1909 Edinburgh East by-election

The Edinburgh East by-election was a Parliamentary by-election. It returned one Member of Parliament to the House of Commons of the United Kingdom, elected by the first past the post voting system.

1909 Edinburgh East by-election
16 April 1909
 
Candidate Gibson Ford
Party Liberal Liberal Unionist
Popular vote 4,527 4,069
Percentage 52.7 47.3
MP before election

Sir George McCrae
Liberal

 Subsequent MP

Sir James Gibson
Liberal

Vacancy

Sir George McCrae had been Liberal MP for the seat of Edinburgh East since the 1899 Edinburgh East by-election. He resigned from the House of Commons to take up a position in Scottish government service, accepting the appointment of Vice-President of the Scottish Local Government Board.[1]

Electoral history

The seat had been won by a Liberal at every election since it was created in 1885. They easily held the seat at the last election, with an increased majority;

General election 1906: Edinburgh East[2][3]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal George McCrae 6,606 73.1 +14.6
Liberal Unionist Rankin Dawson 2,432 26.9 −14.6
Majority 4,174 46.2 +29.2
Turnout 9,038 78.1 +8.9
Registered electors 11,572
Liberal hold Swing +14.6

Candidates

The local Liberal Association selected 60-year-old James Gibson to defend the seat. He had been Lord Provost, of Edinburgh since 1906. The Conservatives selected 29-year-old Patrick Ford as their candidate.

Campaign

Polling Day was fixed for 16 April 1909.

Result

The Liberal majority was only a ninth of their 1906 result. This was generally ascribed to the loss of the Roman Catholic vote because of the failure to settle the education question.;[4]

Gibson
Edinburgh East by-election, 1909[3]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal James Gibson 4,527 52.7 −20.4
Liberal Unionist Patrick Ford 4,069 47.3 +20.4
Majority 458 5.4 −40.8
Turnout 8,596 73.4 −4.7
Registered electors 11,
Liberal hold Swing −20.4

Aftermath
General election January 1910: Edinburgh East
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal James Gibson 6,760 61.3 +8.6
Liberal Unionist Patrick Ford 4,273 38.7 -8.6
Majority 2,487 22.6 +17.2
Turnout 11,033 88.0 +14.6
Registered electors 12,544
Liberal hold Swing +8.6

References
  1. Edmund Burke, The Annual Register of World Events: A Review of the Year; Longmans, Green, 1910
  2. Whitaker's Almanack, 1907
  3. Craig, FWS, ed. (1974). British Parliamentary Election Results: 1885-1918. London: Macmillan Press. ISBN 9781349022984.
  4. A Liberal Chronicle: Journals and Papers of J.A. Pease
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