1925 Galloway by-election
{{Short description|UK parliamentary by-election}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2020}}
{{Use British English|date=November 2013}}
The 1925 Galloway by-election was a by-election held for the British House of Commons constituency of Galloway in Scotland on 17 November 1925. The by-election was won by the Unionist Party candidate Sidney Streatfeild.
Vacancy
The Unionist MP Vice-Admiral Sir Arthur Henniker-Hughan had died on 4 October 1925. He had held the seat since gaining it from the Liberals at the 1924 general election;
{{Election box begin |
|title=General election 1924
Electorate 30,107
}}
{{Election box winning candidate with party link|
|party = Unionist Party (Scotland)
|candidate = Arthur Henniker-Hughan
|votes = 12,268
|percentage = 53.1
|change = New
}}
{{Election box candidate with party link|
|party = Scottish Liberal Party
|candidate = Cecil Dudgeon
|votes = 10,852
|percentage = 46.9
|change = N/A
}}
{{Election box majority|
|votes = 1,416
|percentage = 6.2
|change = N/A
}}
{{Election box turnout|
|votes = 23,120
|percentage = 76.8
|change = N/A
}}
{{Election box gain with party link|
|winner = Unionist Party (Scotland)
|loser = Scottish Liberal Party
|swing = N/A
}}
{{Election box end}}
History
The constituency was created for the 1918 general election, at which a Coalition Government supporting, couponed, sitting Liberal MP was returned unopposed. At the following General Election in 1922, after the Coalition Government had ended, a Liberal beat a Unionist and in 1923, the sitting Liberal was returned unopposed.
Candidates
The Unionist candidate was 31-year-old company director, Captain Sidney Streatfeild, who had previously contested the City of Durham constituency at the 1924 general election.
The Liberal Party candidate was 40-year-old local farmer, Major Cecil Dudgeon, (Portrait)[http://www.npg.org.uk/collections/search/portraitLarge/mw70570/Cecil-Randolph-Dudgeon?LinkID=mp65405&role=sit&rNo=0] who had held the seat from 1922 until his defeat in 1924 by Henniker-Hughan.
The Labour Party, which had never before contested the constituency, decided to intervene and fielded as candidate, John Mitchell.
Campaign
Polling Day was fixed for 17 November 1925, 43 days after the death of the previous member, allowing for a long campaign.
Result
On an increased turnout, Streatfeild held the seat for the Unionists, with a reduced majority of 928 votes. The Labour candidate finished third, splitting the anti-Unionist vote enough to deny the Liberal victory;
{{Election box begin |
|title=Galloway by-election, 1925
Electorate 29,992
}}
{{Election box winning candidate with party link|
|party = Unionist Party (Scotland)
|candidate = Sidney Streatfeild
|votes = 10,846
|percentage = 43.5
|change = −9.6
}}
{{Election box candidate with party link|
|party = Scottish Liberal Party
|candidate = Cecil Dudgeon
|votes = 9,918
|percentage = 39.7
|change = −7.2
}}
{{Election box candidate with party link|
|party = Labour Party (UK)
|candidate = John Mitchell
|votes = 4,207
|percentage = 16.8
|change = New
}}
{{Election box majority|
|votes = 928
|percentage = 3.8
|change = −2.4
}}
{{Election box turnout|
|votes = 24,971
|percentage = 83.3
|change = +6.5
}}
{{Election box hold with party link|
|winner = Unionist Party (Scotland)
|swing = −1.2
}}
{{Election box end}}
Aftermath
At the following General Election in 1929, Dudgeon gained the seat for the Liberals;
{{Election box begin |
|title=General election 1929
Electorate 39,621The Times, 1 June 1929
}}
{{Election box winning candidate with party link|
|party = Scottish Liberal Party
|candidate = Cecil Dudgeon
|votes = 13,461
|percentage = 42.4
|change = +2.7
}}
{{Election box candidate with party link|
|party = Unionist Party (Scotland)
|candidate = Sidney Streatfeild
|votes = 13,360
|percentage = 42.1
|change = -1.4
}}
{{Election box candidate with party link|
|party = Labour Party (UK)
|candidate = Hector McNeill
|votes = 4,903
|percentage = 15.5
|change = -1.3
}}
{{Election box majority|
|votes = 101
|percentage = 0.3
|change = N/A
}}
{{Election box turnout|
|votes = 31,724
|percentage = 80.1
|change = -3.2
}}
{{Election box gain with party link|
|winner = Scottish Liberal Party
|loser = Unionist Party (Scotland)
|swing = +2.1
}}
{{Election box end}}
See also
Notes
{{Reflist}}
References
- {{cite book |last=Craig |first=F. W. S. |author-link= F. W. S. Craig |title=British parliamentary election results 1918–1949 |orig-year=1969 |edition= 3rd |year=1983 |publisher= Parliamentary Research Services |location=Chichester |isbn= 0-900178-06-X}}
- {{Rayment|date=February 2012}}
{{By-elections to the 34th UK Parliament}}
{{Westminster by-elections in Scotland 1900–1949}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Galloway By-Election, 1925}}
Category:By-elections to the Parliament of the United Kingdom in Scottish constituencies
Category:1920s elections in Scotland
Category:1925 elections in the United Kingdom