1917 Southampton by-election
The Southampton by-election, 1917 was a by-election held on 19 December 1917 for the House of Commons constituency of Southampton, a two-member seat.
Vacancy
The election was caused by the appointment of one of the sitting Liberal MPs, William Dudley Ward as Vice-Chamberlain of the Household, one of the government whips. Under the Parliamentary rules of the day, Ward was obliged to resign his seat and fight a by-election. [1] The writ for the by-election was moved in Parliament on 10 December 1917. [2]
Candidates
The Liberals re-selected Ward. Being their partners in the coalition government of David Lloyd George, the Unionists were not expected to oppose Ward’s re-election but there was a possibility he would be challenged by a member of Southampton Town Council, Mr Tommy Lewis, the President of the British Seafarers' Union. [3] However, in the event no other candidates came forward to oppose Ward and he was returned unopposed. [4]
The result
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| National Liberal | William Dudley Ward | Unopposed | N/A | N/A | |
| National Liberal hold | Swing | N/A | |||