1920 Dartford by-election

UK Parliamentary by-election August 2019 August 2019 1920 Dartford by-election United Kingdom by-election Popular Dartford (UK Parliament constituency)#Elections in the 1910s 1918 1920 03 27 yes (Polling)1920 04 10 yes (Declaration) Dartford (UK Parliament constituency)#Elections in the 1920s 1922 44,281 61.3% File:John Edmund Mills (cropped).jpg John Mills Labour Party (UK) 13,610 50.1% 21.4% File:Thomas Wing.jpg Thomas Wing Liberal Party (UK) 4,562 16.8% New Unionist Party (UK) Richard Meller Unionist Party (UK) Coalition 4,221 15.6% New File:Reginald Applin (cropped).jpg Reginald Applin National Party (UK, 1917) 2,952 10.9% New Independent Unionist Frank Emil Fehr Independent Unionist 1,802 6.6% New MP James Rowlands Coalition Liberal Subsequent MP John Mills Labour Party (UK) The 1920 Dartford by-election was held on 27 March 1920. The by-election was held due to the death of the incumbent Coalition Liberal MP, James Rowlands. It was won by the Labour candidate John Edmund Mills.May 2021 Background The incumbent member James Rowlands had been first elected in 1906 as a Lib–Lab candidate, before becoming a Coalition Liberal on the 1916 formation of the Coalition Government. He had substantially increased his majority in 1918 defeating Labour Candidate William Ling by 42.8%. He died on 1 March 1920 and the writs for the by election were issues on 12 March. Candidates Coalition Liberal The Coalition Liberals opted not the defend the seat, instead backing the Unionist candidate. Labour John Mills, engineer and member of Woolwich Borough Council Liberal Thomas Wing, member for Houghton-le-Spring (1913–1918) and Great Grimsby (1910) Conservative Richard Meller, barrister and member of Surrey County Council National Reginald Applin, Lieutenant colonel in the British Army Other Frank Emil Fehr, businessman and underwriter Result Dartford by-election, 1920Craig Fred W. S British parliamentary election results, 1918-1949 https://archive.org/details/britishparliamen0000crai/ Political Reference Publications 0900178019 5 April 2025 1969The Constitutional Year Book, 1925 Labour Party (UK) John Edmund Mills 13,610 50.1 +21.4 Liberal Party (UK) Thomas Wing 4,562 16.8 N/A Unionist Party (UK) Richard Meller 4,221 15.6 New National Party (UK, 1917) Reginald Applin 2,952 10.9 New Independent Unionist Frank Emil Fehr 1,802 6.6 New 9,048 33.3 N/A 27,147 61.3 +13.4 44,281 Labour Party (UK) Coalition Liberal N/A Aftermath Mills would lose the seat to back to the National Liberals in 1922. References Category:1920 in England Category:Borough of Dartford Category:1920 elections in the United Kingdom Category:By-elections to the Parliament of the United Kingdom in Kent constituencies Category:1920s in Kent Category:March 1920 in the United Kingdom