The 1871 Durham City by-election was fought on 28 April 1871. The by-election was fought due to the death of the incumbent MP of the Liberal Party, John Robert Davison.[1] It was won by the Conservative candidate John Lloyd Wharton.
It was the second by-election of the year, as Davison had been required to seek re-election following his appointment as Judge Advocate General. The first by-election had been held on 14 January, in which Davison had been re-elected unopposed.