1888 Dublin St Stephen's Green by-election

The Dublin St Stephen's Green by-election, 1888 was a parliamentary by-election held for the United Kingdom House of Commons constituency of Dublin St Stephen's Green on 12 May 1888. It arose as a result of the death of the sitting member, Edmund Dwyer Gray, of the Irish Parliamentary Party. In April, the Times reported that Wilfrid Blunt would be the Irish Parliamentary Party candidate.[1] However, in a bid to appeal to Ulster Presbyterians, the Irish Party leader Charles Stewart Parnell nominated Thomas Alexander Dickson, a Presbyterian who had been Liberal MP for Dungannon and County Tyrone, as candidate.[2] The Conservatives nominated Robert Sexton, a member of Dublin Corporation and Chairman of the South Dublin Union Poor Law Board.[3] Sexton was supported also by the Liberal Unionists. His campaign was interrupted unexpectedly by the death of his wife.[4]

Dublin St Stephen's Green constituency within Dublin, as it existed from 1885 to 1918.

Sexton received 2,932 votes, an increase on the Unionist performance in the preceding general election. Dickson received 4,819 votes, down slightly from Gray's general election result, and was declared elected. At the next general election, in 1892, he contested the seat of South Tyrone as a Liberal, losing to a Liberal Unionist.[5] It was reported that a boy of 14, whose name was on the register, had voted for Dickson.[6]

Result
Dublin St Stephen's Green by-election, 1888[7]
Registered electors 10,530[8]
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Liberal Thomas Alexander Dickson 4,819 62.3 3.8
Irish Conservative Robert Sexton 2,920 37.7 3.8
Majority 1,899 24.6 7.6
Turnout 7,739 73.5 0.9
Liberal hold Swing 3.8

Previous result
General election 1886: Dublin St Stephen's Green
Registered electors 10,184[9]
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Irish Parliamentary Edmund Dwyer Gray 5,008 66.1
Irish Conservative Sir Edward Sullivan 2,565 33.9
Majority 2,443 32.2
Turnout 7,573 74.4
Irish Parliamentary hold Swing
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References
  1. The Times, 25 April 1858
  2. The Times, 3 and 4 May 1888
  3. The Times, 21 April 1888.
  4. The Times, 9 May 1888.
  5. The Times, 15 May 1888
  6. The Times, 14 May 1888
  7. The Constitutional Year Book, 1904, published by Conservative Central Office, page 194 (218 in web page)
  8. Walker, Brian Mercer (1978). Parliamentary Election Results in Ireland, 1801-1922. Dublin: Royal Irish Academy. p. 142. ISBN 0 901714 12 7.
  9. Walker, Brian Mercer (1978). Parliamentary Election Results in Ireland, 1801-1922. Dublin: Royal Irish Academy. p. 138. ISBN 0 901714 12 7.
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