East Down (Northern Ireland Parliament constituency)

East Down Parliament of Northern Ireland County constituency
East Down shown within Northern Ireland
Created:	1929
Abolished:	1972
Election Method:	First past the post

East Down was a constituency of the Parliament of Northern Ireland.

Boundaries

East Down was a county constituency comprising the towns of Ardglass, Ballynahinch, Crossgar, Downpatrick, Dunmore, Killinchy, Killyleagh, Kilmore, Saintfield and Strangford, all in the current Down District Council. It was created in 1929 as one of the eight seats replacing the former Down constituency when the House of Commons (Method of Voting and Redistribution of Seats) Act (Northern Ireland) 1929 introduced first past the post elections throughout Northern Ireland. The constituency survived unchanged, returning one member of Parliament until the Parliament of Northern Ireland was temporarily suspended in 1972, and then formally abolished in 1973.

Politics

East Down had a unionist majority, and consistently elected Ulster Unionist Party members. On occasions, however, it was contested by members of the Ulster Liberal Party, and various nationalist candidates who usually received over 40% of the votes cast.

Members of Parliament

Elected	Party		Name
1929		Ulster Unionist	Sir Alexander Robert Gisborne Gordon
1949		Ulster Unionist	Brian Faulkner

Elections

Northern Ireland 1921–72

This article is part of the series: Politics and government of Northern Ireland 1921–72

Government Governor Privy Council Ministries Prime Minister Craigavon ministry Andrews ministry Brookeborough ministry O'Neill ministry Chichester-Clark ministry Faulkner ministry Northern Ireland Civil Service Departments Parliament Acts Statutory Rules and Orders Senate Speaker of the Senate Leader of the Senate House of Commons Speaker Leader of the Opposition Members 1921 · 1925 · 1929 · 1933 1938 · 1945 · 1949 · 1953 1958 · 1962 · 1965 · 1969 Senate Elections Elections in Northern Ireland 1921 · 1925 · 1929 · 1933 1938 · 1945 · 1949 · 1953 1958 · 1962 · 1965 · 1969 By-elections Constituencies Political parties See Also Fourth Home Rule Bill Constitution Act 1973

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General Election 1929: East Down
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Ulster Unionist	Alexander Gordon	6,553	56.4	N/A
	Liberal	David Johnston	5,057	43.6	N/A
Majority			1,496	12.8	N/A
Turnout				74.1	N/A
	Ulster Unionist hold		Swing	N/A

At the Northern Ireland general election, 1933, Alexander Gordon was elected unopposed.

General Election 1938: East Down
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Ulster Unionist	Alexander Gordon	4,989	55.2	N/A
	Progressive Unionist	W. J. Price	4,050	44.8	N/A
Majority			939	10.4	N/A
Turnout				57.8	N/A
	Ulster Unionist hold		Swing	N/A

At the Northern Ireland general election, 1945, Alexander Gordon was elected unopposed.

General Election 1949: East Down
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Ulster Unionist	Brian Faulkner	8,132	59.7	N/A
	Nationalist (NI)	E.K McGrady	5,480	40.3	N/A
Majority			2,652	19.4	N/A
Turnout				79.9	N/A
	Ulster Unionist hold		Swing	N/A

At the elections of 1953, 1958 and 1962 Northern Ireland general elections, Brian Faulkner was elected unopposed.

General Election 1965: East Down
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Ulster Unionist	Brian Faulkner	8,362	62.6	N/A
	National Democrats	Daniel Rice	4,995	37.4	N/A
Majority			3,367	25.2	N/A
Turnout				73.7	N/A
	Ulster Unionist hold		Swing	N/A

General Election 1969: East Down
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Ulster Unionist	Brian Faulkner	8,136	51.5	N/A
	National Democrats	Eddie McGrady	6,427	40.6	N/A
	Independent Unionist	D. A. Rowan-Hamilton	1,248	7.9	N/A
Majority			1,709	10.9	N/A
Turnout				86.7	N/A
	Ulster Unionist hold		Swing	N/A

• Parliament prorogued 30 March 1972 and abolished 18 July 1973