1920 Woodbridge by-election

Last updated

1920 Woodbridge by-election
Flag of the United Kingdom.svg
  1918 28 July 1920 1922  
  Arthur Churchman.jpg Henry Harben crop.jpg
Candidate Churchman Harben
Party Unionist Labour
Popular vote9,8988,707
Percentage53.2%46.8%

MP before election

Peel
Unionist

Subsequent MP

Churchman
Unionist

The 1920 Woodbridge by-election was held on 28 July 1920. The by-election was held due to the resignation of the incumbent Coalition Unionist MP, Robert Francis Peel. It was won by the Coalition Unionist candidate Sir Arthur Churchman.

Contents

Vacancy

The by-election was caused by the sitting Unionist MP, Robert Francis Peel resigning his seat to become Governor and Commander-in-Chief of St Helena. He had been MP here since re-gaining the seat from the Liberals in January 1910.

Electoral history

The constituency was a Unionist/Liberal marginal. Since the seat's creation in 1885, it had been won by a Unionist candidate six times and by a Liberal three times. The Coalition Government 'Coupon' at the last General Election in 1918 was awarded to the sitting Unionist rather than the Liberal challenger. Despite this, the Liberal vote held up very well;

Robert Peel Robert Francis Peel.jpg
Robert Peel
General election 1918: Woodbridge [1]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
C Unionist Robert Francis Peel 8,65455.8+3.2
Liberal William Rowley Elliston 6,84244.2−3.2
Majority1,81211.6+6.4
Turnout 15,49651.0−33.7
Unionist hold Swing +3.2
Cindicates candidate endorsed by the coalition government.

Candidates

Campaign

Polling Day was set for 28 July 1920. Nominations closed to confirm that the election would be a two-way contest. Churchman received the official endorsement of the Coalition Government.

Result

Woodbridge by-election, 1920 [2]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
C Unionist Arthur Churchman 9,89853.2−2.6
Labour Henry Devenish Harben 8,70746.8New
Majority1,1916.4−5.2
Turnout 18,60561.4+10.4
Unionist hold Swing
Cindicates candidate endorsed by the coalition government.

Aftermath

The result at the following General Election in 1922 was;

General election 1922: Woodbridge [3]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Unionist Arthur Churchman 12,396 56.7 +3.5
Labour Edward Neep 9,47643.3−3.5
Majority2,92013.4+7.0
Turnout 21,87269.1+7.7
Unionist hold Swing +3.4

See also

References

  1. British Parliamentary Election Results 1918-1949, FWS Craig
  2. British Parliamentary Election Results 1918-1949, FWS Craig
  3. British Parliamentary Election Results 1918-1949, FWS Craig