1911 Cambridge University by-election

UK parliamentary by-election April 2022 1911 Cambridge University by-election parliamentary 11–16 February 1911 No x160px Conservative Party (UK) Joseph Larmor 2,308 50.3% FT Free Trade Harold Cox 1,954 42.5% x160px Independent Conservative Thomas Ethelbert Page 332 7.2% MP Joseph Larmor Conservative Party (UK) Samuel Butcher United Kingdom 1918 United Kingdom general election Dec. 1910 December 1910 United Kingdom general election 1918 Conservative Party (UK) 64.4% The 1911 Cambridge University by-election was a Parliamentary by-election held on 11-16 February 1911.Craig F.W.S. 1987 Chronology of British Parliamentary By-elections 1833–1987 Chichester Parliamentary Research Services vii The constituency returned two Members of Parliament to the House of Commons of the United Kingdom, elected by the first past the post voting system. Vacancy Samuel Butcher had been Unionist MP for the seat of Cambridge University since the 1906 general election. He died on 29 December 1910 at the age of 60. Electoral history This was a safe Conservative constituency in which a challenger rarely appeared. At both the General Elections in 1910, the two Conservative candidates were returned unopposed. The last contested election was in 1906 when one of the sitting Conservative MPs stood on a platform of Free Trade in opposition to the Unionist tariff reform policies: General election 18 January 1906: Cambridge University (2 seats)British parliamentary election results 1885-1918 by Craig, F. W. S. Conservative Party (UK) Samuel Butcher 3,050 39.72 N/A Conservative Party (UK) John Frederick Peel Rawlinson 2,976 38.76 N/A Free Trade John Eldon Gorst 1,653 21.53 N/A 1,323 17.23 N/A 4,063 65.8 N/A Conservative Party (UK) N/A Conservative Party (UK) N/A Candidates Fifty-four-year-old Sir Joseph Larmor was chosen by the Conservatives to defend the seat. He was the Lucasian Professor of Mathematics at Cambridge. He was standing for parliament for the first time. Fifty-two-year-old Harold Cox stood on the same Free Trade platform used by Gorst in 1906. Cox however was a former Liberal Party MP, having sat for Preston from 1906 to 1910. He opposed many of the social reform policies of the Liberal government and was defeated at the January 1910 general election, where Gorst was standing as an official Liberal candidate. Since then he was appointed by the Conservative backed Municipal Reform Party as an Alderman for the London County Council. A third candidate appeared in the shape of Thomas Ethelbert Page, who also stood on a Conservative platform. He was standing for parliament for the first time. Campaign Polling took place over a five-day period from 11 to 16 February 1911. Result The Conservative Party held the seat. 1911 Cambridge University by-electionBritish parliamentary election results 1885-1918 by Craig, F. W. S. Conservative Party (UK) Joseph Larmor 2,308 50.3 N/A Free Trade Harold Cox 1,954 42.5 N/A Independent Conservative Thomas Ethelbert Page 332 7.2 New 354 7.8 N/A 7,129 64.4 N/A Conservative Party (UK) N/A Aftermath Larmoor was re-elected at the following General Election: General Election 1918: Cambridge University (2 seats)British parliamentary election results 1885-1918 by Craig, F. W. S. 2 John Frederick Peel Rawlinson Coalition Conservative 35.16 2,034   Joseph Larmor Coalition Conservative 32.69 1,891 1,986 William Cecil Dampier Whetham Independent (politician) 21.09 1,220 1,229 J. C. Squire Labour Party (UK) 11.06 640 641 2 9,282 5,785 1,929 62.32% References Category:1911 in England Category:1911 elections in the United Kingdom Category:By-elections to the Parliament of the United Kingdom in Cambridge University Category:20th century in Cambridge Category:February 1911 in the United Kingdom