St Ives by-election, 1928
Encyclopedia
The St Ives by-election, 1928 was a by-election
held on 6 March 1928 for the British House of Commons constituency
of St Ives
in Cornwall
.
Member of Parliament
(MP) John Anthony Hawke on his appointment to be a High Court judge
. Hawke had first won the seat at the 1922 general election
. He lost it to the Liberal
candidate Sir Clifford Cory at the 1923 general election
when there was also a Labour
candidate in the field but won it back from Cory in a straight fight in 1924
.
and Lady Vera Terrington. Mrs Runciman overturned Hawke’s majority of 1,247 to win by a majority of 763 votes.
who was Liberal MP for Swansea West
had decided to transfer from Swansea to St Ives at the next general election. When the by-election was caused by Hawke’s resignation, Mrs Runciman was adopted as Liberal candidate to keep the seat warm for her husband. This attracted Tory
derision but Mrs Runciman was duly elected. She also duly stood down in her husband’s favour at the 1929 general election
. Apparently Liberal party leader David Lloyd George
did not approve of Mrs Runciman’s candidacy and he sent no message of support for her during the by-election. However Sir Herbert Samuel
did travel to the constituency to speak on her behalf. On election Mrs Runciman joined her husband in the House of Commons, the first married couple to sit in the House together.
, the wife of future Labour Chancellor of the Exchequer
, Hugh Dalton
successfully contested the seat of Bishop Auckland
at a by-election
on 7 February 1929. Her husband had been planning to move to the seat at the next general election, as it was safer than his more marginal seat in Peckham
but the sitting MP Ben Spoor
died at the young age of 50 years and Mrs Dalton stepped in. She also handed her seat to her husband at the 1929 general election.
By-election
A by-election is an election held to fill a political office that has become vacant between regularly scheduled elections....
held on 6 March 1928 for the British House of Commons 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 St Ives
St Ives (UK Parliament constituency)
St. Ives 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.-History:...
in Cornwall
Cornwall
Cornwall is a unitary authority and ceremonial county of England, within the United Kingdom. It is bordered to the north and west by the Celtic Sea, to the south by the English Channel, and to the east by the county of Devon, over the River Tamar. Cornwall has a population of , and covers an area of...
.
Cause
The by-election was caused by the resignation of the sitting Conservative PartyConservative 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) John Anthony Hawke on his appointment to be a High Court judge
High Court judge
A High Court judge is a judge of the High Court of Justice, and represents the third highest level of judge in the courts of England and Wales. High Court judges are referred to as puisne judges...
. Hawke had first won the seat at 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...
. He lost it to 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 Sir Clifford Cory at the 1923 general election
United Kingdom general election, 1923
-Seats summary:-References:*F. W. S. Craig, British Electoral Facts: 1832-1987*-External links:***...
when there was also a Labour
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 in the field but won it back from Cory in a straight fight in 1924
United Kingdom general election, 1924
- Seats summary :- References :* F. W. S. Craig, British Electoral Facts: 1832-1987* - External links :* * *...
.
Candidates
The by-election was also three-cornered contest. The Conservatives picked Sir Andrew Caird (1870-1956) one of Lord Northcliffe ’s newspaper editors and directors to fight the seat. The Reverend F J Hopkins, entered the fray for Labour and the Liberal hopeful was Mrs Hilda Runciman.Result
The result was a victory for Mrs Runciman, making her only the third woman candidate ever to be elected for the Liberal Party, after Margaret WintringhamMargaret Wintringham
Margaret Wintringham , née Longbottom, was a British Liberal Party politician. She was the second woman to take her seat in the British House of Commons.- Early life :...
and Lady Vera Terrington. Mrs Runciman overturned Hawke’s majority of 1,247 to win by a majority of 763 votes.
The warming pan
The circumstances in which Mrs Runciman came to be selected as Liberal candidate were an issue in the by-election. Her husband, Sir Walter RuncimanWalter Runciman
Walter Runciman may refer to:*Walter Runciman, 1st Baron Runciman , shipping magnate, Liberal MP, and peer*Walter Runciman, 1st Viscount Runciman of Doxford , son of the above, Liberal and later National Liberal MP and government minister*Walter Leslie Runciman, 2nd Viscount Runciman of Doxford *...
who was Liberal MP for Swansea West
Swansea West (UK Parliament constituency)
Swansea West is a constituency of 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....
had decided to transfer from Swansea to St Ives at the next general election. When the by-election was caused by Hawke’s resignation, Mrs Runciman was adopted as Liberal candidate to keep the seat warm for her husband. This attracted Tory
Tory
Toryism is a traditionalist and conservative political philosophy which grew out of the Cavalier faction in the Wars of the Three Kingdoms. It is a prominent ideology in the politics of the United Kingdom, but also features in parts of The Commonwealth, particularly in Canada...
derision but Mrs Runciman was duly elected. She also duly stood down in her husband’s favour at the 1929 general election
United Kingdom general election, 1929
-Seats summary:-References:*F. W. S. Craig, British Electoral Facts: 1832-1987*-External links:***...
. Apparently Liberal party leader David Lloyd George
David Lloyd George
David Lloyd George, 1st Earl Lloyd-George of Dwyfor OM, PC was a British Liberal politician and statesman...
did not approve of Mrs Runciman’s candidacy and he sent no message of support for her during the by-election. However 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:...
did travel to the constituency to speak on her behalf. On election Mrs Runciman joined her husband in the House of Commons, the first married couple to sit in the House together.
Labour’s ‘warming pan’, Bishop Auckland, 1929
Interestingly, St Ives was not the only ‘warming pan’ by-election of the 1924-1929 Parliament. Ruth DaltonRuth Dalton
Florence Ruth Dalton , known as Ruth Dalton and later Lady Dalton, was a British Labour Party politician...
, the wife of future Labour Chancellor of the Exchequer
Chancellor of the Exchequer
The Chancellor of the Exchequer is the title held by the British Cabinet minister who is responsible for all economic and financial matters. Often simply called the Chancellor, the office-holder controls HM Treasury and plays a role akin to the posts of Minister of Finance or Secretary of the...
, Hugh Dalton
Hugh Dalton
Edward Hugh John Neale Dalton, Baron Dalton PC was a British Labour Party politician who served as Chancellor of the Exchequer from 1945 to 1947, when he was implicated in a political scandal involving budget leaks....
successfully contested the seat of Bishop Auckland
Bishop Auckland (UK Parliament constituency)
Bishop Auckland 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. Since 1935 it has elected Labour MPs.-Boundaries:...
at a by-election
Bishop Auckland by-election, 1929
The Bishop Auckland by-election, 1929 was a parliamentary by-election held on 7 February 1929 for the British House of Commons constituency of Bishop Auckland in County Durham....
on 7 February 1929. Her husband had been planning to move to the seat at the next general election, as it was safer than his more marginal seat in Peckham
Peckham (UK Parliament constituency)
Peckham was a borough constituency in South London which returned one Member of Parliament to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom...
but the sitting MP Ben Spoor
Ben Spoor
Benjamin Charles Spoor was a British Labour Party politician. He took a particular interest in India and in the Movement for Colonial Freedom....
died at the young age of 50 years and Mrs Dalton stepped in. She also handed her seat to her husband at the 1929 general election.
Votes
See also
- List of United Kingdom by-elections (1918–1931)
- Politics of CornwallPolitics of CornwallCornwall is currently administered as a county of South West England whose politics are influenced by a number of issues that make it distinct from the general political scene in the wider UK, and the political trends of neighbouring counties...