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East Fife by-election, 1961
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The East Fife by-election, 1961 was a by-election held for the British House of Commons constituency of East Fife in Scotland on 9 November 1961. It was won by the Conservative and National Liberal candidate Sir John E. Gilmour.
Vacancy
The seat had become vacant when the sitting National Liberal Member of Parliament (MP), Sir James Henderson-Stewart had died at the age of 63 on 3 September 1961. He had held the seat since a by-election in 1933.
Candidates
The Conservative and National Liberal candidate was 49-year-old Sir John E. Gilmour, an Eton and Cambridge-educated baronet who was a local farmer and land-owwner, and a decorated war-hero.[1] His father John had been an MP for thirty years, serving as a minister in the 1920s and 30s, including a period as Home Secretary. Gilmour was a reluctant by-election candidate; he had stood unsuccessfully at the 1945 general election in Clackmannan and Eastern Stirlingshire, but preferred local politics and had been a member of Fife County Council since 1955. However, he was pressured to stand to avoid by a constituency association fearing the imposition of an unpopular Conservative candidate.[2]
The Labour Party candidate was John Smith, a 23-year-old law student at Glasgow University, who later became leader of the party.
The Liberal Party candidate was D. Leach.
Result
After a campaign notable for a large influx of students supporting the Labour candidate, Gilmour was elected with a reduced but still large majority, with nearly 50% of the votes. Labour narrowly pushed the Liberals into third place.
Gilmour was re-elected at the 1964 general election, with an increased majority over Smith,[3] and held the seat until he stepped down at the 1979 general election.
Votes
See also
Notes
References
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