1889 Govan by-election

The 1889 Govan by-election was a parliamentary by-election held on January 18, 1889, for the British House of Commons, in the Govan constituency, located in Lanarkshire, Scotland.

The seat became vacant following the death of the Conservative Party Member of Parliament (MP) Sir William Pearce, who passed away at the age of 55 on 18 December 1888. A major shipbuilder and owner of the Fairfield Shipbuilding and Engineering Company, Pearce had held the seat since its creation for the 1885 general election.

Candidates

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The Conservatives did not field a candidate, and the seat was contested only by the Liberal Party candidate, John Wilson, and John Pender of the Liberal Unionists. Pender had previously served as a Liberal MP for Totnes in Devon and later for Wick Burghs.

Result

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The result was a victory for Wilson, who held the seat until he stepped down at the 1900 general election. Pender returned to Parliament three years later, when he regained his Wick Burghs seat at the 1892 general election.

Votes

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Govan by-election, 18 January 1889[1]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal John Wilson 4,420 56.9 +9.6
Liberal Unionist Sir John Pender 3,349 43.1 −9.6
Majority 1,071 13.8 N/A
Turnout 7,769 84.1 +8.7
Liberal gain from Conservative Swing +9.6

See also

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References

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  1. ^ The Constitutional Year Book, 1904, published by Conservative Central Office, page 182 (206 in web page)
  • Craig, F. W. S. (1989) [1974]. British parliamentary election results 1885–1918 (2nd ed.). Chichester: Parliamentary Research Services. ISBN 0-900178-27-2.
  • Leigh Rayment's Historical List of MPs