1880 Oxford by-election
The 1880 Oxford by-election was held in May 1880 due to the incumbent Liberal MP William Vernon Harcourt becoming Home Secretary and seeking re-election to Parliament. Harcourt was defeated.
Background
Harcourt had been one of the two MPs for Oxford since 1868 and had developed a reputation as a skilled debater but without tact. In the 1880 general election he had narrowly beaten his Conservative fellow MP, Alexander William Hall. Harcourt's campaign, particularly his acceptance speech, were regarded as insulting.
Campaign
The Liberals formed a government and Harcourt was invited to be Home Secretary which meant that he would have to resign his seat and seek re-election.
Hall fought a vigorous campaign getting endorsements from A. E. Housman and the Prime Minister's son, Sir Robert Peel. Harcourt accused Hall of being a pawn to the brewing lobby. The rhetoric of the campaign meant that the atmosphere was highly charged.
Result
In a closely fought election Harcourt lost to Hall. Harcourt lost by 2,681 votes to Hall's 2,730.
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | Alexander William Hall | 2,735 | 50.5 | +17.7 | |
Liberal | William Vernon Harcourt | 2,681 | 49.5 | −17.7 | |
Majority | 54 | 1.0 | N/A | ||
Turnout | 5,416 | 87.9 | −0.2 | ||
Registered electors | 6,163 | ||||
Conservative gain from Liberal | Swing | +17.7 |
Aftermath
Harcourt found another seat when Samuel Plimsoll immediately resigned and Harcourt was unopposed in the subsequent by-election for Derby.
There were irregularities in the conduct of the election and the election was deemed void. Hall was unseated and the seat was left vacant until 1885. In 1885 Hall won the seat again and held it until 1892.
References
- ^ Craig, F. W. S., ed. (1977). British Parliamentary Election Results 1832-1885 (e-book) (1st ed.). London: Macmillan Press. ISBN 978-1-349-02349-3.
- v
- t
- e
- May: Hackney
- Bath
- Birmingham
- Bradford
- Chester
- Kidderminster
- Marlborough
- Nottingham
- Oxford
- Pontefract
- Sheffield
- Taunton
- Durham City
- Hastings
- Leeds
- Midlothian
- Shrewsbury
- Haverfordwest Boroughs
- Clackmannanshire and Kinross-shire
- Denbighshire
- Radnor Boroughs
- Mallow
- North East Lancashire
- Sandwich
- Wigtown Burghs
- Londonderry County
- Meath
- Derby
- Wycombe
- Louth
- Mayo
- June: London University
- Bandon
- Dungannon
- July: Gravesend
- Wallingford
- Bute
- Evesham
- Plymouth
- Tewkesbury
- Bewdley
- Lichfield
- Berwick-upon-Tweed
- Scarborough
- Wigtown Burghs
- August: Liverpool
- November: Wexford Borough
- Caernarvonshire
- Renfrewshire
- December: Clackmannanshire and Kinross-shire
- Reading
- Kendal
- January: Wigan
- Edinburgh
- April: Northampton
- March: Coventry
- February: South Northamptonshire
- January: New Ross
- February: East Cumberland
- April: St Ives
- Sunderland
- West Cheshire
- May: Knaresborough
- Preston
- July: Elgin Burghs
- August: Edinburgh
- Leeds
- Elgin Burghs
- September: North Lincolnshire
- North Durham
- Cambridgeshire
- Tyrone
- October: Berwick-upon-Tweed
- November: Tiverton
- Stafford
- December: Londonderry County
- January: Carmarthen Boroughs
- North Riding of Yorkshire
- February: Preston
- Westminster
- Taunton
- Meath
- March: Northampton
- Malmesbury
- Caernarvon Boroughs
- East Cornwall
- April: Meath
- West Somerset
- May: Hawick Burghs
- Northern West Riding of Yorkshire
- June: Banffshire
- August: Halifax
- Haddington Burghs
- November: Edinburgh
- Ennis
- Salisbury
- Preston
- Cambridge University
- December: Wigan
- Liverpool
- January: Chelsea
- Mallow
- February: Haddingtonshire
- Newcastle upon Tyne
- Dublin County
- Westmeath
- Portarlington
- March: Wycombe
- Mid Cheshire
- Tipperary
- April: Southampton
- June: Derby
- Wexford County
- North Leicestershire
- Peterborough
- Hastings
- Monaghan
- July: Wexford Borough
- August: Sligo County
- East Essex
- Rutland
- October: Manchester
- November: Limerick City
- York
- December: Ipswich
- Wigan
- January: Londonderry County
- February: Paisley
- West Somerset
- Northampton
- South Lincolnshire
- West Norfolk
- Cork City
- Meath
- March: Brighton
- Cambridgeshire
- Huntingdon
- April: Poole
- May: Mid Kent
- June: Athlone
- Lincoln
- Mid Surrey
- South Hampshire
- Leicester
- North Warwickshire
- August: South Devon
- Ross and Cromarty
- Waterford County
- October: Radnor Boroughs
- Stirling Burghs
- November: Scarborough
- South Warwickshire
- Hackney
- Greenock
- Scarborough
- Down
- December: Knaresborough
- January: Tipperary
- March: Mid Somerset
- West Gloucestershire
- Glasgow
- May: Antrim
- Denbighshire
- June: Westminster
- Hertford
- July: Dublin University
- East Gloucestershire
- Eye
- Launceston
- Mid Lincolnshire
- South West Lancashire
- Mid Kent
- North Devon
- North Lancashire
- North Leicestershire
- Wakefield
- Wilton
- Bute
- Middlesex
- South Wiltshire
- Woodstock
- East Devon
- West Kent
- Down
- Brighton
- North Lincolnshire
- Chatham
- Aylesbury
- Horsham
- Lists of UK by-elections
- 1801–1806
- 1806–1818
- 1818–1832
- 1832–1847
- 1847–1857
- 1857–1868
- 1868–1885
- 1885–1900
- 1900–1918
- 1918–1931
- 1931–1950
- 1950–1979
- 1979–2010
- 2010–present
- Northern Ireland
- Hereditary peers