Combined Scottish Universities

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Combined Scottish Universities
Former university constituency
for the House of Commons
1918–1950
SeatsThree
Created from Glasgow & Aberdeen Universities
Edinburgh and St Andrews Universities

The Combined Scottish Universities was a three-member university constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1918 until 1950. It was created by merging the single-member constituencies of Glasgow and Aberdeen Universities and Edinburgh and St Andrews Universities.

Contents

Boundaries

The constituency was not a physical area but was rather elected by the graduates of the Scottish Universities of St Andrews, Edinburgh, Glasgow and Aberdeen.

The constituency returned three Members of Parliament to Westminster, elected by Single Transferable Vote. The by-elections used the first past the post voting system.

This University constituency was created by the Representation of the People Act 1918 and abolished in 1950 by the Representation of the People Act 1948.

Members of Parliament

ElectionFirst memberFirst partySecond memberSecond partyThird memberThird party
1918 Sir William Cheyne Coalition Conservative Dugald McCoig Cowan Coalition Liberal Sir Henry Craik Coalition Conservative
1922 Sir George Berry Unionist Liberal Unionist
Apr 1927 John Buchan Unionist
1931 Noel Skelton Unionist
Mar 1934 George Alexander Morrison Liberal
Jun 1935 National Liberal Sir John Kerr Unionist
Jan 1936 Ramsay MacDonald National Labour
Feb 1938 Sir John Anderson National
Apr 1945 Sir John Boyd-Orr Independent
Nov 1946 Walter Elliot Unionist
1950 University constituencies abolished

Election results

Elections in the 1910s

Dugald Cowan Dugald Cowan.jpg
Dugald Cowan
General election, November 1918: Combined Scottish Universities [1]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Unionist Green check.svgY Watson Cheyne 3,719 28.7
Liberal Green check.svgY Dugald Cowan 3,499 27.0
Unionist Green check.svgY Henry Craik 3,286 25.4
Labour Peter Macdonald1,58112.2
Independent William Robert Smith8506.6
Majority 1,70513.2
Turnout 12,935
Unionist win (new seat)
Liberal win (new seat)
Unionist win (new seat)

Elections in the 1920s

General election 1922: Combined Scottish Universities
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Unionist George Andreas Berry Unopposed N/AN/A
Liberal Dugald Cowan Unopposed N/AN/A
Unionist Henry Craik Unopposed N/AN/A
General election 1923: Combined Scottish Universities
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Unionist George Andreas Berry Unopposed N/AN/A
Liberal Dugald Cowan Unopposed N/AN/A
Unionist Henry Craik Unopposed N/AN/A
General election 1924: Combined Scottish Universities [2]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Unionist Henry Craik 7,188 40.8 N/A
Liberal Dugald Cowan 5,011 28.4 N/A
Unionist George Andreas Berry 3,781 21.5 N/A
Labour John Martin Munro1,6399.3New
Majority 2,14212.2N/A
Turnout 17,619
Unionist hold Swing
Liberal hold Swing
Unionist hold Swing
1927 Combined Scottish Universities by-election
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Unionist John Buchan 16,963 87.7 +66.2
Labour Hugh Guthrie 2,37812.3+3.0
Majority 14,58575.4+63.2
Turnout 19,34155.10.0
Unionist hold Swing
General election 1929: Combined Scottish Universities (3 seats) [3]
PartyCandidateFPv%Count
12
Unionist John Buchan 39.79,959 
Liberal Dugald Cowan 26.76,698 
Unionist George Berry 22.95,7559,262
Labour James Kerr (Scottish doctor)10.72,6912,867
Electorate: 43,192  Valid: 25,103  Quota: 6,276  Turnout: 25,103  

    Elections in the 1930s

    General election, October 1931: Combined Scottish Universities
    PartyCandidateVotes%±%
    Unionist John Buchan Unopposed N/AN/A
    Liberal Dugald Cowan Unopposed N/AN/A
    Unionist Noel Skelton Unopposed N/AN/A
    1934 Combined Scottish Universities by-election
    PartyCandidateVotes%±%
    Liberal George Morrison 18,070 79.2 N/A
    Labour Robert Gibson 4,75020.8New
    Majority 13,32058.4N/A
    Turnout 22,82044.3N/A
    Liberal hold Swing
    1935 Combined Scottish Universities by-election
    PartyCandidateVotes%±%
    Unionist John Graham Kerr 20,507 82.7 N/A
    Labour Naomi Mitchison 4,29317.3−3.5
    Majority 16,21465.4N/A
    Turnout 24,80048.1N/A
    Unionist hold Swing N/A
    General election, November 1935: Combined Scottish Universities [4]
    PartyCandidateVotes%±%
    Unionist John Graham Kerr 8,252 30.4 N/A
    National Liberal George Morrison 7,529 27.7 N/A
    Unionist Noel Skelton [5] 7,479 27.6 N/A
    SNP Andrew Dewar Gibb 3,86514.2New
    Majority 72313.4N/A
    Turnout 27,125N/A
    Unionist hold Swing
    1936 Combined Scottish Universities by-election [6]
    PartyCandidateVotes%±%
    National Labour Ramsay MacDonald 16,393 56.5 New
    SNP Andrew Dewar Gibb 9,03431.1+16.9
    Labour David Cleghorn Thomson 3,59712.4New
    Majority 7,35937.4N/A
    Turnout 29,02454.8+3.6
    National Labour gain from Unionist Swing N/A
    1938 Combined Scottish Universities by-election [7]
    PartyCandidateVotes%±%
    National John Anderson 14,042 48.8 −7.7
    Independent Frances H. Melville5,61819.5New
    SNP Andrew Dewar Gibb 5,24618.2−12.9
    Independent Progressive Peter Chalmers Mitchell 3,86813.5New
    Majority 8,42429.3+3.9
    Turnout 28,77452.1−2.7
    National hold Swing

    Elections in the 1940s

    1945 Combined Scottish Universities by-election
    PartyCandidateVotes%±%
    Independent John Boyd-Orr 20,197 71.2 N/A
    National Liberal R.M. Munro8,17728.8N/A
    Majority 12,02043.4N/A
    Turnout 28,37444.6−7.5
    Registered electors 63,581
    Independent gain from National Liberal Swing
    1945 general election: Combined Scottish Universities
    PartyCandidateVotes%±%
    National Green check.svgY John Anderson 16,011 48.8 New
    Independent Green check.svgY John Boyd-Orr 10,685 32.6 New
    Labour Halliday Sutherland 2,8608.7N/A
    Liberal Ralph Somerville Weir1,8725.7N/A
    Unionist Green check.svgY John Graham Kerr 1,361 4.2 −53.8
    Majority 7,82523.9
    Turnout 32,78951.6+3.5
    National hold Swing N/A
    Independent hold Swing N/A
    Unionist hold Swing N/A
    1946 Combined Scottish Universities by-election
    PartyCandidateVotes%±%
    Unionist Walter Elliot 22,152 68.2 +64.0
    Labour C. E. M. Joad 3,73111.5+2.8
    Liberal John Bannerman 2,5938.0+2.3
    Independent J. G. Jameson2,0806.4N/A
    National Liberal Robert Scott Stevenson1,9385.9N/A
    Majority 18,42156.7N/A
    Turnout 32,49450.7−0.9
    Unionist gain from Independent Swing

    References

    1. ↑ Whitaker's Almanack, 1920
    2. ↑ Oliver and Boyd's Edinburgh Almanack, 1927
    3. ↑ The Times, 11 June 1929
    4. ↑ The Times, 26 November 1935
    5. ↑ Skelton died on 22 November, and his election was announced posthumously
    6. ↑ "Ex-Premier returned to Parliament. 7359 Majority in Universities By-election". The Glasgow Herald . 4 February 1936. p. 9. Retrieved 19 March 2017.
    7. ↑ "Universities By-election. Sir J. Anderson's Success". The Glasgow Herald . 1 March 1938. p. 3. Retrieved 19 March 2017.
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