1921 Louth by-election explained

Election Name:	1921 Louth by-election
Type:	presidential
Country:	United Kingdom
Previous Election:	Louth, Lincolnshire (UK Parliament constituency)#1920 Louth by-election
Previous Year:	1918
Next Election:	Louth, Lincolnshire (UK Parliament constituency)#Elections in the 1920s
Next Year:	1922
Election Date:	22 September 1921
Candidate1:	Wintringham
Party1:	Liberal Party (UK)
Popular Vote1:	8,386
Percentage1:	42.2%
Candidate2:	Hutchings
Party2:	Unionist Party (UK)
Popular Vote2:	7,695
Percentage2:	38.3%
Candidate3:	George
Party3:	Labour Party (UK)
Popular Vote3:	3,873
Percentage3:	19.5%
Map Size:	250px
MP
Posttitle:	Subsequent MP
Before Election:	Thomas Wintringham
Before Party:	Liberal Party (UK)
After Election:	Margaret Wintringham
After Party:	Liberal Party (UK)

The 1921 Louth by-election was a by-election held on 22 September 1921 for the British House of Commons constituency of Louth in Lincolnshire.

Vacancy

The seat had become vacant following the death of the Liberal Member of Parliament (MP) Thomas Wintringham on 8 August 1921. He had been elected at the by-election in 1920.

Electoral history

The result at the last election was;

Candidates

The Liberals selected 41-year-old Margaret Wintringham, widow of the former MP, as their candidate to defend the seat. She worked as a teacher, before becoming headmistress of a school in Grimsby. She became a magistrate and a member of the Grimsby Education Committee. She was involved in many political movements, including the National Union of Women Workers, the British Temperance Association, the National Union of Societies for Equal Citizenship (NUSEC), the Women's Institute and the Townswomen's Guild. She was standing for parliament for the first time.
On 17 August, the Unionists selected 41-year-old Sir Alan Hutchings as their candidate to challenge for the seat. He was Secretary of the Department of the Director-General of Voluntary Organisations (War Office) from 1915 to 1919.^[1] He was standing for parliament for the first time.
The Labour Party selected Lt. James George of Peterborough as their candidate to challenge for the seat.^[2] He was standing for parliament for the first time.

Campaign

Polling Day was set for 22 September 1921, 45 days after the death of the former MP, allowing for a long campaign. Despite rumours the contrary, on 13 September nominations closed to confirm that the election would be a three-way contest.^[3]

Hutchings received the official endorsement of the Coalition Government.

Result

Wintringham held the seat that her husband had gained for the Liberals in a by-election the year before.Wintringham become only the second woman to take her seat in the House of Commons, and the first female Liberal MP.

Aftermath

Wintringham was re-elected at the 1922 general election:

References

Book: Craig, F. W. S. . F. W. S. Craig . British parliamentary election results 1918-1949 . 1969 . 3rd . 1983 . Parliamentary Research Services . Chichester . 0-900178-06-X.

Notes and References

‘HUTCHINGS, Sir Alan’, Who Was Who, A & C Black, an imprint of Bloomsbury Publishing plc, 1920–2007; online edn, Oxford University Press, Dec 2012 ; online edn, Nov 2012 accessed 4 Jan 2014
Grantham Journal, 27 Aug 1921
Grantham Journal, 17 Sep 1921