1905 Finsbury East by-election

UK parliamentary by-election September 2015 September 2015 1905 Finsbury East by-election presidential United Kingdom Finsbury East (UK Parliament constituency)#Elections in the 1900s 1900 Finsbury East (UK Parliament constituency)#Elections in the 1900s 1906 29 June 1905 Baker 85px Liberal Party (UK) 2,320 59.9% Cohen Conservative Party (UK) 1,552 40.1% FinsburyEast1885.png 250px MP Subsequent MP Richards Conservative Party (UK) Baker Liberal Party (UK) The 1905 Finsbury East by-election was a Parliamentary by-election held on 29 June 1905.Craig F.W.S. 1987 Chronology of British Parliamentary By-elections 1833–1987 Chichester Parliamentary Research Services 99 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 The vacancy came about due to the death of the sitting member, Henry Charles Richards on 1 June 1905. Richards died in a London nursing home of heart disease, aged 54. He had been Conservative MP for the seat of Finsbury East since the 1895 general election. Electoral history The seat had been Conservative since Richards gained it in 1895 from the Liberals. He easily held the seat at the last election, with an increased vote share: thumb|left|120px|Richards General election 1900: Finsbury EastBritish Parliamentary Election Results 1885–1918, F. W. S. Craig Conservative Party (UK) Henry Charles Richards 2,174 54.3 +1.1 Liberal Party (UK) Joseph Allen Baker 1,827 45.7 -1.1 347 8.6 +2.2 4,001 70.5 -2.3 Conservative Party (UK) +1.1 Candidates The Conservatives selected Nathaniel Cohen as their candidate to defend the seat. He had contested the 1900 general election as Conservative candidate for Penryn and Falmouth. The local Liberal Association re-selected 53-year-old Allen Baker to challenge for the seat. He was a Canadian- born engineer, specialising in machinery for the confectionery and bakery industries. He was a Quaker. Baker followed his father's professional footsteps and entered the family engineering business. In 1879 they set up business in Finsbury. As Quakers, the Baker family tried to run a model business taking a paternal interest in the welfare of their workforce and introducing schemes such as shorter working days, encouraging employees to participate in health and insurance plans and fostering a relaxed approach on the shop floor, perhaps to the detriment of profits.http://www.bphs.net/GroupFacilities/J/JosephBakerAndSons/index.htm#13 Joseph Baker and Sons www.bphs.net Baker and Sons also had connections to the motor car industry and in around 1902, the company held an agency for the American car manufacturers Stevens-Duryea. Baker had represented East Finsbury on the London County Council (LCC) as a Progressive since 1895. During his time on the LCC he acted as Chairman of the Highways Committee.Who was Who, OUP 2007 Campaign Polling Day was fixed for 29 June 1905, 28 days after the death of the previous member. The Liberal campaign was launched with a visit from leading Liberal MP John Burns to speak on Allen Baker's platform.J. Allen Baker, Member of Parliament: A Memoir The two candidates throughout the campaign were on the most cordial of terms. However, they differed on the key issue of trade. Cohen supported Chamberlain's Imperial Preference campaign for Tariff Reform. Allen Baker's Canadian background helped him to counter this policy in support of Free trade. At the previous General Election, Allen Baker had opposed the Boer War and that stance now seemed to be of help to his campaign. On the eve of poll, David Lloyd George who spoke at Allen Baker's final meeting wound up the Radicals to a frenzy of excitement with one of the greatest of his election speeches. Result Polling Day was wet, which usually told against the Liberal Party, but they gained the seat and recorded a massive 14.2% swing: thumb|120px|Baker Finsbury East by-election, 1905 Liberal Party (UK) Joseph Allen Baker 2,320 59.9 +14.2 Conservative Party (UK) Nathaniel Louis Cohen 1,552 40.1 -14.2 768 19.8 N/A 3,872 73.0 +2.5 Liberal Party (UK) Conservative Party (UK) +14.2 Aftermath At the 1906 general election, Baker and the Liberals held the seat with a slightly reduced majority: General election January 1906: Finsbury East Liberal Party (UK) Joseph Allen Baker 2,461 58.1 -1.8 Conservative Party (UK) Alfred Cholmeley Earle Welby 1,772 41.9 +1.8 689 16.2 -3.6 4,233 79.5 +6.5 Liberal Party (UK) -1.8 Cohen did not stand for parliament again, however he served on the London County Council representing the City of London from 1907 to 1911. References Finsbury East by-election Finsbury East by-election Finsbury East,1905 Finsbury East,1905