Wolverhampton West by-election, 1922
Encyclopedia
The Wolverhampton West by-election, 1922 was a by-election
held for the British House of Commons
constituency
of Wolverhampton West
in Wolverhampton
on 7 March 1922. It was won by the Coalition Conservative candidate Sir Robert Bird
.
Member of Parliament
(MP), Sir Alfred Bird
had died at the age of 72 on 7 February 1922. He had held the seat since the January 1910 general election.
, son of Sir Alfred. The Labour Party
candidate was 49-year-old Alexander Walkden
, who had contested the seat in 1918
.
The Liberal Party
did not field a candidate, and did not contest Wolverhampton West until the 1929 general election
.
. He held the seat until 1929
, regained it in 1931
, and stepped down at the 1945 general election
.
Walkden stood again (unsuccessfully) at the November 1922 general election
, and after contesting Heywood and Radcliffe
in 1924
, was elected as MP for Bristol South in 1929
.
By-election
A by-election is an election held to fill a political office that has become vacant between regularly scheduled elections....
held 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 Wolverhampton West
Wolverhampton West (UK Parliament constituency)
Wolverhampton West was a borough constituency in the town of Wolverhampton in the West Midlands of England. It returned one Member of Parliament to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom.-History:...
in Wolverhampton
Wolverhampton
Wolverhampton is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands, England. For Eurostat purposes Walsall and Wolverhampton is a NUTS 3 region and is one of five boroughs or unitary districts that comprise the "West Midlands" NUTS 2 region...
on 7 March 1922. It was won by the Coalition Conservative candidate Sir Robert Bird
Sir Robert Bird, 2nd Baronet
Sir Robert Bland Bird, 2nd Baronet KBE was a Conservative Party politician in the United Kingdom.- Biography :...
.
Vacancy
The seat had become vacant on when the sitting ConservativeConservative 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), Sir Alfred Bird
Sir Alfred Bird, 1st Baronet
Sir Alfred Frederick Bird, 1st Baronet was a British chemist, food manufacturer and Conservative Party politician...
had died at the age of 72 on 7 February 1922. He had held the seat since the January 1910 general election.
Candidates
The Conservative candidate was 45-year-old Sir Robert BirdSir Robert Bird, 2nd Baronet
Sir Robert Bland Bird, 2nd Baronet KBE was a Conservative Party politician in the United Kingdom.- Biography :...
, son of Sir Alfred. 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 was 49-year-old Alexander Walkden
Alexander Walkden
Alexander George Walkden, 1st Baron Walkden was a British trade union leader and Labour politician.-Trade unionism:...
, who had contested the seat in 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...
.
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...
did not field a candidate, and did not contest Wolverhampton West until the 1929 general election
United Kingdom general election, 1929
-Seats summary:-References:*F. W. S. Craig, British Electoral Facts: 1832-1987*-External links:***...
.
Result
On an increased turnout, the result was a victory for the Coalition Conservative candidate, Sir Robert Bird, although his majority was somewhat reduced from that won by his father in 1918United 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...
. He held the seat until 1929
United Kingdom general election, 1929
-Seats summary:-References:*F. W. S. Craig, British Electoral Facts: 1832-1987*-External links:***...
, regained it in 1931
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...
, and stepped down at the 1945 general election
United Kingdom general election, 1945
The United Kingdom general election of 1945 was a general election held on 5 July 1945, with polls in some constituencies delayed until 12 July and in Nelson and Colne until 19 July, due to local wakes weeks. The results were counted and declared on 26 July, due in part to the time it took to...
.
Walkden stood again (unsuccessfully) at the November 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...
, and after contesting Heywood and Radcliffe
Heywood and Radcliffe (UK Parliament constituency)
Heywood and Radcliffe was a county constituency centred on the towns of Heywood and Radcliffe in South Lancashire. It returned one Member of Parliament to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, elected by the first past the post system.-History:Under the Representation of...
in 1924
United Kingdom general election, 1924
- Seats summary :- References :* F. W. S. Craig, British Electoral Facts: 1832-1987* - External links :* * *...
, was elected as MP for Bristol South in 1929
United Kingdom general election, 1929
-Seats summary:-References:*F. W. S. Craig, British Electoral Facts: 1832-1987*-External links:***...
.
Votes
See also
- Wolverhampton West (UK Parliament constituency)Wolverhampton West (UK Parliament constituency)Wolverhampton West was a borough constituency in the town of Wolverhampton in the West Midlands of England. It returned one Member of Parliament to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom.-History:...
- WolverhamptonWolverhamptonWolverhampton is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands, England. For Eurostat purposes Walsall and Wolverhampton is a NUTS 3 region and is one of five boroughs or unitary districts that comprise the "West Midlands" NUTS 2 region...
- List of United Kingdom by-elections