1958 Glasgow Kelvingrove by-election

The 1958 Glasgow Kelvingrove by-election of 13 March 1958 was held after the death of Conservative MP Walter Elliot.

The seat was marginal, having been won by the Conservatives at the 1955 United Kingdom general election by just short of 3,000 votes.[http://www.politicsresources.net/area/uk/ge55/i09.htm] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110811165659/http://www.politicsresources.net/area/uk/ge55/i09.htm |date=11 August 2011 }} PoliticsResources.net Elliot's widow Katharine Elliot stood to replace her husband as a Unionist, but she was defeated by Labour's Mary McAlister.

Background

A former cabinet minister, Walter Elliot had first been elected for the seat in 1924, having previously been MP for Lanark. He had lost the seat in the Labour landslide of 1945, but after sitting as an MP for the Scottish Universities, had fought it again in 1950 and regained it.{{cite book |title=The Times House of Commons 1951 |date=1951 |work=The Times|location=London |page=190}}

David Murray, who stood as a 'Liberal Home-ruler' was not officially endorsed by the Liberal Party, but Scottish Liberal chairman J. M. Bannerman spoke in his favour "as an individual".{{cite news |title=Kelvingrove Vote Today |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=GGgVawPscysC&dat=19580313&printsec=frontpage&hl=en |accessdate=10 September 2018 |work=The Glasgow Herald |date=13 March 1958}}

Result of the previous general election

{{Election box begin | title=General election 1955: Glasgow Kelvingrove}}

{{Election box winning candidate with party link|

|party = Conservative Party (UK)

|candidate = Walter Elliot

|votes = 14,854

|percentage = 55.38

|change = +3.0

}}

{{Election box candidate with party link|

|party = Labour Party (UK)

|candidate = John Williams

|votes = 11,966

|percentage = 44.62

|change = -3.0

}}

{{Election box majority|

|votes = 2,888

|percentage = 10.76

|change = +6.0

}}

{{Election box turnout|

|votes = 26,820

|percentage =

|change =

}}

{{Election box hold with party link|

|winner = Conservative Party (UK)

|swing =

}}

Result of the by-election

{{Election box begin |

|title=By-election 1958: Glasgow Kelvingrove{{cite web|url=http://by-elections.co.uk/58.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120625073118/http://by-elections.co.uk/58.html|title=1958 By Election Results|archive-date=2012-06-25|url-status=dead|access-date=2015-08-14}}}}

{{Election box winning candidate with party link|

|party = Labour Party (UK)

|candidate = Mary McAlister

|votes = 10,210

|percentage = 48.00

|change = +3.38

}}

{{Election box candidate with party link|

|party = Conservative Party (UK)

|candidate = Katharine Elliot

|votes = 8,850

|percentage = 41.61