North Cornwall by-election, 1932
Encyclopedia
The North Cornwall by-election, 1932 was a parliamentary by-election
held on 22 July 1932 for the British House of Commons
constituency
of North Cornwall
.
Member of Parliament (MP), the Rt Hon. Sir Donald Maclean died.
Maclean (9 January 1864 – 15 June 1932), practised as a solicitor before becoming a Liberal Member of Parliament. He represented a number of constituencies, first Bath
(1906-Jan 1910), next Peebles and Selkirk
(Dec 1910-1918), Peebles and South Midlothian
(1918–1922), and finally this seat from 1929 to 1932.
He was knighted and became a Privy Councillor in 1916, and was Chairman of the Liberal Parliamentary Party from 1919 to 1922. As the nominal leader of the Liberal Party
, Herbert Henry Asquith had lost his seat in the House of Commons
, from 1919 until 1920 Maclean also served as parliamentary leader of the party. He also functioned as Leader of the Opposition as Labour had no official leader and Sinn Féin
refused to participate in parliamentary government.
Towards the end of his life, Maclean joined the National Government
, a coalition
. He served as President of the Board of Education from 1931 to 1932, when he died from cardiovascular disease
at the age of sixty-eight.
1. The Rt Hon. Sir Francis Dyke Acland, Bt. was the Liberal candidate.
Acland (7 March 1874 – 9 June 1939), was a member of a family which provided several Liberal MPs during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. He was sworn of the Privy Council in 1915. He was also the 14th Acland Baronet, having inherited the title on his father's death in 1926.
Acland was a junior minister from 1908 until 1910 and again from 1911 until 1916.
Francis Dyke Acland was first elected to Parliament, to represent Richmond (Yorkshire) from 1906 until January 1910 when he was defeated. He returned to Parliament, representing Camborne
from December 1910 until November 1922. He contested Tiverton
in 1922 and was later the MP there between June and December 1923. After contesting Hexham
in May 1929, Acland was elected for this seat in the by-election and retained it until his death.
2. The Conservative candidate was Alfred Martyn Williams, who had been born in 1897. He had previously been MP for the seat between 1924 and 1929. He had unsuccessfully contested the division at the general elections of 1929 and 1931.
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 July 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 North Cornwall
North Cornwall (UK Parliament constituency)
North Cornwall is a county constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elects one Member of Parliament by the first past the post system of election.- Boundaries :...
.
Previous Member of Parliament
The seat had become vacant when the constituency's LiberalLiberal 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...
Member of Parliament (MP), the Rt Hon. Sir Donald Maclean died.
Maclean (9 January 1864 – 15 June 1932), practised as a solicitor before becoming a Liberal Member of Parliament. He represented a number of constituencies, first Bath
Bath (UK Parliament constituency)
Bath is a constituency in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, previously of the House of Commons of England. It is an ancient constituency which has been constantly represented in Parliament since boroughs were first summoned to send members in the 13th century...
(1906-Jan 1910), next Peebles and Selkirk
Peeblesshire (UK Parliament constituency)
Peeblesshire was a county constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1708 until 1868. It elected one Member of Parliament by the first past the post voting system.-Boundaries:...
(Dec 1910-1918), Peebles and South Midlothian
Peeblesshire (UK Parliament constituency)
Peeblesshire was a county constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1708 until 1868. It elected one Member of Parliament by the first past the post voting system.-Boundaries:...
(1918–1922), and finally this seat from 1929 to 1932.
He was knighted and became a Privy Councillor in 1916, and was Chairman of the Liberal Parliamentary Party from 1919 to 1922. As the nominal leader of the Liberal Party
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...
, Herbert Henry Asquith had lost his seat in 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...
, from 1919 until 1920 Maclean also served as parliamentary leader of the party. He also functioned as Leader of the Opposition as Labour had no official leader and Sinn Féin
Sinn Féin
Sinn Féin is a left wing, Irish republican political party in Ireland. The name is Irish for "ourselves" or "we ourselves", although it is frequently mistranslated as "ourselves alone". Originating in the Sinn Féin organisation founded in 1905 by Arthur Griffith, it took its current form in 1970...
refused to participate in parliamentary government.
Towards the end of his life, Maclean joined 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...
, a coalition
Coalition government
A coalition government is a cabinet of a parliamentary government in which several political parties cooperate. The usual reason given for this arrangement is that no party on its own can achieve a majority in the parliament...
. He served as President of the Board of Education from 1931 to 1932, when he died from cardiovascular disease
Cardiovascular disease
Heart disease or cardiovascular disease are the class of diseases that involve the heart or blood vessels . While the term technically refers to any disease that affects the cardiovascular system , it is usually used to refer to those related to atherosclerosis...
at the age of sixty-eight.
Candidates
Two candidates were nominated for the by-election. The list below is set out in descending order of the number of votes received at the by-election.1. The Rt Hon. Sir Francis Dyke Acland, Bt. was the Liberal candidate.
Acland (7 March 1874 – 9 June 1939), was a member of a family which provided several Liberal MPs during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. He was sworn of the Privy Council in 1915. He was also the 14th Acland Baronet, having inherited the title on his father's death in 1926.
Acland was a junior minister from 1908 until 1910 and again from 1911 until 1916.
Francis Dyke Acland was first elected to Parliament, to represent Richmond (Yorkshire) from 1906 until January 1910 when he was defeated. He returned to Parliament, representing Camborne
Camborne (UK Parliament constituency)
Camborne was a county constituency in Cornwall which returned one Member of Parliament to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom...
from December 1910 until November 1922. He contested Tiverton
Tiverton (UK Parliament constituency)
Tiverton was a constituency located in east Devon, formerly represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Enfranchised as a parliamentary borough in 1615 and first represented in 1621, it elected two Members of Parliament by the first past the post system of election...
in 1922 and was later the MP there between June and December 1923. After contesting Hexham
Hexham (UK Parliament constituency)
- Elections in the 2000s :- Elections in the 1990s :- Elections in the 1980s :- Elections in the 1970s :-Notes and references:...
in May 1929, Acland was elected for this seat in the by-election and retained it until his death.
2. The Conservative candidate was Alfred Martyn Williams, who had been born in 1897. He had previously been MP for the seat between 1924 and 1929. He had unsuccessfully contested the division at the general elections of 1929 and 1931.
Result
General Election 1931 result
See also
- North Cornwall by-election, 1939North Cornwall by-election, 1939The North Cornwall by-election, 1939 was a parliamentary by-election held on 13 July 1939 for the British House of Commons constituency of North Cornwall.The by-election took place shortly before the start of the Second World War...
- North Cornwall constituencyNorth Cornwall (UK Parliament constituency)North Cornwall is a county constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elects one Member of Parliament by the first past the post system of election.- Boundaries :...
- List of United Kingdom by-elections (1931–1950)
- United Kingdom by-election recordsUnited Kingdom by-election recordsUK by-election records is an annotated list of notable records from UK Parliamentary by-elections. A by-election occurs when a Member of Parliament resigns, dies, or is disqualified or expelled, and an election is held to fill the vacant seat...