1954 Armagh by-election
The 1954 Armagh by-election was held on 20 November 1954, following the resignation of Ulster Unionist Party (UUP) member of parliament James Harden. The by-election was won by the UUP's C. W. Armstrong, who was elected unopposed in the, to date, last uncontested Westminster election.[1]
Background
[edit]James Harden had held the seat of Armagh since a by-election in 1948, and had not faced a contest since then. The seat had been held continually by Ulster Unionists since its recreation for the 1922 general election.[2] In 1954, Harden inherited a large estate in Wales and decided to retire from active politics.[2] He vacated his Armagh seat by being appointed as the Crown Steward and Bailiff of the Manor of Northstead.[3]
Candidates
[edit]The Ulster Unionists stood C. W. Armstrong, the son of former Mid Armagh MP Henry Bruce Armstrong. He had served in the British Army in the Royal Engineers and the 36th (Ulster) Division. He had also been involved in the oil industry in Burma, serving from 1940 to 1942 in that country's House of Representatives.[4]
The two main opposition groups, the Northern Ireland Labour Party and the Nationalist Party, had both fared poorly at the 1953 Northern Ireland general election and with a general feeling of disillusionment, decided not to contest the by-election.[5]
Result
[edit]With only one candidate for the seat, Armstrong was declared elected unopposed.[6] This was the last unopposed election in any Westminster seat.[1] Armstrong was sworn in as an MP on 23 November.[7] He held the seat until the 1959 general election, when he stood down.[8]
References
[edit]- ^ a b Cook, Chris (2013). By-Elections in British Politics. Taylor & Francis. p. 12. ISBN 9781134225422.
- ^ a b "Armagh 1950-1970". Ark. Retrieved 30 April 2025.
- ^ Department of Information Services (24 January 2017). "MPs appointed to the Chiltern Hundreds or Manor of Northstead stewardships since the 1945 Parliament". House of Commons Library. Retrieved 30 April 2025.
- ^ Montgomery-Massingberd, Hugh (1976). Burke's Irish Family Records. Burkes Peerage Ltd. p. 37. ISBN 9780850110180.
- ^ Staunton, Edna (2001). The nationalists of Northern Ireland, 1918-1973. Columba Press. p. 165. ISBN 9781856073288.
- ^ "1954 By Election Results". Archived from the original on 4 February 2012. Retrieved 14 August 2015.
- ^ "New Member Sworn". Hansard. 23 November 1954. Retrieved 30 April 2025.
- ^ Armagh 1950-1970, Northern Ireland Elections
- 1954 elections in the United Kingdom
- 20th century in County Armagh
- November 1954 in the United Kingdom
- By-elections to the Parliament of the United Kingdom in County Armagh constituencies
- Unopposed by-elections to the Parliament of the United Kingdom in Northern Irish constituencies
- 1954 elections in Northern Ireland