William Henry Porteous Martin
Encyclopedia
William Henry Porteous Martin (15 June 1886 – 9 January 1939) was a Scottish Labour Party
politician. He was Member of Parliament
(MP) for Dunbartonshire
from 1923 to 1924.
Martin was unsuccessful candidate in the Dunbartonshire constituency at the 1918
and 1922 general elections
, losing only narrowly in the latter contest, before winning the seat at the 1923 general election
. He was defeated in 1924
by the Unionist candidate David Fleming, and when Fleming resigned
from the House of Commons in 1926, Martin was the Labour candidate at the resulting by-election. The seat was held by the Unionists.
At the 1929 general election
, Martin stood in the Aberdeen South (UK Parliament constituency)
, a Unionist safe seat
where he lost by a wide margin. His last electoral contest was in Glasgow Central
at the 1931 election
, where he was defeated by almost two to one.
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...
politician. He was 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) for Dunbartonshire
Dunbartonshire (UK Parliament constituency)
Dunbartonshire was a county constituency of the House of Commons of Great Britain from 1708 to 1801 and of the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1801 to 1950...
from 1923 to 1924.
Martin was unsuccessful candidate in the Dunbartonshire constituency at the 1918
United Kingdom general election, 1918
The United Kingdom general election of 1918 was the first to be held after the Representation of the People Act 1918, which meant it was the first United Kingdom general election in which nearly all adult men and some women could vote. Polling was held on 14 December 1918, although the count did...
and 1922 general elections
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...
, losing only narrowly in the latter contest, before winning the seat at the 1923 general election
United Kingdom general election, 1923
-Seats summary:-References:*F. W. S. Craig, British Electoral Facts: 1832-1987*-External links:***...
. He was defeated in 1924
United Kingdom general election, 1924
- Seats summary :- References :* F. W. S. Craig, British Electoral Facts: 1832-1987* - External links :* * *...
by the Unionist candidate David Fleming, and when Fleming resigned
Resignation 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...
from the House of Commons in 1926, Martin was the Labour candidate at the resulting by-election. The seat was held by the Unionists.
At the 1929 general election
United Kingdom general election, 1929
-Seats summary:-References:*F. W. S. Craig, British Electoral Facts: 1832-1987*-External links:***...
, Martin stood in the Aberdeen South (UK Parliament constituency)
Aberdeen South (UK Parliament constituency)
Aberdeen South is a burgh constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, and it elects one Member of Parliament by the first past the post system of election...
, a Unionist safe seat
Safe seat
A safe seat is a seat in a legislative body which is regarded as fully secured, either by a certain political party, the incumbent representative personally or a combination of both...
where he lost by a wide margin. His last electoral contest was in Glasgow Central
Glasgow Central (UK Parliament constituency)
Glasgow Central is a constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom . In its current form, the constituency was first used in the general election of 2005, but there was also a Glasgow Central constituency from 1885 to 1997.- Boundaries :The Redistribution of Seats Act...
at the 1931 election
United Kingdom general election, 1931
The United Kingdom general election on Tuesday 27 October 1931 was the last in the United Kingdom not held on a Thursday. It was also the last election, and the only one under universal suffrage, where one party received an absolute majority of the votes cast.The 1931 general election was the...
, where he was defeated by almost two to one.