1945 Combined Scottish Universities by-election

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1945 Combined Scottish Universities by-election
Flag of the United Kingdom.svg
 19389–13 April 1945 July 1945  

Constituency of Combined Scottish Universities
Turnout44.6% (Decrease2.svg7.5%)
 First partySecond party
  John Boyd Orr (3x4 crop).jpg
LNP
Candidate John Boyd Orr R. M. Munro
Party Independent National Liberal
Popular vote20,1978,177
Percentage71.2%28.8%

MP before election

George Morrison
National Liberal

Subsequent MP

John Boyd Orr
Independent

The 1945 Combined Scottish Universities by-election was a by-election held from 9 to 13 April 1945 for the Combined Scottish Universities, a university constituency of the British House of Commons.

Contents

Vacancy

The seat had become vacant on 6 March 1945 when the National Liberal Member of Parliament (MP) George Morrison had resigned by the procedural device of accepting the post of Crown Steward and Bailiff of the Manor of Northstead, a notional 'office of profit under the crown' which is used as a procedural device to enable MPs to resign from the Commons.[ citation needed ]

Candidates

Two candidates contested the by-election. The Rector of the University of Glasgow, Sir John Boyd Orr, stood as an independent. He was a doctor and biologist, and founder of the Rowett Research Institute.[ citation needed ]

The other candidate was R. M. Munro of the National Liberal Party.[ citation needed ]

Result

The result was a victory for Boyd Orr, who won over 70% of the votes.[ citation needed ] He held the seat until 1946, when he resigned to take up the post of Director of the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization.[ citation needed ]

Votes

Combined Scottish Universities by-election, 9–13 April 1945 [1]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Independent John Boyd Orr 20,197 71.2 N/A
National Liberal R. M.Munro8,17728.8N/A
Majority 12,02042.4N/A
Turnout 28,37444.67.5
Independent gain from National Liberal Swing

See also

References

  1. "Universities' New M.P. Sir John Orr's Victory". The Glasgow Herald . 14 April 1945. p. 10. Retrieved 24 March 2017.

Sources