Dundee by-election, 1924
Encyclopedia
The Dundee by-election, 1924 was a by-election
held on 22 December 1924 for the British House of Commons
constituency
of Dundee
in Scotland
. The by-election was won by the Labour Party
candidate Thomas Johnston
.
MP E. D. Morel
had died on 25 November 1924, aged 51. Morel had held the seat since the 1922 general election
, when he had famously defeated Winston Churchill
.
.
The Labour candidate was 42-year-old Thomas Johnston
, who had been MP for Stirling and Clackmannan Western from 1922 to 1924. His only opponent was the Liberal
candidate Ernest Simon, an English industrialist who had been MP for Manchester Withington
from 1923
.
, when he was re-elected for his old constituency of Stirling and Clackmannan Western, and went on to become Secretary of State for Scotland
from 1931 to 1945.
Simon was re-elected in 1929 for his old Withington seat, but lost it in 1931, and did not return to Parliament. He later joined the Labour Party, and in 1947 he was ennobled and appointed Chairman of the Board of Governors of the BBC
.
By-election
A by-election is an election held to fill a political office that has become vacant between regularly scheduled elections....
held on 22 December 1924 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 Dundee
Dundee (UK Parliament constituency)
Dundee was a constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1832 to 1950, when it was split into Dundee East and Dundee West....
in Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
. The by-election was won by 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...
candidate Thomas Johnston
Thomas Johnston
Thomas "Tom" Johnston CH was a prominent Scottish socialist and politician of the early 20th century, a member of the Labour Party, a Member of Parliament and government minister – usually with Cabinet responsibility for Scottish affairs.-Red Clydesider:Johnston, the son of a middle-class...
.
Vacancy
The Labour PartyLabour 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...
MP E. D. Morel
E. D. Morel
Edmund Dene Morel, originally Georges Eduard Pierre Achille Morel de Ville was a British journalist, author and socialist politician. In collaboration with Roger Casement, the Congo Reform Association and others, Morel, in newspapers such as his West African Mail, led a campaign against slavery...
had died on 25 November 1924, aged 51. Morel had held the seat since 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...
, when he had famously defeated Winston Churchill
Winston Churchill
Sir Winston Leonard Spencer-Churchill, was a predominantly Conservative British politician and statesman known for his leadership of the United Kingdom during the Second World War. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest wartime leaders of the century and served as Prime Minister twice...
.
Candidates
The by-election was contested by only two candidates, both of who were MPs who had been defeated elsewhere at the 1924 general electionUnited Kingdom general election, 1924
- Seats summary :- References :* F. W. S. Craig, British Electoral Facts: 1832-1987* - External links :* * *...
.
The Labour candidate was 42-year-old Thomas Johnston
Thomas Johnston
Thomas "Tom" Johnston CH was a prominent Scottish socialist and politician of the early 20th century, a member of the Labour Party, a Member of Parliament and government minister – usually with Cabinet responsibility for Scottish affairs.-Red Clydesider:Johnston, the son of a middle-class...
, who had been MP for Stirling and Clackmannan Western from 1922 to 1924. His only opponent was 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 Ernest Simon, an English industrialist who had been MP for Manchester Withington
Manchester Withington (UK Parliament constituency)
Manchester, Withington is a parliamentary constituency in the city of Manchester. It returns one Member of Parliament to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, elected by the first past the post system...
from 1923
United Kingdom general election, 1923
-Seats summary:-References:*F. W. S. Craig, British Electoral Facts: 1832-1987*-External links:***...
.
Result
On a turnout barely half that of the general election in October, Johnston held the seat for Labour, with more than 69% of the vote. He did not contest the seat at the 1929 general electionUnited Kingdom general election, 1929
-Seats summary:-References:*F. W. S. Craig, British Electoral Facts: 1832-1987*-External links:***...
, when he was re-elected for his old constituency of Stirling and Clackmannan Western, and went on to become Secretary of State for Scotland
Secretary of State for Scotland
The Secretary of State for Scotland is the principal minister of Her Majesty's Government in the United Kingdom with responsibilities for Scotland. He heads the Scotland Office , a government department based in London and Edinburgh. The post was created soon after the Union of the Crowns, but was...
from 1931 to 1945.
Simon was re-elected in 1929 for his old Withington seat, but lost it in 1931, and did not return to Parliament. He later joined the Labour Party, and in 1947 he was ennobled and appointed Chairman of the Board of Governors of the BBC
Board of Governors of the BBC
The Board of Governors of the BBC was the governing body of the British Broadcasting Corporation. It consisted of twelve people who together regulated the BBC and represented the interests of the public. It existed from 1927 until it was replaced by the BBC Trust on 1 January 2007.The governors...
.
Votes
See also
- Dundee (UK Parliament constituency)Dundee (UK Parliament constituency)Dundee was a constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1832 to 1950, when it was split into Dundee East and Dundee West....
- DundeeDundeeDundee is the fourth-largest city in Scotland and the 39th most populous settlement in the United Kingdom. It lies within the eastern central Lowlands on the north bank of the Firth of Tay, which feeds into the North Sea...
- List of United Kingdom by-elections (1918–1931)