1912 Hackney South by-election

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

Hackney South in London, 1912

Vacancy

In May 1912, Horatio Bottomley, the controversial Liberal MP for Hackney South, was forced resign his seat when he was declared bankrupt. Bottomley had been unpopular with a large portion of the party's activists in Hackney, who had run their own candidate against him in December 1910.

Electoral history
General election December 1910: Hackney South[1]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Independent Horatio Bottomley 5,068 59.2
Conservative Sydney Charles Nettleton King-Farlow 3,243 31.6
Liberal Richard Roberts 1,946 19.0
Majority 1,825 27.6
Turnout 10,257
Independent hold Swing

Candidates

The two Liberal factions came together to nominate Hector Morison for the vacancy.[2] Morison was a 62-year-old Scottish member of the London Stock Exchange. He was also a former Member of Parliament, he had sat for Eastbourne from January to December 1910, when he was defeated.[3]

The Unionists selected John Constant Gibson, a 51-year-old Scottish businessman.[4]

Result
Morison
Hackney South by-election, 1912[5]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Hector Morison 5,339 52.5 +33.5
Conservative John Constant Gibson 4,836 47.5 +15.9
Majority 503 5.0 N/A
Turnout 10,175 70.1
Liberal gain from Independent Swing
General election 14 December 1918: Hackney South[6]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Independent Horatio Bottomley 11,145 79.7 New
Liberal
  • Arthur Henri
 2,830 20.3 -32.2
Majority 8,315 59.4 N/A
Turnout 13,975
Independent gain from Liberal Swing
  • Henri was the endorsed candidate of the Coalition Government.

Aftermath

Morison served only one term as a member of the Commons. He chose to retire at the next general election in 1918. Horatio Bottomley, whose bankruptcy had been annulled, regained the Hackney South seat as an independent though he would later be expelled again, leading to the 1922 Hackney South by-election.

References
  1. Craig, F. W. S. (1974). British parliamentary election results 1885-1918
  2. "Resignation Of Mr. Bottomley. A By-Election In Hackney". The Times. 17 May 1912. p. 7.
  3. Who's Who
  4. Who's Who
  5. Craig, F. W. S. (1974). British parliamentary election results 1885-1918
  6. Craig, F. W. S. (1974). British parliamentary election results 1885-1918
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