Devonport by-election, 1904

The Devonport by-election was a Parliamentary by-election. It returned two Member of Parliament to the House of Commons of the United Kingdom, elected by the first past the post voting system.

Vacancy

John Lockie had been Conservative MP for one of the seats of Devonport since the Devonport by-election, 1902. He resigned at the age of 43 and died in January 1906.^[1]

Electoral history

The seat had been Conservative since he gained it in the Devonport by-election, 1902. Both Devonport seats had been Liberal from 1892-1902.

Devonport by-election, 1902[2] Electorate 8,946
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	John Lockie	3,785	50.2
	Liberal	Hon. Thomas Allnutt Brassey	3,757	49.8
Turnout				84.3
Majority				0.4
	Conservative gain from Liberal		Swing

Candidates

Sir John Jackson

The local Conservative Association selected 53-year-old Sir John Jackson as their candidate to defend the seat. He was a contractors for Public Works. He completed the Admiralty Docks at Keyham, Devonport.^[3]

The local Liberal Association selected 54-year-old John Benn as their candidate to gain the seat. Benn was active in the London Dock Strike of 1889, and, as an increasingly prominent London politician, was elected in 1892 as the Liberal Party candidate for St George Division of Tower Hamlets. He was narrowly defeated at the general election in 1895. As a London County Councillor, he helped introduce electric trams to London's streets in 1903. He served as Chairman of the London County Council from 1903-04.^[4]

Campaign

Polling Day was fixed for 20 June 1904, just days after the previous MP resigned.

Result

The Liberals re-gained the seat from the Conservatives;

John Benn

Devonport by-election, 1904[5]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	John Williams Benn	6,219	54.6	+4.8
	Conservative	Sir John Jackson	5,179	45.4	-4.8
Turnout				79.3	-5.0
Majority				9.2	9.6
	Liberal gain from Conservative		Swing	+4.8

Aftermath

At the following General Election the result was;

General Election January 1906[6] Electorate 14,978
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	Hudson Ewbanke Kearley	6,923	29.1
	Liberal	John Williams Benn	6,527	27.5
	Conservative	Sir John Jackson	5,239	22.0
	Conservative	F Holme-Summer	5,080	21.4
Turnout				81.4
Majority
	Liberal hold		Swing
Majority
	Liberal hold		Swing

References

1. Who Was Who
2. British parliamentary election results 1885-1918 by Craig
3. Who Was Who
4. Who Was Who
5. British parliamentary election results 1885-1918 by Craig
6. British parliamentary election results 1885-1918 by Craig