1953 North Down by-election

The 1953 North Down by-election was held on 15 April 1953.{{cite web |url=http://www.ark.ac.uk/elections/dnd.htm |title=North Down 1950-1970 |work=Northern Ireland elections |publisher =ARK, Northern Ireland’s social policy hub}} It was held due to the incumbent Ulster Unionist Party MP, Walter Smiles, dying in the sinking of the {{MV|Princess Victoria}} off the Copeland Islands, in the same storm which caused the North Sea flood of 1953. It was retained by his daughter, Patricia Ford, who was unopposed when she stood as the Unionist candidate. She became the first woman to sit as an Ulster Unionist MP but she stood down in the 1955 general election.

Result

{{Election box begin |

|title=1953 North Down by-election{{cite web |url=http://by-elections.co.uk/53.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121010071919/http://by-elections.co.uk/53.html |title=1953 By Election Results |website=by-elections.co.uk|url-status=dead|access-date=2015-08-13 |archive-date=10 October 2012}}

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{{Election box winning candidate unopposed with party link|

|party = Ulster Unionist Party

|candidate = Patricia Ford

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{{Election box registered electors|

|reg. electors =

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{{Election box hold with party link no swing|

|winner = Ulster Unionist Party

}}