Queen's University of Belfast (Northern Ireland Parliament constituency)

Last updated

Queen's University of Belfast
Former University Constituency
for the Parliament of Northern Ireland
Queen's University of Belfast, Lanyon building, May 2006.jpg
Queen's University of Belfast shown within Northern Ireland
Former constituency
Created1921
Abolished1969
Election method Single transferable vote

Queen's University of Belfast was a university constituency of the Parliament of Northern Ireland from 1921 until 1969. It returned four MPs, using proportional representation by means of the single transferable vote. In 1969 the constituency was abolished under the reforms carried out by the Prime Minister of Northern Ireland Terence O'Neill.

Contents

Franchise

The constituency was created by the Government of Ireland Act 1920 and its four MPs were elected by the graduates of Queen's University of Belfast.

Second Dáil

In May 1921, Dáil Éireann, the parliament of the self-declared Irish Republic run by Sinn Féin, passed a resolution declaring that elections to the House of Commons of Northern Ireland and the House of Commons of Southern Ireland would be used as the election for the Second Dáil. [1] All those elected were on the roll of the Second Dáil, but as no Sinn Féin MP was elected for Queen's University, it was not represented there. [2]

Members of Parliament

ElectionMemberPartyMemberPartyMemberPartyMemberParty
MPs
(1921)
John Campbell UUP John Hanna Robb UUP Robert James Johnstone UUP Hugh Morrison UUP
MPs
(1929)
Robert Corkey UUP Robert McNeill Ind U
MPs
(1935)
Arthur Brownlow Mitchell UUP
MPs
(1938)
John MacDermott UUP
MPs
(1938)
Howard Stevenson UUP
MPs
(1942)
William Lyle UUP
MPs
(1943)
John W. Renshaw UUP
MPs
(1944)
Herbert Quin UUP
MPs
(1945)
Frederick McSorley Independent Irene Calvert Independent
MPs
1948
Samuel Irwin UUP
MPs
(1949)
Eileen M. Hickey Independent William Lyle UUP
MPs
(1949)
Frederick Lloyd-Dodd UUP
MPs
(1953)
Elizabeth Maconachie UUP
MPs
(1958)
Charles Stewart Independent
MPs
(1961)
Sheelagh Murnaghan Ulster Liberal
MPs
(1962)
Ian McClure UUP
MPs
(1966)
Robert Porter UUP

Election results

Elections in the 1920s

1921 General Election: Queen's University of Belfast (4 seats)
PartyCandidateFPv%Count
123
UUP John Campbell 43.35835  
UUP John Hanna Robb 19.11368438 
UUP Professor Robert James Johnstone 14.49279602 
UUP Hugh Smith Morrison 12.62243296 564
Sinn Féin Sean B. Dolan10.44201204 204
Electorate: 2,528  Valid: 1,926  Quota: 386  Turnout: 76.19%  
    At the 1925 Northern Ireland general election, John Campbell, Robert James Johnstone, Hugh Morrison and John Hanna Robb were elected unopposed.
    1929 General Election: Queen's University of Belfast (4 seats)
    PartyCandidateFPv%Count
    123
    UUP John Hanna Robb 24.9528  
    UUP Robert Corkey 24.0510  
    Ind U Robert McNeill 20.8441  
    UUP Robert James Johnstone 16.0340397 438
    UUP Arthur Brownlow Mitchell14.2302348 392
    Electorate: 3,324  Valid: 2,121  Quota: 425  Turnout: 63.8%  

      Elections in the 1930s

      1933 General Election: Queen's University of Belfast (4 seats)
      PartyCandidateFPv%Count
      12
      UUP Robert James Johnstone 29.5695 
      UUP Robert Corkey 21.7512 
      UUP John Hanna Robb 19.1451472
      Ind U Robert McNeill 15.6368604
      Independent Frederick McSorley14.0331337
      Electorate: 3,800  Valid: 2,357  Quota: 472  Turnout: 62.0%  
        At the 1935 Queen's University of Belfast by-election, Arthur Brownlow Mitchell was elected unopposed.
        1938 General Election: Queen's University of Belfast (4 seats)
        PartyCandidate1st Pref %SeatCount
        UUP Robert Corkey 60824.811
        UUP Robert James Johnstone 60024.521
        UUP Arthur Brownlow Mitchell 36914.735
        Independent Frederick McSorley 3595
        Ind U S. Sims25910.63
        UUP John MacDermott 25310.345
        Turnout 2,44861.1– 0.9
        At the 1938 Queen's University of Belfast by-election, Howard Stevenson was elected unopposed.

        Elections in the 1940s

        At the 1942 Queen's University of Belfast by-election, William Lyle was elected unopposed.
        At the 1943 Queen's University of Belfast by-election, John W. Renshaw was elected unopposed.
        1944 Queen's University of Belfast by-election
        PartyCandidateVotes%±%
        UUP Herbert Quin 1,178 53.6 -20.7
        Independent Irene Calvert 1,02046.4New
        Majority15871.8N/A
        Turnout 2,19846.7– 14.4
        UUP hold Swing N/A
        1945 General Election: Queen's University of Belfast (4 seats)
        PartyCandidate1st Pref %SeatCount
        Independent Frederick McSorley 64921.611
        UUP Howard Stevenson 58019.321
        Independent Irene Calvert 57018.931
        UUP Herbert Quin 53517.843
        UUP E. B. Wallace2869.53
        UUP William Lyle 2799.33
        Ind U S. Sims1093.62
        Turnout 3,00859.1– 2.0
        1948 Queen's University of Belfast by-election
        PartyCandidateVotes%±%
        UUP Samuel Irwin 2,735 70.8 +13.9
        Independent Eileen M. Hickey 1,12629.2New
        Majority1,60941.7N/A
        Turnout 3,86157.4– 1.7
        UUP hold Swing N/A
        1949 General Election: Queen's University of Belfast (4 seats)
        PartyCandidate1st Pref %SeatCount
        UUP Samuel Irwin 1,66231.711
        Independent Eileen M. Hickey 1,07320.521
        Independent Irene Calvert 95518.233
        UUP E. B. Wallace62011.83
        UUP William Lyle 58811.243
        UUP Howard Stevenson 3396.52
        Turnout 5,23775.0+ 15.9
        1949 Queen's University of Belfast by-election
        PartyCandidateVotes%±%
        UUP Frederick Lloyd-Dodd 2,100 54.0 -7.2
        Ind U N. S. Dickson1,31233.7New
        Independent E. Reid47912.3New
        Majority74919.2N/A
        Turnout 3,89154.2– 20.8
        UUP hold Swing N/A

        Elections in the 1950s

        1953 General Election: Queen's University of Belfast (4 seats)
        PartyCandidate1st Pref %SeatCount
        UUP Samuel Irwin 1,84032.911
        Independent Eileen M. Hickey 1,20621.621
        UUP Elizabeth Maconachie 94016.842
        UUP Frederick Lloyd-Dodd 70612.632
        Independent R. Appleton5399.62
        NI Labour Sam Napier 2975.32
        Turnout 5,58663.7– 11.3
        1958 General Election: Queen's University of Belfast (4 seats)
        PartyCandidate1st Pref %SeatCount
        UUP Samuel Irwin 1,64028.311
        Independent Charles Stewart 1,21821.021
        UUP Elizabeth Maconachie 1,13119.532
        Ulster Liberal Albert McElroy 75913.14
        UUP Frederick Lloyd-Dodd 70612.244
        NI Labour S. J. Watt3455.92
        Turnout 5,79952.9– 10.8

        Elections in the 1960s

        1961 Queen's University of Belfast by-election
        PartyCandidateVotes%±%
        Ulster Liberal Sheelagh Murnaghan 2,622 52.5 +39.4
        UUP Samuel Rodgers 2,37047.5-12.5
        Majority2525.0N/A
        Turnout 4,99245.1– 7.8
        Ulster Liberal gain from UUP Swing N/A
        1962 General Election: Queen's University of Belfast (4 seats)
        PartyCandidate1st Pref %SeatCount
        UUP Ian McClure 2,04030.011
        Ulster Liberal Sheelagh Murnaghan 1,69824.921
        UUP Elizabeth Maconachie 1,25218.432
        Independent Charles Stewart 1,22017.943
        UUP H. R. Brown5978.83
        Turnout 6,80753.8+ 0.9
        At the 1965 Northern Ireland general election, Harold McClure, Elizabeth Maconachie, Sheelagh Murnaghan and Charles Stewart were elected unopposed.
        1966 Queen's University of Belfast by-election
        PartyCandidateVotes%±%
        UUP Robert Porter 3,717 55.6 N/A
        Ulster Liberal Albert McElroy 2,96844.4N/A
        Majority74911.2N/A
        Turnout 6,68548.7N/A
        UUP gain from Independent Swing N/A

        Related Research Articles

        Queen's University of Belfast was a university constituency represented in the House of Commons of the United Kingdom Parliament from 1918 until 1950.

        There were two elections in Ireland on 24 May 1921, as a result of the Government of Ireland Act 1920 to establish the House of Commons of Northern Ireland and the House of Commons of Southern Ireland. A resolution of Dáil Éireann on 10 May 1921 held that these elections were to be regarded as elections to Dáil Éireann and that all those returned at these elections be regarded as members of Dáil Éireann. According to this theory of Irish republicanism, these elections provided the membership of the Second Dáil. The Second Dáil lasted 297 days.

        North Kilkenny was a parliamentary constituency in Ireland, represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It returned one Member of Parliament (MP) from 1885 to 1922.

        Cromac, a division of Belfast, was a UK parliamentary constituency in Ireland. It returned one Member of Parliament (MP) to the House of Commons of the United Kingdom from 1918 to 1922, using the first past the post electoral system.

        Duncairn, a division of Belfast, was a UK parliamentary constituency in Ireland. It returned one Member of Parliament (MP) to the House of Commons of the United Kingdom from 1918 to 1922, using the first past the post electoral system.

        Falls, a division of Belfast, was a UK parliamentary constituency in Ireland. It returned one Member of Parliament (MP) to the House of Commons of the United Kingdom from 1918 to 1922, using the first past the post electoral system.

        Ormeau, a division of Belfast, was a UK parliamentary constituency in Ireland. It returned one Member of Parliament (MP) to the House of Commons of the United Kingdom from 1918 to 1922, using the first past the post electoral system.

        Pottinger, a division of Belfast, was a UK parliamentary constituency in Ireland. It returned one Member of Parliament (MP) to the House of Commons of the United Kingdom from 1918 to 1922, using the first past the post electoral system.

        Shankill, a division of Belfast, was a UK parliamentary constituency in Northern Ireland. It returned one Member of Parliament (MP) to the House of Commons of the United Kingdom from 1918 to 1922, using the first past the post electoral system.

        St Anne's, a division of Belfast, was a UK parliamentary constituency in Ireland. It returned one Member of Parliament (MP) to the House of Commons of the United Kingdom from 1918 to 1922, using the first past the post electoral system.

        Victoria, a division of Belfast, was a UK parliamentary constituency in Ireland. It returned one Member of Parliament (MP) to the House of Commons of the United Kingdom from 1918 to 1922, using the first past the post electoral system.

        Woodvale, a division of Belfast, was a UK parliamentary constituency in Ireland. It returned one Member of Parliament (MP) to the House of Commons of the United Kingdom from 1918 to 1922, using the first past the post electoral system.

        Mid Down was a UK parliamentary constituency in Ireland. It returned one Member of Parliament (MP) to the British House of Commons from 1918 to 1922, using the first past the post electoral system.

        National University of Ireland (NUI) is a university constituency in Ireland, which currently elects three senators to Seanad Éireann. Its electorate is the graduates of the university, which has a number of constituent universities. It previously elected members to the House of Commons of the United Kingdom (1918–21), to the House of Commons of Southern Ireland (1921) and to Dáil Éireann (1918–1936).

        The Government of Ireland Act 1920 was an Act passed by the Parliament of the United Kingdom to create two separate parliaments in Ireland: the Parliament of Northern Ireland and the Parliament of Southern Ireland. The Fifth Schedule to this act provided the constituencies for the House of Commons in these two separate parliaments. These same constituencies also replaced those provided in the Redistribution of Seats (Ireland) Act 1918 for representation of Ireland in the House of Commons of the United Kingdom at Westminster. Sinn Féin used these constituencies to elect the Second Dáil (1921–22) and those constituencies in Southern Ireland were used to elect the Third Dáil (1922–23).

        Belfast West (Northern Ireland Parliament constituency)

        Belfast West was a borough constituency of the Parliament of Northern Ireland from 1921 to 1929. It returned four MPs, using proportional representation by means of the single transferable vote.

        Belfast South (Northern Ireland Parliament constituency)

        Belfast South was a borough constituency of the Parliament of Northern Ireland from 1921 to 1929. It returned four MPs, using proportional representation by means of the single transferable vote.

        Belfast East (Northern Ireland Parliament constituency)

        Belfast East was a borough constituency of the Parliament of Northern Ireland from 1921 to 1929. It returned four MPs, using proportional representation by means of the single transferable vote.

        The Anglo-Irish Treaty was signed in London on 6 December 1921 and Dáil Éireann voted to approve the treaty on 7 January 1922, following a debate through late December 1921 and into January 1922. The vote was 64 in favour, 57 against, with the Ceann Comhairle and 3 others not voting. The Sinn Féin party split into opposing sides in the aftermath of the Treaty vote, which led to the Irish Civil War from June 1922 to May 1923.

        Belfast North (Northern Ireland Parliament constituency)

        Belfast North was a borough constituency of the Parliament of Northern Ireland from 1921 to 1929. It returned four MPs, using proportional representation by means of the single transferable vote.

        References

        1. "Dáil Éireann debate - Tuesday, 10 May 1921 - PRESIDENT'S STATEMENT. - ELECTIONS". Houses of the Oireachtas. Retrieved 20 February 2019.
        2. "APPENDIX 19 DÁIL ÉIREANN". Houses of the Oireachtas. 16 August 1921. Retrieved 20 February 2019.