Greenock by-election, 1936
Encyclopedia
The Greenock by-election, 1936 was a by-election
held on 26 November 1936 for the House of Commons
constituency
of Greenock
in Renfrewshire
, Scotland
.
, Sir Godfrey Collins
had died at the age of 61. A National Liberal
Member of Parliament
(MP), he had held the seat since the January 1910 general election.
His only opponent was the Labour Party
candidate, 50-year-old Robert Gibson. Gibson had unsuccessfully contested one by-election
and three general elections most recently at Dundee
in 1935
.
in 1941.
By-election
A by-election is an election held to fill a political office that has become vacant between regularly scheduled elections....
held on 26 November 1936 for the 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 Greenock
Greenock (UK Parliament constituency)
Greenock was a burgh constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1832 until 1974, when it was abolished and its area was merged into the new Greenock and Port Glasgow constituency.- Members of Parliament :...
in Renfrewshire
Renfrewshire (historic)
Renfrewshire or the County of Renfrew is a registration county, the Lieutenancy area of the Lord Lieutenant of Renfrewshire, and one of the counties of Scotland used for local government until 1975. Renfrewshire is located in the West Central Lowlands of Scotland, south of the River Clyde,...
, 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...
.
Vacancy
The seat had become vacant on 13 October 1936 when the Secretary of State for ScotlandSecretary 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...
, Sir Godfrey Collins
Godfrey Collins
Sir Godfrey Pattison Collins KBE, CMG, PC was a Scottish Liberal Party politician.He entered the Royal Navy in 1888 and was a Midshipman, East Indian Station from 1890-1893...
had died at the age of 61. A National Liberal
National Liberal Party (UK, 1931)
The National Liberal Party, known until 1948 as the Liberal National Party, was a liberal political party in the United Kingdom from 1931 to 1968...
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), he had held the seat since the January 1910 general election.
Candidates
The National Liberal candidate was V. E. Cornelius, who had not previously contested a parliamentary election.His only opponent was 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, 50-year-old Robert Gibson. Gibson had unsuccessfully contested one by-election
Combined Scottish Universities by-election, 1934
The Combined Scottish Universities by-election, 1934 was a by-election held from 7 March to 12 March 1934 for the Combined Scottish Universities, a university constituency of the British House of Commons.- Vacancy :...
and three general elections most recently at 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 1935
United Kingdom general election, 1935
The United Kingdom general election held on 14 November 1935 resulted in a large, though reduced, majority for the National Government now led by Conservative Stanley Baldwin. The greatest number of MPs, as before, were Conservative, while the National Liberal vote held steady...
.
Result
On a high turnout, the result was a victory for Gibson, who won the seat with a swing of nearly 8%. He held the seat until his resignationResignation from the British House of Commons
Members of Parliament sitting in the House of Commons in the United Kingdom are technically forbidden to resign. To circumvent this prohibition, a legal fiction is used...
in 1941.
Votes
See also
- Greenock (UK Parliament constituency)Greenock (UK Parliament constituency)Greenock was a burgh constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1832 until 1974, when it was abolished and its area was merged into the new Greenock and Port Glasgow constituency.- Members of Parliament :...
- GreenockGreenockGreenock is a town and administrative centre in the Inverclyde council area in United Kingdom, and a former burgh within the historic county of Renfrewshire, located in the west central Lowlands of Scotland...
- Greenock by-election, 1941Greenock by-election, 1941The Greenock by-election, 1941 was a parliamentary by-election held on 10 July 1941 for the British House of Commons constituency of Greenock in Renfrewshire....
- Greenock by-election, 1955
- List of United Kingdom by-elections (1931–1950)