Devizes by-election, 1964
The 1964 Devizes by-election was held on 14 May 1964 after the death of the incumbent Conservative MP, Percivall Pott. It was won by the Conservative candidate Charles Morrison a member of Wiltshire County Council and chair of its Education Committee.[1] Opinion poll forecasts and against the trend in the three other by-elections held on the same day were predicting a Labour win. The surprise victory was attributed to Morrison being well-known, popular and active in the constituency. His campaign had the support of Ian Fleming, a relation by marriage of Morrison's wife Sara, who wrote an article called To Westminster with Love beginning with the words "Charles Morrison - Licensed to Kill."[1]
| Devizes By-Election, 1964 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
| Conservative | Charles Morrison | 19,554 | |||
| Labour | IHH Rogers | 17,884 | |||
| Liberal | Michael Patrick Fogarty | 4,281 | |||
| Majority | 1,670 | ||||
| Turnout | |||||
| Conservative hold | Swing | ||||
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Charles Morrison obituary, telegraph.co.uk