1903 Woolwich by-election

1903 UK parliamentary by-election May 2025 1903 Woolwich by-election parliamentary United Kingdom Woolwich constituency no 1902 Woolwich by-election 1902 1906 United Kingdom general election 1906 11 March 1903 87.7% 16,136 Will Crooks Lab Labour Representation Committee (1900) 8,687 61.4% New Geoffrey Drage File:Geoffrey_Drage.jpg Conservative Party (UK) 5,458 38.6% N/Aunopposed The previous election saw the MP elected unopposed, so no vote was held and no comparisons can be made. MP Charles Beresford Conservative Party (UK) Will Crooks Labour Representation Committee (1900) A by-election for the United Kingdom parliamentary constituency of Woolwich was held on 11 March 1903. It was trigged by the resignation of incumbent MP, Charles Beresford. The by-election resulted in Will Crooks, the Labour Representation Committee candidate, beating his Conservative opponent. Background The constituency had a by-election in 1902 to replace the resignation of Edwin Hughes due to ill health. In this by-election, Charles Beresford was elected unopposed as the Conservative candidate. He subsequently resigned as MP in 1903 after accepting a position as commander of the Channel Fleet.Naval & Military Intelligence 18 April 1903 8 37058Appointments to the Chiltern Hundreds and Manor of Northstead Stewardships since 1880 https://commonslibrary.parliament.uk/research-briefings/sn04731/ House of Commons Library 5 May 2022 Candidates and campaign The Conservative candidate was selected at a meeting attended by Lord Charles Beresford on the day of his resignation. Several candidates were discussed, but the local conservative association accepted the offer of Geoffrey Drage to stand. He was a writer and commentator who had served as member of parliament for Derby from 1895 to 1900, when he lost that seat.Election intelligence 19 February 1903 5 37008 The Labour Representation Committee came to an agreement with the Liberals for them to stand down in the by-election, making the race between solely their candidate, Will Crooks, and the Conservative.Goddard Pete Hatwal Atul Labour history uncut: Lib-Labbery and the 1906 election « Labour Uncut https://labour-uncut.co.uk/2012/12/04/labour-history-uncut-lib-labbery-and-the-1906-election/ 2025-05-24 Local liberal organisations and papers supported Crooks's campaign.Purdue A. W. 1976 Arthur Henderson and Liberal, Liberal-Labour and Labour Politics in the North-East of England, 1892–1903 https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/pdf/10.1179/nhi.1976.11.1.195 Northern History 11 1 195–217 10.1179/nhi.1976.11.1.195 Taylor & Francis subscription Poirier Philip P. The Advent of the British Labour Party Columbia University Press 1958 168–169 Crooks was a moderate, and the mayor of Poplar. During the by-election, he focused on basic economic issues like unemployment, housing and wages. Result 1903 Woolwich by-electionCraig F. W. S. British Parliamentary Election Results: 1885–1918 1974 Macmillan Press London 9781349022984 Labour Representation Committee (1900) Will Crooks 8,687 61.4 New Conservative Party (UK) Geoffrey Drage 5,458 38.6 N/A 3,229 22.8 N/A 14,145 87.7 N/A 16,136 Labour Representation Committee (1900) Conservative Party (UK) N/A Previous result 1902 Woolwich by-election Conservative Party (UK) Charles Beresford 15,376 Conservative Party (UK) Legacy and aftermath Crooks became the fourth Labour MP in the party's history. His by-election victory exceeded expectations at the time,Nick Raynsford in Haworth, Alan, and Hayter, Dianne (eds), Men Who Made Labour, Routledge (2006), p. 50. with the then Speaker of the House describing it as the most spectacular by-election victory of modern times.CENTENARY OF THE ELECTION OF WILLS CROOKS MP - Early Day Motions - UK Parliament https://edm.parliament.uk/early-day-motion/23030/centenary-of-the-election-of-wills-crooks-mp 2025-05-24 edm.parliament.uk Crooks held on to the seat in the subsequent 1906 general election, and remained an MP in Woolwich (later Woolwich East) until 1921, with a brief stint outside Parliament in 1910.The Times House of Commons 1919 1919 The Times Publishing Company (Limited) London 23 Notes References Woolwich by-election Category:Woolwich Woolwich by-election Woolwich,1903 Category:By-elections to the Parliament of the United Kingdom in London constituencies Category:Politics of London