1935 Dumfriesshire by-election

The 1935 Dumfriesshire by-election was a by-election held for the British House of Commons constituency of Dumfriesshire in Scotland on 12 September 1935. The by-election was won by the National Liberal Party candidate Sir Henry Fildes.

It was the last by-election of the 1931–1935 Parliament. Only six weeks later, on 25 October, Parliament was dissolved for the 1935 general election.

Vacancy

The National Liberal MP Dr Joseph Hunter had died on 24 July 1935, aged 59. He had held the seat since the 1929 general election.

Candidates

The parties in the National Government did not usually contest by-elections in seats held by other governing parties, so the National Liberal Party candidate Sir Henry Fildes did not face a Conservative opponent.

The only other candidate was J. Downie, Labour Co-operative.

Result

On a reduced turnout, Fildes held the seat for the National Liberals, with a reduced but still large majority, taking over 60% of the votes. He was re-elected at the general election in November 1935, and held the seat until he stood down at the 1945 general election.

Votes

Dumfriesshire by-election, 1935

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	National Liberal	Henry Fildes	16,271	60.3	−17.4
	Labour Co-op	J. Downie	10,697	39.7	+17.4
Majority			5,574	20.6	−34.8
Turnout			26,968	58.7	−18.9
	National Liberal hold		Swing	−17.4

Previous election

General election 1931: Dumfriesshire

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	Joseph Hunter	26,873	77.7	+32.6
	Labour	J. S. Paterson	7,693	22.3	+3.6
Majority			19,180	55.4	+46.5
Turnout			34,566	77.6	−3.8
	Liberal hold		Swing

• Note: Hunter left the Liberal Party and joined the National Liberal Party, in June 1934, during the Parliament.

See also

• Dumfriesshire (UK Parliament constituency)
• Dumfriesshire
• 1963 Dumfriesshire by-election
• List of United Kingdom by-elections (1931–1950)

Sources

• Craig, F. W. S. (1983) [1969]. British parliamentary election results 1918-1949 (3rd ed.). Chichester: Parliamentary Research Services. ISBN 0-900178-06-X.
• Leigh Rayment's Historical List of MPs