1877 Clare by-election
The Clare by-election of 1877 was fought on 13 August 1877. The byelection was fought due to the death of the incumbent Home Rule MP, Sir Colman O'Loghlen. It was won by the Home Rule candidate Sir Bryan O'Loghlen.[1] The result was remarkable in that O'Loghlen did not seek the nomination and was elected without his consent. He refused to take his seat as he was Attorney-General of Victoria. This position was considered an office of profit and thus disqualified him from membership of the House of Commons. A select committee was established to consider the issue and reported in 1879. The found that this was the case and the seat was declared vacant.[2] Some controversy remained because O'Loghlen's position was in a colony and not in the United Kingdom.[3] A writ was moved for another by-election in 1879.
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ± | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home Rule | Sir Bryan O'Loghlen | 1,721 | |||
| Independent Nationalist | O'Gorman Mahon | 1,149 | |||
| Irish Unionist | Robert Carey Reeves | 764 | |||
| Home Rule | Francis Burton | 15 | |||
| Majority | 572 | ||||
| Turnout | 3,771 | 68.97 | |||
| Home Rule League hold | Swing | ||||
References
- http://www.leighrayment.com/commons.htm
- "CLARE COUNTY WRIT". Hansard 1803-2005. Parliament of the United Kingdom. Retrieved 26 January 2017.
- "THE HOUSE OF COMMONS CONSTITUENCIES BEGINNING WITH "C" Sir Bryan O'Loghlen,3rd baronet, MP for Clare 1877-1879 (bottom of page)". Leigh Rayment's Peerage Page. Archived from the original on 10 August 2009. Retrieved 26 January 2017.
- "Clare Election". Leicester Daily Mercury. 14 August 1877. Retrieved 6 October 2016 – via British Newspaper Archive.