United Kingdom general election, 1859 (Ireland)

Irish (UK) general election, 1859
(part of United Kingdom general election, 1859)
United Kingdom
28 April–18 May 1859

103 of the 670 seats to the House of Commons
  First party Second party
 
Leader The Earl of Derby The Viscount Palmerston
Party Conservative Whig
Leader since July 1846 6 February 1855
Leader's seat Earl of Derby Tiverton
Last election 42 48
Seats won 53 50
Seat change Increase11 Increase2
Popular vote 35,258 57,409
Percentage 38.9% 61.1%
Swing Decrease4.7% Increase 13.3%

Results of the 1859 election in Ireland.

PM before election

Lord Derby
Conservative

Subsequent PM

Lord Palmerston
Whig

The 1859 British general election in Ireland produced one of the last overall victories for the Tories in Ireland. Their win, however, did not mean that Ireland was supporting the Tories, though the party did have some strong pockets of support on the island. The win was a result of a restricted electoral franchise which saw voting restricted to the middle and upper classes, who were disproportionately supportive of the Tory Party in Ireland.

Electoral reform in subsequent decades saw a sharp decline in Tory fortunes in Ireland, with new voters, who had not been Tory supporters anyhow, supporting first of all the Liberal Party, notably in the 1868 general election in Ireland and later the Irish Parliamentary Party from the 1874 general election in Ireland onwards.

Results

Party Seats Seats change Votes % % Change
  Irish Conservative 53 Increase11 35,258 38.9 Decrease4.7
  Whig 50 Increase2 57,409 61.1 Increase13.3
Total 103 - 92,667 100
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