1910 Govan by-election facts for kids

The 1910 Govan by-election was a special election held in the Govan area of Glasgow on April 28, 1910. This election was for a seat in the House of Commons, which is a part of the UK Parliament. It's like a re-election that happens when a Member of Parliament (MP) leaves their job before the next general election.

Why the Election Happened

This special election happened because the person who was already the MP for Govan, William Hunter, got a new important job. He was a member of the Liberal Party and became the Solicitor General for Scotland. Back then, if an MP got a new government job, they had to resign from Parliament and then run again in a special election to keep their seat. This was to make sure people still wanted them as their representative even with their new role.

Who Ran in the Election

The Liberal Party decided that William Hunter should run again to keep his seat. He had just won the Govan seat in the general election a few months earlier, with a good number of votes more than his opponent.

At first, it seemed like the other main party, the Unionists, might not even try to win the seat. They thought it might be polite to let Hunter win without a fight, especially since another general election was expected soon. After meeting, the Unionists decided not to put forward their own candidate.

Even the Labour Party, who had run a candidate in Govan in the previous general election, chose not to challenge Hunter this time.

The Result

Because no other candidates came forward to run against him, William Hunter won the election automatically. He was returned to Parliament without anyone needing to cast a single vote!

More About By-elections

• 1889 Govan by-election
• 1973 Glasgow Govan by-election
• 1988 Glasgow Govan by-election
• Lists of United Kingdom by-elections
• United Kingdom by-election records