1919 Aberdeenshire and Kincardineshire Central by-election

UK parliamentary by-election December 2020 November 2013 1919 Aberdeenshire and Kincardine Central by-election United Kingdom by-election Popular Aberdeen and Kincardine Central#Elections in the 1910s 1918 1919 04 16 yes (Polling)1919 04 30 yes (Declaration) Aberdeen and Kincardine Central#Elections in the 1920s 1922 26,315 50.1% File:Murdoch McKenzie Wood (cropped).jpg Murdoch McKenzie Wood Scottish Liberal Party 4,950 37.5% 9.9% Unionist Party (Scotland) Leybourne Davidson Unionist Party (Scotland) Coalition 4,764 36.1% 16.5% Labour Party (UK) Joseph Forbes Duncan Scottish Labour Party Independent Labour Party 3,482 26.4% New MP Alexander Theodore Gordon Unionist Party (UK) Subsequent MP Murdoch McKenzie Wood Liberal Party (UK) The 1919 Aberdeenshire and Kincardine Central by-election was a parliamentary by-election held for the British House of Commons constituency of Aberdeen and Kincardine Central on 16 April 1919. Background The seat had become vacant when the Coalition Conservative Member of Parliament (MP) Alexander Theodore Gordon died on 6 March 1919 aged just 37, from heart failure after suffering from influenza. He had held the seat only since the 1918 general election.DEATH OF LIEUT.-COL. A. T. GORDON. M.P. for Central Aberdeen https://www-britishnewspaperarchive-co-uk/viewer/bl/0000576/19190307/066/0004 6 May 2026 Aberdeen Press and Journal 7 March 1919 4 According to reports in The Times, popular opinion was swinging against the coalition government of David Lloyd George and Bonar Law and the Independent, Asquithian Liberals were making the most of the government's popularity to revive.The Times, London, 8 March 1919 Electoral history General election 1918: Aberdeen and Kincardine CentralThe Times, 30 December 1918 Unionist Party (Scotland) Alexander Theodore Gordon 6,546 52.6 Scottish Liberal Party John Henderson 5,908 47.4 638 5.2 12,454 47.3 26,315 Unionist Party (Scotland) Candidates Coalition The Liberal candidate at the 1918 general election, John Henderson, who had been Liberal MP for West Aberdeenshire since 1906 The Times guide to the House of Commons Vol. 3, 1910–1918., London: Politico's Publishing 2004, p.108. 978-1-84275-034-6 had only lost to Gordon by the narrow margin of 638 votes. Henderson had been expected to be the Liberals' by-election candidate. In fact, because of Henderson's strong showing at the general election and the traditional strength of the Liberal Party in the area, the Coalition whips were apparently prepared to endorse him for the by-election, giving him the equivalent of coalition coupon which had been offered to authorised candidates at the 1918 general election. Henderson, no doubt eager to return to Parliament, and fully supported by the local Liberal Association, had reportedly made his peace with Freddie Guest, Lloyd George's Chief Whip. However the local Conservatives were not happy with this arrangement and decided to stand their own candidate, Mr L F W Davidson.The Times, London, 19 March 1919 This situation proved depressing for the Coalition leaders and no 'coupon' was forthcoming for either Henderson or Davidson by the time the by-election writ was moved on 24 March.The Times, London, 22 March 1919 Liberal Henderson further muddied the waters by standing down as Liberal candidate and the local Association turned instead to Major Murdoch McKenzie Wood, a barrister and former Gordon Highlander, who had unsuccessfully fought Ayr Burghs at the 1918 general election.The Times, London, 14 April 1919 By the time the by-election campaigning was properly under way, the 'coupon', such as it was, had presumably been bestowed on Davidson as he was described in the election literature and the press as the Coalition Unionist or Coalition Conservative candidate. Labour The contest was a three-cornered affair, with Joseph F. Duncan, the general secretary of the Scottish Farm Servants' Union, fighting the seat for Labour.The Times, London, 26 March 1919. Result Duncan's candidacy was expected to complicate the possible outcome of the election by splitting the anti-Coalition vote.The Times, London, 15 April 1919 In the event, this turned out to be the case but not by quite enough to deliver the seat to the Coalition candidate and Wood was returned to Parliament with a majority of 186 over Davidson. Aberdeen and Kincardine Central by-election, 1919 Scottish Liberal Party Murdoch McKenzie Wood 4,950 37.5 −9.9 Unionist Party (Scotland) Leybourne Davidson 4,764 36.1 -16.5 Scottish Labour Party Joseph Forbes Duncan 3,482 26.4 New 186 1.4 N/A 13,196 50.1 +2.8 26,315 Scottish Liberal Party Unionist Party (Scotland) +3.3 Aftermath The combined Liberal and Labour vote amounted to 63.9% of the poll and was clearly a severe blow to the Coalition, coming so soon after their overwhelming success in the 1918 general election and hard on the heels of other by-election defeats in Hull and Leyton West. As was pointed out in The Times, no Coalition seat could be considered safe given the temper of the electorate at the time and the Coalition coupon which had been a talisman for candidates a few short weeks before was turning into a curse.The Times, London, 1 May 1919. See also List of United Kingdom by-elections (1918–1931) United Kingdom by-election records References Craig Fred W. S. F. W. S. Craig British parliamentary election results 1918–1949 1983 Parliamentary Research Services Chichester 978-0-900178-06-1 a 1 March 2012 Category:By-elections to the Parliament of the United Kingdom in Scottish constituencies Aberdeenshire and Kincardineshire Central by-election Category:1910s elections in Scotland Aberdeenshire and Kincardineshire Central by-election Aberdeenshire and Kincardineshire Central by-election