed in half, but the Liberal candidate slightly increased his vote, pushing Labour into third place.
By-election
A by-election is an election held to fill a political office that has become vacant between regularly scheduled elections....
held on 8 June 1932 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 Dulwich
Dulwich (UK Parliament constituency)
Dulwich was a borough constituency in the Dulwich area of South London, which returned one Member of Parliament to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom....
in South London
South London
South London is the southern part of London, England, United Kingdom.According to the 2011 official Boundary Commission for England definition, South London includes the London boroughs of Bexley, Bromley, Croydon, Greenwich, Kingston, Lambeth, Lewisham, Merton, Southwark, Sutton and...
.
The by-election was triggered by the death of the serving Conservative Party
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,...
(MP), Sir Frederick Hall
Sir Frederick Hall, 1st Baronet
Lieutenant-Colonel Sir Frederick Hall was a British businessman and politician.He was educated privately and became a member of Lloyd's of London in 1896 and the Baltic Exchange in 1902. He was a member of the Committee of Lloyd's from 1921 to 1923...
.
The Conservative and National
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...
candidate was Bracewell Smith
Bracewell Smith
Sir Bracewell Smith, Bt was a British businessman and Conservative Party politician.-Biography:Born in Keighley, Yorkshire, he attended Wesley Place Primary School in the town. He started as a pupil teacher and attended Leeds University before entering business...
, Mayor of Holborn and a member of London County Council. The Labour candidate was Helen Bentwich
Helen Bentwich
Helen Caroline Bentwich CBE was a British social worker and politician.-Biography:Helen Franklin was born in Notting Hill, London, into a prominent Jewish family. Her father was a merchant banker and her uncles Herbert and Stuart Samuel were leading politicians...
, a trade unionist. She was a niece of the Home Secretary
Home Secretary
The Secretary of State for the Home Department, commonly known as the Home Secretary, is the minister in charge of the Home Office of the United Kingdom, and one of the country's four Great Offices of State...
, Sir Herbert Samuel
Herbert Samuel, 1st Viscount Samuel
Herbert Louis Samuel, 1st Viscount Samuel GCB OM GBE PC was a British politician and diplomat.-Early years:...
, and had recently returned from Palestine where her husband, Norman Bentwich
Norman Bentwich
Norman De Mattos Bentwich OBE MC was a British barrister and legal academic who served as Legal Secretary and the first Attorney-General of Mandatory Palestine from 1918 to 1931. A lifelong Zionist, Bentwich was close to the moderate wing of the movement...
, had been Attorney-General. The Liberal
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 Dr C. R. Cooke-Taylor
C. R. Cooke-Taylor
Charles Ralph Cooke-Taylor, OBE was a British psychiatrist and politician.Born in 1883, he was the son of author and factory inspector Whateley Cooke-Taylor and the grandson of the author William Cooke Taylor; both known for their writings on the factory system.William Cooke Taylor, 1842 Notes of...
, a medical practitioner who was running in the constituency for the seventh time.
The former Conservative member had had a large majority and the seat was considered a safe seat for the party. The major issues were the stringent financial policies of the National Government
UK National Government
In the United Kingdom the term National Government is an abstract concept referring to a coalition of some or all major political parties. In a historical sense it usually refers primarily to the governments of Ramsay MacDonald, Stanley Baldwin and Neville Chamberlain which held office from 1931...
, and for the Liberal candidate, opposition to protectionism
Protectionism
Protectionism is the economic policy of restraining trade between states through methods such as tariffs on imported goods, restrictive quotas, and a variety of other government regulations designed to allow "fair competition" between imports and goods and services produced domestically.This...
.
The result was much as expected, with turnout around two-thirds of what it had been in the previous year's general election. The Conservative candidate's majority was slashed in half, but the Liberal candidate slightly increased his vote, pushing Labour into third place.
Votes
See also
- List of United Kingdom by-elections
- Dulwich constituencyDulwich (UK Parliament constituency)Dulwich was a borough constituency in the Dulwich area of South London, which returned one Member of Parliament to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom....