1913 Linlithgowshire by-election

UK parliamentary by-election December 2023 November 2013 June 2025 thumb|260px|Victorious Liberal candidate John Pratt The 1913 Linlithgowshire by-election was a Parliamentary by-election held on 7 November 1913.Craig F.W.S. 1987 Chronology of British Parliamentary By-elections 1833–1987 Chichester Parliamentary Research Services 108 The constituency returned one Member of Parliament (MP) to the House of Commons of the United Kingdom, elected by the first past the post voting system. Vacancy Alexander Ure had been Liberal Member of Parliament for Linlithgowshire since 1895. In 1913 he was raised to the bench as Lord Strathclyde and appointed Lord Justice General. Previous result thumb|120px|Alexander Ure General election December 1910: Linlithgowshire Scottish Liberal Party Alexander Ure 5,835 60.8 -3.8 Unionist Party (Scotland) James Kidd 3,765 39.2 +3.8 2,070 21.6 -7.6 9,600 81.1 -3.5 Scottish Liberal Party -3.8 Candidates Forty-year-old former Fabian, John Pratt was selected to defend the seat in the Liberal interest. He was Warden of Glasgow University Settlement, 1902–12 and was a Member of Glasgow Town Council, 1906. However, initially, the West Lothian Liberal Association had sought Robert Brown, the Provost of Dalkeith as their candidate. He was Secretary of the Midlothian miners and one of the few miners leaders in Scotland who were sympathetic to the Liberals. The Liberal Party had previously sought after Brown as their candidate for the 1912 Midlothian by-election where he eventually stood as a Labour Party candidate, finishing bottom of the poll. Brown once more turned down the Liberal offer and the Liberals chose Pratt.John MacLean's Scottish Notes, Justice 18 October 1913, page 6 Edinburgh educated 41-year-old James Kidd was re-selected by the Unionists, having fought the seat at the last election. The Labour Party agreed not to put forward a candidate, to avoid splitting the anti-Unionist vote. However, the British Socialist Party, which criticised the Liberal/Labour electoral pact, considered putting forward Robert Small, the Secretary of the West Lothian shale miners. Local branches of the Independent Labour Party also considered running a candidateJohn MacLean's Scottish Notes, Justice 18 October 1913, page 6 Campaign Some 2,000 Irish electors lived in the constituency and they were expected to heavily support the Liberal candidate. Local branches of the Independent Labour Party asked local electors to vote for the Unionist Party candidate.John MacLean's Scottish Notes, Justice 8 November 1913, page 6 Result The Liberals held the seat with a reduced majority. Linlithgowshire by-election 1913 Scottish Liberal Party John Pratt 5,615 52.4 -8.4 Unionist Party (Scotland) James Kidd 5,094 47.6 +8.4 521 4.8 -16.8 10,709 87.8 +6.7 Scottish Liberal Party -8.4 Aftermath A General Election was due to take place by the end of 1915. By the summer of 1914, the following candidates had been adopted to contest that election. Due to the outbreak of war, the election never took place. Scottish Liberal Party: John Pratt Unionist Party: James Kidd For the 1918 elections, Pratt moved to contest Glasgow Cathcart. General election 1918: Linlithgowshire Unionist Party (Scotland) James Kidd 12,898 59.7 +20.5 Labour Party (UK) Manny Shinwell 8,723 40.3 New 4,175 19.2 N/A 21,621 66.4 -14.7 Unionist Party (Scotland) Scottish Liberal Party References Craig, F. W. S. (1974). British parliamentary election results 1885-1918 (1 ed.). London: Macmillan. Who's Who: www.ukwhoswho.com Debrett's House of Commons 1916 Category:1913 in Scotland Category:1910s elections in Scotland Category:1913 elections in the United Kingdom Category:Politics of West Lothian Category:By-elections to the Parliament of the United Kingdom in Scottish constituencies Category:History of West Lothian Category:November 1913 in the United Kingdom