1909 High Peak by-election

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

1909 High Peak by-election

22 July 1909

Candidate Partington Profumo Party Liberal Conservative Popular vote 5,619 5,272 Percentage 51.5 48.4

MP before election Oswald Partington Liberal Subsequent MP Oswald Partington Liberal

Vacancy

Oswald Partington had been Liberal MP for the seat of High Peak since the 1900 general election. On 5 July 1909, he was appointed as a Junior Lord of the Treasury, which meant, in accordance with the times, that he was required to resign his seat and seek re-election to parliament.

Electoral history

The seat had been Liberal since Partington gained it from the Conservatives in 1900. He easily held the seat at the last election, with an increased majority;

Partington

General election January 1906[1]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±
	Liberal	Oswald Partington	5,450	53.9
	Conservative	Albert Profumo	4,662	46.1
Majority			788	7.8	+6.0
Turnout				90.7	+4.1
	Liberal hold		Swing

Candidates

The local Liberal Association re-selected 37-year-old Oswald Partington to defend the seat. The Conservatives retained 30-year-old barrister Albert Profumo as their candidate. He had unsuccessfully tried to re-gain the seat from Partington at the last election.[2]

Campaign

The Manager of the local Kinder Print Works shown with car depicting a Conservative 'Vote Profumo' poster

Polling Day was fixed for 22 July, allowing for a short 17-day campaign.

On 9 July the Liberals retained a by-election in Cleveland, Yorkshire. On 15 July, the Liberals retained a by-election in nearby Mid Derbyshire. On 20 July, the Liberals retained a by-election in Dumfries Burghs.[1]

The major incident of the campaign was Partington's challenge to fight a reporter of the Sheffield Daily Telegraph. The presses of that paper had been used to print the High Peak Elector, a campaign newspaper published by the Conservatives, which Partington claimed had slighted his wife, Clara.[3]

Result

The Liberals held the seat and managed a slightly increased majority;

High Peak by-election, 1909[1]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±
	Liberal	Oswald Partington	5,619	51.5	-2.3
	Conservative	Albert Profumo	5,272	48.4	+2.3
Majority			347	3.2	-4.6
Turnout				91.1
	Liberal hold		Swing	-2.3

Aftermath

Partington retained the seat at the following General Election;

General election January 1910[1]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±
	Liberal	Oswald Partington	5,912	50.5	-1.1
	Conservative	Samuel Hill-Wood	5,806	49.5	+1.1
Majority				1.0	-2.2
Turnout				94.4	+3.3
	Liberal hold		Swing	-1.1

References

1. British parliamentary election results 1885–1918
2. Who's Who
3. A Liberal Chronicle: Journals and Papers of J.A. Pease, 1st Lord Gainford, 1908–1910