| Election Name: | 1904 Sowerby by-election |
| Type: | presidential |
| Country: | United Kingdom |
| Previous Election: | Sowerby (UK Parliament constituency)#Elections in the 1900s |
| Previous Year: | 1900 |
| Next Election: | Sowerby (UK Parliament constituency)#Elections in the 1900s |
| Next Year: | 1906 |
| Election Date: | 2 July 1904 |
| Candidate1: | Higham |
| Party1: | Liberal Party (UK) |
| Popular Vote1: | 6,049 |
| Percentage1: | 60.9% |
| Candidate2: | Simpson |
| Party2: | Conservative Party (UK) |
| Popular Vote2: | 3,877 |
| Percentage2: | 39.1% |
| Map Size: | 250px |
| MP | |
| Posttitle: | Subsequent MP |
| Before Election: | John William Mellor |
| Before Party: | Liberal Party (UK) |
| After Election: | John Higham |
| After Party: | Liberal Party (UK) |
The 1904 Sowerby by-election was a Parliamentary by-election held on 2 July 1904.[1] The constituency returned one Member of Parliament (MP) to the House of Commons of the United Kingdom, elected by the first past the post voting system.
John William Mellor had been Liberal MP for the seat of Sowerby since the 1892 General Election. Aged 69, he chose to retire from parliament.
The seat had been Liberal since creation in 1885. They easily held the seat at the last election, with a reduced majority:
The local Liberal Association selected 47 year-old Accrington businessman, John Sharp Higham as their candidate to defend the seat. He was Mayor of Accrington from 1899–1901.[2] The local Conservative Association selected 24 year-old William Simpson-Hinchliffe as their candidate.[3]
The Liberals held the seat from the Conservatives:
At the following General Election the result was: