1920 Belfast Corporation election

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1920 Belfast Corporation election
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  1914 16 January 19201925 

All 60 seats to Belfast Corporation
31 seats needed for a majority
 First partySecond party
 
Leader William Coates David Robb Campbell
Party Ulster Unionist Belfast Labour
Seats won3512
Seat changeDecrease2.svg17Increase2.svg12

1920 Belfast Corporation election (most voted party by electoral area).svg
Map showing the area of Belfast Corporation

Council control after election

Irish Unionist

An election to Belfast Corporation took place in January 1920 as part of that year's Irish local elections. The Local Government (Ireland) Act 1919 had seen elections for local government in Ireland change to a more proportional system. As a result, Unionist dominance of the Belfast council was somewhat undermined, and the party lost 15 seats. In contrast Labour, Sinn Féin, and Nationalist representation grew, resulting in a more politically and socially representative council. [1]

Contents

147 candidates stood for the sixty seats on the council. The sixty seats were in nine new wards, identical to the parliamentary constituencies. [2] In advance of the election, the Irish Times stated that it expected the Unionists to lose between five and eight seats, to be picked up by the Labour and Nationalist candidates, with Sinn Féin having a chance of taking one or two seats. [3]

The result in the Falls was controversial; over twenty candidates stood, creating the most complex election by single-transferable vote to date; and 764 votes were disallowed due to spoiled ballot papers. 300 of these lacked an official mark; this was because the printing press marking them had ceased adding it near the end of the run, but this error was not noticed until the election count took place. [4] [5]

After the election Sir William Coates, 1st Baronet was elected by the new council as Lord Mayor of Belfast.

Following the partition of Ireland the Northern Irish Government restored the older, and less representative ward based electoral system. [1]

Results by party

PartyCandidatesSeats±First Pref. votes [6] FPv%±%
Ulster Unionist 5629-1740,90745.95
Labour Unionist 64,6995.28
Belfast Labour 3710+1012,76814.34
Nationalist 405-310,75812.08
Sinn Féin 105+57,1208.00
Ind. Unionist 24,1674.68
Independent Labour 23,0073.37
Independent 14,4675.02
NAUL 01,1381.28
Totals6089,031100.00

Councillors

[5] [7]

Pottinger

Pottinger - 6 seats [8]
PartyCandidateFPv%Count
12345678910
Ulster Unionist Julia McMordie 1,968
Ulster Unionist David Anderson1,698
Ulster Unionist W. J. McGowan-- - - - 1,140 1,485
Labour Unionist John F. Gordon-- - - - - 1,054 1,329
Nationalist Archibald Savage-- - - - - - - - 1,152
Belfast Labour J. S. L. McKeague-- - - - - - - - 1,050
Belfast Labour James Duff-- - - - - - - 1,002 Eliminated
Nationalist James Smith-- - - - - - 643 Eliminated
Ulster Unionist John S. Shaw J.P.-- - - - - Eliminated
Ulster Unionist John Stanley Johnston-- - - - Eliminated
NAUL James Johnston-- - - Eliminated
Independent Nationalist James Feenan-- - Eliminated
Independent Zimri Stewart-- - Eliminated
Belfast Labour Alexander Stewart-- - Eliminated
Electorate: 13,474  Valid: 8,379  Spoilt: 267  Quota: 1,198  Turnout: 8,646  

    Ormeau

    Ormeau - 6 seats [8]
    PartyCandidateFPv%Count
    12345678910
    Ulster Unionist Dr J. D. Williamson12.451,0371,055 1,090 1,143 1,302
    Ulster Unionist J. W. T. Watters12.401,0331,044 1,098 1,137 1,366
    Ulster Unionist John Campbell White (Lord Mayor)11.74978991 1,022 1,051 1,191
    Ulster Unionist William Frederick Coates 11.35945957 1,020 1,055 1,162 1,307
    Belfast Labour James Baird 9.63802815 826 876 890 - - - 1,082 1,259
    Nationalist J. P. O'Kane9.25770771 773 778 779 - - - 783 Eliminated
    Belfast Labour David Robb Campbell 8.80733743 748 782 792 - - - 1,150 1,498
    Ulster Unionist W. J. Price6.75562578 632 703 Eliminated
    Ind. Unionist Alexander McConnell5.82485659 688 762 791 - - Eliminated
    Independent Robert Pierce4.45371393 424 Eliminated
    Labour Unionist William Lorimer3.71309319 Eliminated
    Ind. Unionist Emily S. Montgomery3.63302Eliminated
    Electorate: 13,264  Valid: 8,328  Spoilt: 150  Quota: 1,190  Turnout: 8,478  

      Duncairn

      Duncairn - 7 seats [8]
      PartyCandidateFPv%Count
      12345678910
      Ind. Unionist J. Barron2,238
      Ulster Unionist S. F. Mercier J.P.1,386
      Ulster Unionist T. E. Alexander1,353
      Nationalist Patrick Dempsey J.P.848- - - - - - 1,262
      Belfast Labour J. S. Lawther711- - - - - - 1,248
      Labour Unionist J. Bradbury692- - - - - - - - 1,285
      Irish IslanderP. Griffith542
      Ulster Unionist E. J. Elliott500- - - - - - - - 1,124
      T. English J.P.446
      Ulster Unionist John Tyrrell J.P.430
      Belfast Labour R. McClung331- - - - 422
      Ulster Unionist Robert Dunlop J.P.270
      Independent R. S. McBurnie118
      WorkersJ. Polkinghorne80
      Electorate: 15,259  Valid: 9,945  Spoilt: 248  Quota: 1,244  Turnout: 10,193  

        Cromac

        Crawford McCullough (Unionist)
        James McKirnan (Nationalist)
        T. McConnell (Unionist)
        T. J. Kennedy (Independent Unionist)
        H. Riddell (Unionist)
        Lennox (Labour Unionist)
        Jameson (Unionist)

        Shankill

        Shankill - 8 seats [9] [10]
        PartyCandidateFPv%Count
        1234567891011121314
        Belfast Labour Sam Kyle 2,082
        Ulster Unionist Hugh Murphy1,585
        Ind. Unionist Tommy Henderson 1,210- - - - 1,380
        Ulster Unionist Florence F. Clark906- - - - - - - - - 1,368
        Ulster Unionist William George Turner 988- - - - - - - - - 1,340
        Sinn Féin Michael Carolan 918- - - - - - - - - - 1,406
        Ulster Unionist W. C. Bickerstaff848- - - - - - - - - - - - 1,104
        Ulster Unionist R. Andrews794
        Irish Nationalist H. Martin789
        Belfast Labour Dawson Gordon543- - - - - - - - - 1,363
        Labour Unionist R. Weir340
        Labour Unionist J. A. Turkington293
        Ulster Unionist Edwin Squire227
        Ind. Unionist T. McClughin183
        Ind. Unionist J. Burns159
        Trade UnionistT. Jenkinson108
        Belfast Labour R. McWillians84
        Trade UnionistZimri Stewart0
        Electorate: 17,629  Valid: 12,057  Spoilt: 239  Quota: 1,340  Turnout: 12,296  

          St Anne's

          Alexander Boyd (Independent Labour)
          G. M. Donaldson (Labour)
          J. A. Doran (Unionist)
          Alexander Hopkins (Unionist)
          James Johnston (Unionist)
          Hugh McLaurin (Unionist)

          Victoria

          John Harkin (Nationalist)
          James Augustine Duff (Unionist)
          Frank Workman (Unionist)
          T. Kennedy (Labour)
          Thompson Donald (Labour Unionist)
          Joseph Cosgrove (SF)
          D. Jones (Unionist)

          Woodvale

          Joseph Davison (Unionist)
          John Graham (Unionist)
          Clarke Scott (Labour)
          A. Hodgens (Unionist)
          W. Macartney (Unionist)
          W. Addis (Labour)

          Falls

          Falls - 6 seats [8]
          PartyCandidateFPv%Count
          1234567891011121314
          Nationalist Richard Byrne 16.871,655
          Nationalist Oswald Jamison 14.911,463
          Ulster Unionist Henry McKeag13.341,3091,311 - - - - - 1,316 1,323 1,328 1,342 1,366
          Sinn Féin Denis McCullough 1,034- - +57 - - - - - 1,173 1,228 1,464
          Sinn Féin Demot Barnes781- - +36 - - - - - 901 941 1,086 1,139
          Belfast Labour James Boyle577- - - - - +52 - 684 809 849 - - Eliminated
          Belfast Labour Denis Houston527- - - - - - - 667 874 929 - - Elected
          Sinn Féin James McEntee435- - - - - - - - - 571
          Independent Jeremiah McCavanagh369- - - - - - 435 487 498
          Belfast Labour Hugh Gorman339- - - - - - - 412
          Nationalist Constantine O'Neill250277 - - - - - 397
          Nationalist Michael McKeown240323 351 - - - - 542 740 - 785 856
          Belfast Labour Daniel McRandall209- - - - 226
          Sinn Féin Francis McCurry168- - - 175
          Nationalist Felix Kane Jr.146218 228 - - - 254
          Nationalist James Rodgers145- - 173
          Sinn Féin Joseph Connolly100- 102 Eliminated
          Sinn Féin Edward Trodden38- 38 Eliminated
          Independent Nationalist Michael Cunningham23- 24 Eliminated
          Independent Zimri Stewart3- 3 Eliminated
          Electorate: 13,139  Valid: 9,811  Spoilt: 764  Quota: 1,402  Turnout: 10,575  

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            References

            1. 1 2 Laffan, Michael (1999). The Resurrection of Ireland: The Sinn Féin Party, 1916–1923. Cambridge University Press. p. 327. ISBN   9781139426299.
            2. "Provincial nominations", Irish Times , 6 January 1920, p.6
            3. "Parties and the elections: interesting figures", Irish Times , 15 January 1920, p.5
            4. "Municipal elections: the Belfast count", 20 January 1920
            5. 1 2 "Returns in the provinces: Belfast Labour's big stride", Irish Times , 19 January 1920
            6. p.139
            7. "Interesting contests", Irish Times , 17 January 1920
            8. 1 2 3 4 Belfast News-Letter - Saturday 17 January 1920
            9. Belfast News-Letter - Monday 19 January 1920
            10. Belfast Telegraph - Monday 19 January 1920
            Preceded by
            1914 Belfast Corporation election
            Belfast Corporation elections Succeeded by
            1925 Belfast Corporation election