1959 Southend West by-election

The Southend West by-election of 29 January 1959 was held after the death of Conservative Party MP and renowned diarist Henry Channon.

Electoral history

The seat was very safe, having been won at the 1955 United Kingdom general election by almost 18,500 votes[1]

General election 1955
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Henry Channon 27,326 64.2
Labour VG Marchesi 8,866 20.8
Liberal Heather Joan Harvey 6,375 15.0
Majority 18,460 43.4
Turnout 42,567 74.1
Conservative hold Swing

Candidates

  • Paul Channon was selected by the Conservatives after the death of his father, Sir Henry Channon. A company director. Born October, 1935; educated at Lockers Park, Hemel Hempstead, Eton, and Christ Church, Oxford.
  • Labour's candidate was Anthony Pearson-Clarke, a deputy headmaster. Born November, 1923; educated at St. Luke's College School and Training College, Exeter, Battersea Polytechnic, and Ruskin College, Oxford. A former weekly newspaper editor and local government officer.
  • The Liberal Party selected 60-year-old Miss Heather Joan Harvey. She had contested the division in 1955 and Esher in 1950 and 1951. She was a writer and was engaged in historical research. She was educated privately at Prior's Field School, Godalming, and Newnham College, Cambridge, where she graduated in 1921 with first-class honours, economics tripos. She joined the Royal Institute of International Affairs, Chatham House, in 1931. She became secretary of the Study Groups Department in 1935. She was a temporary Civil servant in the Foreign Office, 1939-45. She served with the United Nations 1945-46 as deputy administrative secretary.[2] She was Hon. treasurer, Women's Liberal Federation, a member of Liberal Party Organization Council and executive committee.[3] She was Joint honorary treasurer of the Liberal Party organization.[4]

Result

Southend West by-election, 1959[5]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Paul Channon 14,493 55.6 -8.6
Liberal Heather Joan Harvey 6,314 24.2 +9.2
Labour Anthony Pearson-Clarke 5,280 20.2 -0.6
Majority 5,166 31.4 -4.5
Turnout 26,087
Conservative hold Swing

Aftermath

General election 1959
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Paul Channon 27,612 58.2
Liberal Heather Joan Harvey 10,577 22.3
Labour Anthony Pearson-Clarke 9,219 19.4
Majority 17,035 35.9
Turnout 47,408 77.7
Conservative hold Swing

References

  1. PoliticsResources.net
  2. The Times House of Commons, 1955
  3. The Times House of Commons, 1951
  4. The Times House of Commons, 1959
  5. "1959 By Election Results". Archived from the original on 10 October 2012. Retrieved 15 August 2015.


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