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1889 West Carmarthenshire by-election
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UK Parliamentary by-election in Wales
April 2022
The 1889 West Carmarthenshire by-election was a parliamentary by-election held for the British House of Commons constituency of West Carmarthenshire in Wales on 17 July 1889.
The by-election was caused by the death of the sitting Liberal MP, W. R. H. Powell.
Candidates
The Liberals had won the seat comfortably in 1885, with Powell heavily defeating the former Conservative member for Carmarthenshire, Viscount Emlyn. The party moved quickly to choose a new candidate and there was a strong feeling that the new candidate should be a nonconformist. Their choice fell upon John Lloyd Morgan, son of William Morgan, former principal of the Presbyterian College at Carmarthen, who was chosen unanimously following a selection conference at Carmarthen.Conference of Liberals at Carmarthen Welshman 5 July 1889
There was no certainty that the Conservatives would contest the seat, and an editorial in the Liberal-inclined Carmarthen newspaper, the Welshman, expressed the view that unless the former member, Lord Emlyn, could be induced to come forward, the party's prospects were poor.editorial Welshman 5 July 1889 Emlyn declined, and the Conservative choice, fell upon Hugh Williams-Drummond, a member of another prominent Carmarthenshire family.
Thus, within a couple of weeks, both the Liberal and Conservative parties had chosen candidates who were of a similar age and who were both fighting their first parliamentary campaign. John Lloyd Morgan, the Liberal candidate, was thought to have an advantage over his Conservative opponent, Hugh Williams-Drummond, in that he was known to the electorate, having spoken for the former member at the previous election.Editorial http://welshnewspapers.llgc.org.uk/en/page/view/3760925/ART41 7 December 2014 Carmarthen Journal 12 July 1889
Result
1889 West Carmarthenshire by-electionCraig, F. W. S. (1974). British parliamentary election results 1885-1918 (1 ed.). London and Basingstoke: The Macmillan Press Ltd. 9780333169032. Page 473The Constitutional Year Book, 1904, published by Conservative Central Office, page 177 (201 in web page)West Carmarthenshire Election http://welshnewspapers.llgc.org.uk/en/page/view/3760935/ART47 6 December 2014 Carmarthen Journal 19 July 1889
Liberal Party (UK)
John Lloyd Morgan
4,252
62.7
-5.9
Conservative Party (UK)
Hugh Henry John Williams-Drummond
2,533
37.3
+5.9
1,719
25.4
-11.8
6,785
72.3
+11.1
9,379
Liberal Party (UK)
-5.9
References
Category:By-elections to the Parliament of the United Kingdom in Welsh constituencies
Category:19th century in Carmarthenshire
Category:1889 elections in the United Kingdom
Category:1889 in Wales
Category:1880s elections in Wales