1913 Londonderry City by-election

The 1913 Londonderry City by-election was a Parliamentary by-election held on 30 January 1913.[1] 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 sitting Unionist MP, James Hamilton succeeded his father on his death as the Duke of Abercorn, so vacated his seat in the House of Commons to take up his seat in the House of Lords. He had been MP here since 1900.[2]

Previous result

General election December 1910 electorate 5,068
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Irish Unionist James Hamilton 2,415 51.1 +0.5
Irish Parliamentary Shane Leslie 2,310 48.9 −0.5
Majority 105 2.2 +1.0
Turnout 4,725 93.2 −1.8
Irish Unionist hold Swing +0.5

Candidates

The Unionist candidate was 50-year-old Antrim-born, London-based soldier Colonel Hercules Pakenham, whom had previously served as the commanding officer of the London Irish Rifles.[3]

The Catholic clergy, whose authority on the choice of nationalist candidate was total, surprisingly selected Liberal David Hogg, a 73-year-old local shirt manufacturer, the Lord Lieutenant of County Londonderry and a Protestant.[4][2] Hogg was selected as he had a broad appeal across the religious communities in the Londonderry City constituency and as the Lord Lieutenant, refused to appoint anybody who had signed the Ulster Covenant as a Justice of the Peace for the county.[2]

Campaign

The date of poll was set at 30 January, just 27 days after the automatic vacation of the seat. This left little time for campaigning. Hogg's election address said he was a Liberal and a supporter of the government's Home Rule Bill; he did not canvass during the election.[5] Hogg only spoke once in the campaign at a public meeting, with the prominent Irish Home Rule politicians Charles O'Neill, Willie Redmond and Shane Leslie also attending and speaking to support Hogg's candidacy.[2]

Result

The Liberal Party gained the seat from the Irish Unionist Alliance.[3]

Londonderry City by-election, 1913 electorate
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal David Cleghorn Hogg 2,699 50.5 New
Irish Unionist Hercules Pakenham 2,642 49.5 −1.6
Majority 57 1.0 N/A
Turnout 5,341 97.6 +4.4
Liberal gain from Irish Unionist Swing N/A

Aftermath

The election gave supporters of Irish Home Rule a majority of one in the province of Ulster.[2] Hogg was welcomed into the House of Commons during his maiden speech by the Irish Parliamentary Party and the Liberal MPs of Herbert Asquith, David Lloyd George and Winston Churchill.[2] Hogg died in August 1914 causing another by-election at which the Liberal, Sir James Brown Dougherty was returned unopposed.[6]

References

  1. ^ Walker, Brian Mercer (1978). Parliamentary Election Results in Ireland, 1801-1922. Dublin: Royal Irish Academy. p. 182. ISBN 0-901714-12-7.
  2. ^ a b c d e f "Down memory lane - Factory founder in Home Rule dispute". Belfast Telegraph. 17 December 2003. Retrieved 29 April 2025.
  3. ^ a b "I Want To Be Elected". Digital Film Archive. Retrieved 29 April 2025.
  4. ^ Lacy, Brian (1991). Siege city: the story of Derry and Londonderry. Blackstaff Press. ISBN 9780856404436.
  5. ^ "Government of Ireland bill". Parliamentary Debates (Hansard). 10 June 1913. Retrieved 29 April 2025.
  6. ^ "SIR JAMES DOUGHERTYI DIES IN ENGLAND AT 89; Prominent Edu Had Been for Many Years a Political Leader in Ireland". The New York Times. Retrieved 29 April 2025 – via TimesMachine.

Further reading

  • Craig, F. W. S. (1974). British parliamentary election results 1885-1918 (1 ed.). London: Macmillan.
  • Who's Who: www.ukwhoswho.com
  • Debrett's House of Commons 1916
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