London University (UK Parliament constituency)

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London University
University constituency
Created: 1868
Abolished: 1950
Type: House of Commons
Members: one

London University was a university constituency electing one member to the British House of Commons, from 1868 to 1950.

Contents

[edit] Boundaries, electorate and history

This university constituency was created by the Reform Act 1867. The first election took place during the United Kingdom general election, 1868. The constituency returned one Member of Parliament, using the first past the post electoral system.

The constituency was not a physical area. Its electorate consisted of the graduates of the University of London. Before 1918 only male graduates qualified. From 1918 all graduates qualified, including women over thirty (reduced to twenty one when universal adult suffrage on equal terms was introduced before the United Kingdom general election, 1929).

The constituency was almost abolished in 1918. The original proposal of the Speaker's Conference, which considered electoral reform before the Representation of the People Act 1918 was enacted, was to combine all the English and Welsh universities except for Oxford and Cambridge into a three member constituency. However during consideration of the legislation it was agreed that London University should continue to return one member. The University of Wales was also given its own seat. The other universities, which were still to be combined, had their proposed representation reduced to two members. (Source: Pugh).

All the university constituencies were abolished in 1950, by the Representation of the People Act 1948.

[edit] Members of Parliament

This is a list of people who have represented this University in the Parliament of the United Kingdom between 1868 and 1950.

  • Constituency created (1868)
Year Member Party
1868 Rt Hon. Robert Lowe 1 Liberal
1880 Rt Hon. Sir John Lubbock, Bt 2 Liberal
1886 Liberal Unionist
1900 Sir Michael Foster Liberal Unionist
1903 Liberal
1906 Sir Philip Magnus, Bt Liberal Unionist
1912 Conservative
1918 Coalition Conservative
1922 Sir Sydney Russell Russell-Wells 3 Conservative
1924 Sir Ernest Gorden Graham Graham-Little 4 Independent
1931 National Independent
  • Constituency abolished (1950)

Notes:-

  • 1 Lowe was elevated to the peerage as The 1st Viscount Sherbrooke.
  • 2 Lubbock was elevated to the peerage as The 1st Baron Avebury.
  • 3 Russell-Wells died on 14 July 1924 - the seat was vacant at dissolution.
  • 4 Graham-Little, as an Independent MP, supported the National Governments in office from 1931 until the formation of the wartime coalition in 1940. He also supported Winston Churchill's caretaker government in 1945 and his proposed continuation in office if he had won the 1945 election. Graham-Little is therefore classified as a National Independent MP from 1931.

[edit] Elections

General Elections, from 1918 when most constituencies polled on the same day, were on different polling days than for territorial constituencies. The polls for university constituencies were open for five days.

Coalition Conservative is considered to be equivalent to Conservative, as is National Independent equivalent to Independent.

1860s – 1870s – 1880s – 1890s – 1900s – 1910s – 1920s – 1930s – 1940s

[edit] Elections in the 1860s

General Election 1868: London University
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Rt Hon. Robert Lowe Unopposed N/A N/A
Registered Electors 1,160
Liberal gain from new seat Swing N/A
By-Election 21 December 1868: London University
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Rt Hon. Robert Lowe Unopposed N/A N/A
Liberal hold Swing N/A

[edit] Elections in the 1870s

General Election 1874: London University
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Rt Hon. Robert Lowe Unopposed N/A N/A
Registered Electors 1,485
Liberal hold Swing N/A

[edit] Elections in the 1880s

General Election 1880: London University
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Rt Hon. Robert Lowe 1,014 65.46 N/A
Conservative E. Charles 535 34.54 N/A
Majority 479 30.92 N/A
Turnout 1,549 79.56 N/A
Registered Electors 1,947
Liberal hold Swing N/A
  • Elevation to the peerage as the 1st Viscount Sherbrooke
By-Election 3 June 1880: London University
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Sir John Lubbock, Bt Unopposed N/A N/A
Liberal hold Swing N/A
General Election 1885: London University
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Sir John Lubbock, Bt Unopposed N/A N/A
Liberal hold Swing N/A
General Election 1886: London University
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Unionist Sir John Lubbock, Bt 1,314 71.80 N/A
Liberal F. Harrison 516 28.20 N/A
Majority 798 43.61 N/A
Turnout 1,830 70.96 N/A
Registered Electors 2,579
Liberal Unionist gain from Liberal Swing N/A
  • Gain from the previous general election, hold from the change of allegiance

[edit] Elections in the 1890s

General Election 1892: London University
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Unionist Rt Hon. Sir John Lubbock, Bt Unopposed N/A N/A
Liberal Unionist hold Swing N/A
General Election 1895: London University
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Unionist Rt Hon. Sir John Lubbock, Bt Unopposed N/A N/A
Liberal Unionist hold Swing N/A
  • Elevation to the peerage as the 1st Baron Avebury

[edit] Elections in the 1900s

By-Election 6-10 February 1900: London University
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Unionist Sir Michael Foster 1,271 46.73 N/A
Liberal Dr. William Job Collins 863 31.73 N/A
Ind. Liberal Unionist E.H. Busk 586 21.54 N/A
Majority 408 15.00 N/A
Turnout 2,720 61.78 N/A
Registered Electors 4,403
Liberal Unionist hold Swing N/A
General Election 1900: London University
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Unionist Sir Michael Foster Unopposed N/A N/A
Liberal Unionist hold Swing N/A
General Election 1906: London University
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Unionist Sir Philip Magnus, Bt 1,840 50.33 N/A
Liberal Sir Michael Foster 1,816 49.67 N/A
Majority 24 0.66 N/A
Turnout 3,656 70.15 N/A
Registered Electors 5,212
Liberal Unionist hold Swing N/A
  • Hold from the previous general election, gain from Liberal from the change of allegiance

[edit] Elections in the 1910s

General Election January 1910: London University
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Unionist Sir Philip Magnus, Bt 2,625 57.65 +7.32
Liberal Rt Hon. Sir Joseph West Ridgeway 1,928 42.35 -7.32
Majority 697 15.31 +14.65
Turnout 4,553 75.01 +4.86
Registered Electors 6,070
Liberal Unionist hold Swing +7.32
  • Swing from Liberal to Liberal Unionist
General Election December 1910: London University
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Unionist Sir Philip Magnus, Bt 2,579 58.14 +0.49
Liberal Sir V.A.H. Horsley 1,857 41.86 -0.49
Majority 722 16.28 +0.97
Turnout 4,436 73.08 -1.93
Registered Electors 6,070
Liberal Unionist hold Swing +0.49
  • Swing from Liberal to Liberal Unionist
  • Changed allegiance to the Conservative Party on its merger with the Liberal Unionist Party in 1912
General Election 1918: London University
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Coalition Conservative Sir Philip Magnus, Bt 2,810 41.56 -16.58
Labour Sidney James Webb 2,141 31.67 +31.67
Independent A.A. Somerville 885 13.09 +13.09
Independent Sir W.F. Herringham 715 10.58 +10.58
Independent C.L. Nordon 210 3.11 +3.11
Majority 669 9.89 -6.39
Turnout 6,761 69.01 -4.07
Registered Electors 9,797
Coalition Conservative gain from Liberal Unionist Swing N/A
  • Notional gain from the previous general election, hold from the change of allegiance

[edit] Elections in the 1920s

General Election 1922: London University
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Sir Sydney Russell Russell-Wells 3,833 51.52 +9.96
Liberal Prof. Albert Frederick Pollard 2,180 29.30 +29.30
Labour Herbert George Wells 1,427 19.18 -12.49
Majority 1,653 22.22 +12.33
Turnout 7,440 67.64 -1.37
Registered Electors 11,000
Conservative hold Swing N/A
General Election 1923: London University
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Sir Sydney Russell Russell-Wells 4,037 50.15 -1.37
Liberal Prof. Albert Frederick Pollard 2,593 32.21 +2.91
Labour Herbert George Wells 1,420 17.64 -1.54
Majority 1,444 17.94 -4.28
Turnout 8,050 71.28 +3.64
Registered Electors 11,293
Conservative hold Swing -2.14
  • Negative Swing from Conservative to Liberal
  • Death - seat vacant on dissolution
General Election 1924: London University
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Independent Dr. Ernest Gorden Graham Graham-Little 3,202 37.06 +37.06
Conservative Sir J.R. Bradford 2,813 32.55 -17.60
Liberal Prof. Albert Frederick Pollard 1,539 17.81 -14.40
Labour Dr. F.G. Bushnell 1,087 12.58 -5.06
Majority 389 4.50 N/A
Turnout 8,641 72.03 +0.75
Registered Electors 11,997
Independent gain from Conservative Swing N/A
General Election 1929: London University
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Independent Dr. Ernest Gorden Graham Graham-Little 5,869 53.50 +16.44
Liberal W.T. Layton 2,923 26.64 +8.83
Conservative Sir J.W. Gilbert 2,179 19.86 -12.69
Majority 2,946 26.85 +22.35
Turnout 10,971 70.52 -1.51
Registered Electors 15,558
Independent hold Swing N/A

[edit] Elections in the 1930s

General Election 1931: London University
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
National Independent Sir Ernest Gorden Graham Graham-Little 8,461 72.97 +19.47
Independent National A.G. Church 3,134 27.03 +27.03
Majority 5,327 45.94 +19.09
Turnout 11,595 70.27 -0.25
Registered Electors 16,501
National Independent hold Swing N/A
General Election 1935: London University
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
National Independent Sir Ernest Gorden Graham Graham-Little 8,958 69.57 -3.40
Labour Sir Ralph Norman Angell 3,918 30.43 +30.43
Majority 5,040 39.14 -6.80
Turnout 12,876 71.74 +1.47
Registered Electors 17,949
National Independent hold Swing N/A

[edit] Elections in the 1940s

General Election 1945: London University
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
National Independent Sir Ernest Gorden Graham Graham-Little 7,618 50.49 -19.08
Ind. Progressive Mrs M.D. Stocks 7,469 49.51 +49.51
Majority 149 0.99 -38.15
Turnout 15,087 63.00 -8.74
Registered Electors 23,948
National Independent hold Swing N/A
  • Constituency abolished (1950)

[edit] See also

[edit] References

  • Boundaries of Parliamentary Constituencies 1885-1972, compiled and edited by F.W.S. Craig (Parliamentary Reference Publications 1972)
  • British Parliamentary Election Results 1832-1885, compiled and edited by F.W.S. Craig (Macmillan Press 1977)
  • British Parliamentary Election Results 1885-1918, compiled and edited by F.W.S. Craig (Macmillan Press 1974)
  • British Parliamentary Election Results 1918-1949, compiled and edited by F.W.S. Craig (Macmillan Press, revised edition 1977)
  • Electoral Reform in War and Peace 1906-18, by Martin Pugh (Routledge & Kegan Paul 1978)
  • Who's Who of British Members of Parliament: Volume I 1832-1885, edited by M. Stenton (The Harvester Press 1976)
  • Who's Who of British Members of Parliament, Volume II 1886-1918, edited by M. Stenton and S. Lees (Harvester Press 1978)
  • Who's Who of British Members of Parliament, Volume III 1919-1945, edited by M. Stenton and S. Lees (Harvester Press 1979)
  • Who's Who of British Members of Parliament, Volume IV 1945-1979, edited by M. Stenton and S. Lees (Harvester Press 1981)