1543 William Dodd

Constituency : North  Tyrone  1906-07

William  took  over  from  Charles  Hemphill,  defeating  the  Unionist  candidate  by  a  mere  9  votes.

William  was  educated  at  the  University  of  Belfast  and  became  a  barrister. He  was  a  staunch  Liberal  and  President  of  the  Statistical  and  Social  Inquiry  Society  of  Ireland  from  1894  to  1896. His  political  convictions  were  deemed  to  be  impeding  his  legal  career. He stood  for  the  Liberals  in  North  Antrim  in  1892  and  South  Londonderry  in  1895.

William  was  successful  in  1906  but  was  appointed  a  High  Court  judge  the  following  year  at  the  age  of  63. He found  difficulty  deferring  to  judges  who  were  much  younger  than  him. He  was  forcibly  retired  by  the  Courts  of  Justice  Act  1924  which  stipulated  a  retirement  age  of  72  and  he  was  80.

William  was  unkempt  in  appearance  and  lacked  social  graces. He  had  a  high  opinion  of  his  abilities  but  was  kind  to  others  and  did  not  bear  grudges.

He  died  in  1930  aged  85.

1542 Gilbert McMicking

Constituency : Kirkcudbrightshire  1906-10, 1910-18, Galloway  1918-22

Gilbert  took  Kirkcudbrightshire  from  the  Tories.

Gilbert  was  a  professional  soldier  who  served  with  the  Honourable  Artillery  company  and  reached  the  rank  of  Major. He  served  in  the  Boer  War.

In  1906, at  a  public  banquet  Gilbert  argued  that  more  recruits  should  be  drawn  from  rural  districts  which  produced  healthier  men.

Gilbert  was  defeated  by  41  votes  in  January  1910  but  overturned  it  against  a  different  opponent  in  December.

Gilbert  supported  Lloyd  George  and  received  the  coupon  to  fight  the  new  Galloway  constituency  in  1918.

Gilbert  stood  down  in  1922.

He  died  in  1942  aged  82.

1541 John Jardine

Constituency  :  Roxburghshire 1906-18

John  took  Roxburghshire  from  the  Tories.

John  was  educated  at  Oxford. He  entered  the  Indian  Civil  Service  and  held  a  number  of  positions  around  Bombay  from  1864  to  1897. He  was  also  a  successful  businessman  with  an  interest  in  railways.  He  contested  the  seat  in  1900.  All  four  of  his  contests  were  tight.

John's  maiden  speech  in  1906  called  for  more  employment  of  Indian  natives  in  the  country's  administration.

John  led  a  revolt  of  50  Liberal  back  benchers  against  the  1914  Budget.  

John  was  created  a  baronet  in  1916. He  stood  down  in  1918.

John  was  President  of  the  Asylum  Workers'  Association.

He  died  in  1919  aged  74.

1540 Percy Molteno

Constituency  : Dumfriesshire   1906-18

Percy  unseated  the  Liberal  Unionist  William  Maxwell  at  Dumfriesshire.

Percy  was  born  in  South  Africa, the  son  of  John  Molteno, later  the  first  Prime  Minister  of  the  Cape  Colony.He  was   educated  at  a  diocesan  college  then  Csmbridge.. He  became  a  barrister  operating  in  the  Cape  Colony. After  some  years  he  accepted  a  partnership  in  Donald  Currie's  shipping  firm, married  his  daughter   and  moved  to  England. Under  his  stewardship  the  company  dominated  South  Africa's  export  trade. He  achieved  a  dominant  position  through  taking  advantage  of  the  new  science  of  refrigeration  to  boost  fruit  exports.Percy  was  on  the  radical  wing  of  the  party  and  fiercely  opposed  the  Boer  War. Churchill  refused  to  sit  next  to  him  at  a  dinner  because  of   his  pro-Boer  views. He  was  involved  in  relief  efforts  in  the  Colony  after  the  war  ended.

Once  in  the  Commons, Percy  was  closely  involved  in  the  new  political  settlement, setting  up  the  Union  of  South  Africa  in  1910.  His  maiden  speech  argued  for  a  reduction  in  the  military   presence  there.  He  also  supported  political  rights  for  the  black  majority  and  was  in  contact  with  the  infant  ANC..

Percy  did  not  support  going  to  war  in  1914  being  unconvinced  by  Grey's  arguments. He  said  Grey's  supporters  "speak  to  us  of  some  vague  fear, some  sort  of  obligation  of  honour  that  impels  us  to  this course."  He  went  on  "  They have  brought  us  to  the  brink  of  disaster  without  our  knowing, and  without  our  being  warned". It  was  "  a  continuation  of  that  old  and  disastrous  system  where  a  few  men  in  charge  of  the  state, wielding  the  whole  force  of  the  state, make  secret  engagements  and  secret  arrangements, carefully  veiled  from  the  knowledge  of  the  people, who  are  as  dumb, driven  cattle  without  a  voice  on  the  question ".

Percy  stood  down  in  1918.

Percy  started  the  Vienna  Emergency  Relief  Fund  in  1919.

Percy  was  an  atheist   and  founded  the  Common  Sense  magazine  to  champion  science  and  reason. He  was  intelligent, open-minded  and  un-ostentatious. He  consistently  refused  honours  and  titles.

He  died  on  a  trip  to  Zurich  in  1937  aged  76.

1539 John Gulland

Constituency : Dumfries  Burghs  1906-18

John  took  over  from  the  long-serving  Robert  Reid  ( who  became  Lord  Chancellor  as  Lord  Loreburn ) at  Dumfries.

John  was  the  son  of  a  corn  merchant  and  banker. He  was  known  as  a  Radical.

John  was  a junior  whip  from  1909  until  1915  when  Percy  Illingworth  died  and  John  succeeded  him  as  Chief  Whip, He  told  Asquith  that  the  Scottish  Secretary  had  to  be  a  Liberal  but  Asquith  probably  agreed  with  that  anyway. He  had  to  share  his  duties  with  the  Tories'  Edmund  Talbot  when  the  coalition  was  formed  in  1915. He  resigned  along  with Asquith  in  1916.

John  was  swarthy  and  known  as  "Black  John  Willie". He  was  an  honest  and  straightforward  man. He  was  particularly  interested  in  improving  the  welfare  of  disabled  children,

John's  seat  was  abolished , much  to  his  displeasure , in  1918. He  stood  for  Dumfriesshire  but  was  heavily  defeated  by  the  Tory  candidate. He  went  on  a  tour  of  Canada  and  the  US  speaking  in  favour  of  the League  of  Nations.

He  died  in  1920  aged  55.

1538 Harry Primrose aka Lord Dalmeny

Constituency : Midlothian  1906-10

Harry  is  the  second  of  our  MPs  to  survive  into  my  lifetime. He  took  over  from  the  Master  of  Elibank  who  switched  seats  to  Peebles  and  Selkirk  where  he  ejected  the Liberal  Unionist  Walter Thorburn.

Harry  was  the  son  and  heir  of  Lord  Rosebery  who  was  never  an  MP  himself  because  he  succeeded  to  the  title  at  21. He  was  educated  at  Eton  and  Sandhurst. He  was  commissioned  into  the  Grenadier  Guards  in  1902. Like  his  father  he  owned  racehorses  and  won  the  Epsom  Derby  twice. He  played  cricket  for Surrey  and  Middlesex..

By  1910 , Rosebery  had  become almost  completely  detatched  from  the  Liberal  Party  making  it  awkward  for  Harry  to  continue  as  an  MP  so  he  stepped  down  in  January.

Harry  served  in  France  during  World  War  One  from  1914-17  serving  General  Allenby  then   followed  him  to  Palestine  where  his  brother  Neil  was  killed.

Harry  succeeded  his  father  in  1929.

Harry  gave  his  allegiance  to  Simon's  National  Liberals  when  the  party  split  in  the  early  thirties.

From  1941  Harry  was  Regional  Commissioner  of  Civil  Defence  for  Scotland. He  was  very  briefly  Secretary  of  State  for  Scotland   between  the  end  of  the  war  and  the  1945  election.

Harry  was  President  of  the  National  Liberals  from  1945  to  1957.

He  died  in  1974  aged  92.


 

1537 Charles Price

Constituency : Edinburgh  Central  1906-18

Charles  took  over  from  George  Brown  at  Edinburgh  Central.

Charles  started  out  as  a  travelling  salesman  for  Cadbury's  then  formed  a  biscuit  baking  company McVitie  and  Price.

Charles  was  a  Fellow  of  the  Royal  Society  of  Edinburgh.

Charles  stood  down  in  1918.

He  died  in  1934  aged  77.

1536 James White

Constituency : Dunbartonshire  1906-10, Glasgow  Tradeston  1911-18

James  took  Dunbartonshire  from  the  Tories.

James  was  the  nephew  of  Lord  Overtoun. He  was  educated  at  Rugby  and  Cambridge  and  became  a  barrister.

James  was  comfortably  re-elected  in  January  1910  and  he  was  appointed  Parliamentary  Private  Secretary  to  the  Scottish  Secretary. Strangely, he  decided  to  step  down  in  December.

However  James  soon  changed  his  mind  and  was  returned  for  Glasgow  Tradeston  in  a  by-election  in  1911.

James  became  associated  with  a  group  of  radical  MPs  known  as  Single Taxers  who  upheld  the  views  of  the  American  economist  Henry  George  on  land  value  taxation. They  had  some  influence  on  Lloyd  George's  land  campaign. James  wrote  books  and  pamphlets  on  the  subject.

In  1912  James  resumed  his  old  post  this  time  under  Thomas  McKinnon  Wood  and  followed  him  when  he  changed  roles  including  going  out  of  office  in  1916  and  hence  breaking  with  Lloyd  George's  Corn  Production  Act  during  the  war  which  the  Asquithians  did  not  adequately  oppose. This  meant  he did  not  receive  the  coupon  in  1918  and  came  third.

The  following  year  James  and  other  defeated  Single  Taxers  crossed  over  to  the  ILP.  He  cited  disappointment  with  the  Liberal  government's  measures  before  1914  and  anger  at   He  didn't  stand  in  1922  but  challenged  for  his  old  party's  seat  of  Middlesbrough  West  in  1923  where  he  was  soundly  beaten  by  Walter  Thomson  in  a  two  cornered  contest.  He  returned to  Glasgow  in  1924  and  contested  Glasgow  Central  but  he  was   soundly  beaten  by  the Tory  incumbent.

James  was  disappointed  by  Labour's  lack  of  interest  in  land  reform  and  quit  the  party  in  1926.

He  died  in  1951  aged  84.

1535 William Anstruther-Gray

Constituency : St  Andrews  Burghs  1906-10, 1910-12  ( Liberal  Unionist ), 1912-18  ( Conservative )

Amidst  the  Unionist  carnage, William  reversed  the by-election  gain  of  1903  unseating  Edward  Ellice.

William  was  the son  of  a  colonel. He  was  educated  at  Eton. He  was  a  professional  soldier  who  saw  service  in  Afghanistan  and  India  in  the  1880s  then  in the  Boer  War  where  he  was  Inspector  of Concentration  Camps  in  the  Transvaal. He  rose  to  the  rank  of  major. He  contested  the  by-election  in  1903.

William  lost  the  seat  in  January  1910  but  regained  it  in  December.

William  was  a  frequent  contributor  to  the  House  on  Scottish  issues.

William  served  in  World  War  One  with  the  Guards  Armoured  Division.

William  stood  down  in  1918  when  the  constituency  was  abolished.

He  died  in  1938  aged  78. His  son  became  a  Conservative  MP.

1534 Robert Balfour

Constituency  : Glasgow  Partick  1906-22

Robert  unseated  the  Liberal  Unionist,  James  Parker  Smith.

Robert  was  the  son  of  a  wheat  and  oil  merchant. He  was  educated  at  Madras  College  and  St  Andrews  University. He  went  into  the  family  business  and  worked  in  San  Francisco  from  1869  to  1893  before  returning  to  the  UK.

Robert  fought  off  the  attempts  by  the  Liberal  Unionist  Archibald  Maconochie  to  return  to  Parliament  in  the  two  1910  elections.

In  1911  Robert  was  created  a  baronet.

In  1918  Robert  was  awarded  the  coupon  and  easily  held  off  a  Labour  challenge.

Robert   stood  down  in  1922.

He  died  in  1929  aged  85.

1533 Thomas McKinnon Wood

Constituency : Glasgow  St  Rollox  1906-18

Thomas  took  Glasgow  St  Rollox  from  the  Liberal  Unionist  John  Wilson.

Thomas  was  the  son  of  a  shipowner. He  was  educated at  University  College, London. He  worked on  the  Encyclopedia  Britannica  for  a  few  years  until  his  father  went  blind  and  he  took  over  the  family  business. He  joined  London  County  Council  in  1892  and  became  leader  of  the  Progressive  party   in  1897. He  stood  for  Islington  East  in  1895.He  was  chairman  of  the  LCC  in  1898-9. He  stood  for  Glasgow  St  Rollox  in  1900. He  stood  against  Cathcart  Wason  in  the  by-election  at  Orkney  and  Shetland  when  the  latter  decided to become  an  independent  in  1902.

In  1908,  Thomas  was  appointed  Parliamentary  Secretary  to  the  Board  of  Education  for  a  few  months  until  he  was  switched  to Under Secretary  of  State  for  Foreign  Affairs. In  1911,   he  became  Financial  Secretary  to  the  Treasury. In  1912, he  joined  the  Cabinet  as  Scottish Secretary. In  1916  he  became  Chancellor  of  the  Duchy  of Lancaster  and  Financial  Secretary  to  the  Treasury  again.

Thomas  has  been  accused  of  being  involved  in  a  cover  up  of  the  true  facts  of  the  Quintinshill   railway  disaster  in  1915.

Thomas  wasn't  offered  a  post  in  Lloyd  George's  government  and  by  1918  was  seen  as  firmly  in  Asquith's  camp. He  came  third in  1918  with  a  derisory  8.2 %  of  the  vote.

Thomas  stood  for  Hackney  Central  in  1922  against  the  Lloyd  George  Liberal, Arthur  Lever  and  came  a  respectable  second.

He died  in  1927  aged  72.

1532 Andrew Torrance

Constituency : Glasgow  Central  1906-09

Andrew  took  Glasgow  Central  from  the  Tories.

Andrew  was  educated  at  Cumnock  Parish  School. He  was  apprenticed  to  a  firm  of  muslin  manufacturers in  Glasgow  but  moved  to  London  two  years  later  and  eventually  became  a  partner  in  a  firm. He  became  a  Progressive  councillor  in  London  and  was  chairman  of  the  County  Council  in  1901-02.  He  stood  for  Islington  East  ( his  council  seat )  in  1900  but  lost  quite  heavily . He  then  switched  to  Islington  Borough  Council  and  was  Mayor  in  1903-05.

Andrew  was  knighted  in  1906.

Andrew  made  few  contributions  in  the  Commons  during  his  tenure.

He  died  in  1909  aged  63.

1531 Henry Watt

Constituency : Glasgow  College  1906-18

Henry  took  Glasgow  College  from  the  Tories.

Henry  supported  Scottish  home  rule . In  1911  he  made  the  observation "There  are  sixteen  departments over  which  the  Secretary  for  Scotland  is  chief, and  in  discussing  his  salary  we  are not  permitted to  touch  any  of  these  sixteen  deppartments".

When  the  Glasgow  seats  were  re-jigged  in  1918,  Henry  stood  for  Glasgow  Maryhill  but  came  a  distant  third.

He  died  in  1929  aged  66. His  son  Henry  was  a  noted  director  of  film  documentaries.

1530 James Cleland

Constituency : Glasgow  Bridgeton  1906-10

James  took Glasgow  Bridgeton  from  the  Tories.

James  was  a  manufacturer's  son  from  the  city. He  was  educated  at  Glasgow  Academy  and  Oxford  where  he  became  President  of  the Union. He  became  a  barrister. He  contested  the  constituency  in  1900. A  year  later  he  became  a  Progressive  councillor  in  London. He  stood  for  Lewisham  in  a  by-election  in  1903.

James  held  the  seat  easily  in  January  1910  but  chose  not  to  defend  it  in  December.

He  died  in  1914  aged  40.

1529 Walter Menzies

Constituency : Southern  Lanarkshire  1906-13

Walter  took  South  Lanarkshire  from  the  Conservatives.

Walter  was  the  son  of  a  tube  manufacturer  and  carried  on  the  family  business.

Walter  contested  Glasgow  Central  in  1892  then  South  Lanarkshire  in  1900.

Walter  supported  the  single  transferable  vote. He  supported  temperance  but  was  not  teetotal  himself.

He  died  in  1913  aged  57.

1528 John McCallum

Constituency : Paisley  1906-20

John  took  over  from  Sir  William  Dunn  at  Paisley. He  defeated  a  Liberal  Unionist  and  a  Scottish  Worker's  Representative  Committee  candidate.

John  was  the  son  of  a  dye  manufacturer. He  was  educated  at  Allan  Gelen's  School  in  Glasgow  where  he  studied  chemistry. He  became  a  partner  in  a  firm  of  soap  manufacturers. He  was  a  local  councillor  and  at  one  point  president  of  the  Scottish  Liberal  Association. He  was  a  teetotaller  and  temperance  campaigner. He  supported  Scottish  Home  Rule. He  supported  the  Paisley  Tenants  Protection  Association  and  took  a  progressive  stance  on  social  questions.

John  was  knighted  in  1912.

In  1918,  John  promised  to  support  the  Coalition  government  but  it  was  recalled  that  he  had  voted  with  Asquith  in  the  Maurice  debate  and  the  coupon  was  given  to  a  Unionist  standing  as  a  National  Democratic  Party  candidate. Labour  also  stood  a  candidate. In  a  very  tight  three-way  contest  John  won  by  106  votes.

He  died  in  1920  aged  72. The  by-election  allowed  Asquith  to  return  to  Parliament  after  his  defeat  in  1918.

1527 Sir Thomas Glen-coats

Constituency : Western  Renfrewshire  1906-10

Thomas  took  West  Renfrewshire  which  had  been  Tory  since  its  creation  in  1885.

Thomas  was  a  director  of  a  thread-making  firm. He  was  active  in  the  Volunteers.He  was  created  a  baronet  in  1894. He  was  narrowly  defeated  in  1900. He  was  a  Baptist.

Sir  Thomas  made  little  contribution  in  Parliament.

Thomas  stood  down  in  January  1910.

He  died  in  1922  aged  76. His  son  was  an  Olympic  sailor.

1526 Robert Laidlaw

Constituency  East  Renfrewshire  1906-10

Robert  took  East  Renfrewshire  from  the  Tories  who'd  held  it  since  1886. Churchill  helped  him  during  the  campaign.

Robert was  educated  at  parish  schools  and  entered  the  textiles  trade. He  worked  in  South  Africa's  diamond  fields  for  a  while  then  went  to  India  for  a  couple  of  decades  where  he  developed  interests  in  tea, textiles, household  goods, rubber  and  insurance. He  was  a  Methodist  and  a  keen  philanthropist  establishing  the  Calcutta  Boys  School  and  other  establishments.

Most  of  Robert's  parliamentary  contributions  were  on  India.

In  1908  Robert  was  sent  as  British  representative  to  the  International  Opium  Commmission  in  Shanghai.

Robert  was  knighted  in  1909.

Robert  was  defeated  in  January  1910.

Robert  was  elected  President  of  the  World  Sunday  Schools  Association  in  1913.

He  died  in  1915  aged  59. His  will  endowed  the  Laidlaw  Memorial  School  in  Southern  India.

1525 Adam Rainy

Constituency  : Kilmarnock  Burghs  1906-11

Adam  took  Kilmarnock  Burghs  from  the  Tories.

Adam  was  the  son  of  the  Anglican  Principal  of  New  College, Edinburgh. He  contested  Kilmarnock  Burghs  in  1900.

Adam  supported  Home  Rule  for  both  Ireland  and  Scotland.

Adam  increased  his  majority  in  January  1910.

He  died  in  1911  aged  49.

1524 William Beale

Constituency : South  Ayrshire  1906-18

William  took  South  Ayrshire. It  had  been  held  by  the  Liberal  Unionist  William  Arrol  but  he  had  stepped  down  and  William  defeated  a  Tory  candidate.

William  came  from  a  well  known  Birmingham  merchant  family. He  was  related  by  marriage  to  the  Chamberlains. He  was  educated  at  Birmingham  and  Edgbaston  proprietary  School  and  Heidelberg  University. He  started  work  in  a  family  ironworks  firm  but  he  switched  to  the  law  and became  a  barrister. He  stood  in  Tamworth  in  1885. He  stayed  with  the  Liberals  in  1886  and  contested  the  Birmingham  Central  seat  at  the  by-election  caused  by  Bright's  death  in  1889. He  contested  the  by-election  at  Aston  Manor  in  1891. He  did  not  stand  in  1895  or  1900.

William  supported  women's  suffrage in  1908.

William  was  created  a  baronet  in  1912.

William  had  a  keen  interest  in  crystallography  and  mineralogy  and  published  a  guide  to  the  former.

William  indicated  that  he  was  stepping  down  in  1914  but  remained  in  the  House  until  the  1918  election.

He  died  in  1922  aged  82.

1523 David Erskine

Constituency : West  Perthshire  1906-10

David  evicted  the  Liberal  Unionist  John  Stroyan.

David  was  educated  at  Harrow  and  in  Europe. He  acted  as  Secretary  to  the  Governor-General  of  Canada  from  1897  to  1898.

David  was  Parliamentary  Secretary  to  the  Scottish  Secretary  John  Sinclair  theroughout  his  time  in  Parliament. He  also  chaired  the  Board  of  Trustees  for  the  National  Galleries  of  Scotland   from  1908  until  his  death.

David  made  few  contributions  to  Parliament.

David  stood  down  in  January  1910.

David  was  included  in  Keynes' s  list  of  sexual  encounters.

He  died  in  1922  aged  55.

1522 Donald Smeaton

Constituency  : Stirlingshire  1906-10

Donald  won  Stirlingshire  from  the  Tories.

Donald  was  educated  at  his  father's  boarding  school  then  the  University  of  St  Andrews. He  went  to  India  and  had  a  long  career  in  the  civil  service  there. As  Chief  Commissioner  in  Burma  he  promoted  a  crop  replacement  scheme  to  reduce  the  opium  trade  but  it  came  to  nothing. He  retired  in  1902.

In  1906  Donald  argued  for  better  representation  of  Glasgow  on  the  Board  of  Trustees  for  the  National  Gallery  of  Scotland.

Donald  was  a  frequent  contributor  in  the  House  on  both  Scottish  and  Indian  questions. He  blamed  Curzon  and  the  emergence  of  Japan  as  reasons  for  instability  in  India.

He  stood  down  in  January  1910  and  died  three  months  later  aged  61.

1521 John Henderson

Constituency : Western  Aberdeenshire  1906-18

John  took  over  from  Robert  Farquharson  at  Western  Aberdeenshire. He  had  an  easy  win.

John  was  educated  at  two  Aberdeen  colleges  and  became  a  chartered  accountant. After  working  with  bankruptcies  he  switched  to  the  law  and  became  a  barrister. He  had  business  interests  in  metalware  and  tramways. John  was  firmly  on  the  Liberal  Imperialist  wing  of  the  party  and  was  on  the  Imperial  Liberal  Council.

John  voted  for  female  suffrage  in  1908.

John  became  involved  in  a  minor  controversy  in  December  1910  when  a  letter  to  him  from  the  Lord-Lieutenant  of  Ireland  , Lord  Aberdeen  about  Home  Rule  was  thought  to  be  an  abuse  of  the  latter's  position.

In  1918  John  contested  the  new  seat  of  Central  Aberdeenshire  and  lost  out  to  the  Coalition  Unionist  candidate. However  the  victor  died  shortly  afterwards  and  John  intended  to contest  the  seat  again. John  said  he  was  now  willing  to  give  support  to  the  government  but  the  local  Tories  were  not  willing  to  back  him  and  selected  their  own  candidate. John  decided  to  withdraw  in  favour  of  another  Liberal  who  actually  won  the  by-election.

He  died  of  pneumonia  in  1922  aged  72.

1520 James Annand

Constituency  : Eastern  Aberdeenshire  1906

James  took  East  Aberdeenshire  from  the  Liberal  Unionist  Archibald  Maconochie.  Ironically.  he  was  fiercely  opposed  to  Home  Rule  himself

James  was  the  son  of  a  blacksmith. He  started  out  in  that  trade  himself  but  friends  helped  him  buy  a  share  of  the  Buchan  Observer  and  instal  himself  as  editor. After  six  years  he  sold  up  and  moved  to  London  but  found  few  openings  there  He  moved  into  the  north  east  of  England , initially  under  the  patronage  of  Joseph  Cowen and  edited  several  papers  there  including  the  Newcastle  Daily  Chronicle. He  stood  at  Tynemouth  in  1892  and  ASt  Andrews  Burghs  in  1900. He  had  briefly  been  the  son-in-law  of  Morpeth  MP  Thomas  Burt.

James  moved  to  London  for  the  opening  of  Parliament  but  he  died   of  angina  pectoris  sixteen  days  after  his  election  before  he  had  the  chance  to  take  his  seat. He  was  62.

1519 Archibald Williamson

Constituency : Elginshire  and  Nairnshire  1906-18,  Moray  and  Nairn  1918-22

Archibald  took  Elginshire  and  Nairnshire  from  the  Tories.

Archibald  was  the  son  of  the  former  Scottish  MP  Stephen  Williamson. He  was  educated  at  Craigmount  School  and  Edinburgh  University. He  was  a  director  of  the Central  Argentine  Railway  and  several  other  companies. He  was  a  philanthropist.

Archibald  was  created a  baronet  in  1909. He  was  unopposed  in  December  1910.

Archibald  sat  on  a  number  of committees  and  was  on  the  Mesopotamia  Commission  of  Enquiry  in  1916.

Archibald  was  a  supporter  of  Lloyd  George  and  received  the  coupon  though  he  had  no  opponent  in  the  new  seat  of  Moray  and  Nairn  in  1918.

Archibald  was  Financial  Secretary  to  the  War  Office  between  1919  and  1921. In  1919  he  was  elected  to  a  Liberal  Union  committee  at  the  meeting  convened  by  George  Lambert.

In  June  1922  Archibald  was  created  Baron  Forres.

He  died  in  1931  aged  71.

1518 John Bryce

Constituency : Inverness  Burghs  1906-18

So  now  at  last  we  come  to  the  Liberals' greatest  triumph, their  landslide  victory  at  the  1906  election. The  Liberals  won  nearly  400  seats, trouncing  the  Unionists  after  three  years  of  their  opponents'  bitter  division  over  the  Tariff  Reform  issue. Balfour  himself  went  down  in  the  rout. In  addition,  the  Labour  Representation  Committee  won  29  seats  as  a  result  of  the  pact  agreed  between  Herbert  Gladstone  and  Ramsay  McDonald. The  Liberal  Unionists' seat  total  more  than  halved. Chamberlain's  Birmingham  stronghold  held  firm  but  elsewhere  they  were  shredded, reduced  to  a  scattered  handful  of  pocket  boroughs. It's  only  surprising  that  it  took  another  six  years  before  their  absorption  into  the   Conservative  party  was  finalised.

John  ousted  the  Liberal  Unionist, Robert  Finlay, at  Inverness.

John  was  the  brother  of  Aberdeen  South  MP  and  former  minister  James  Bryce. He  was  educated  at  Oxford  and  the  University  of  Glasgow. He  was  a  merchant  operating  in  India  and  part  of  the  Rangoon  Chamber  of  Commerce. He  also  conducted  explorations  into  remote  regions  of  Burma  and  Siam. He  was  subsequently  on  the  Council  of  the  Royal  Geographical  Society. He  subsequently  held  directorships  in  banking, railways , insurance  and  electricity  supply.

John  served  for  two  years  on  the  Royal  Commission  for  Congestion  in  Ireland.

In  1908  James  campaigned  for  land  access  and  declared  that  "the  people  should  not  have  this  access  to  mountains  on  sufferance  but  as  a  right" . The  following  year  his  Access  to  Mountains  ( Scotland ) Bill  got  to  a  second  reading.

John  constructed  Ilnacullin  tropical  gardens  near  Cork  which  remain  a  tourist  attraction  to  this  day.

During  World  War  One  John  and  his  wife  ran  a  home  for  convalescent  soldiers  in  Ireland.

John  stood  down  in  1918   when  his  seat  was  abolished.

John  and  his  wife  protested  about  army  reprisals  in  Ireland  during  the  independence  struggle.

He  died  in  1923  aged  81.

1517 ( 1428 a ) John Dewar

Constituency :  Inverness-shire  1900-17

A  bit  of  research  for  the  1906  election  immediately  throws  up  another  mistake.

John  took  Inverness-shire  from  the  Tories  at  the  1906  election. He  had  estates  in  Perthshire.

John  was  the  chairman  of  the  family  distilling  firm.

John  was  created  a  baronet  in  1907.

In  1912,  John  chaired  the  Dewar  Commission  on  healthcare  in  the  North  of  Scotland.

In  1917  John  was  elevated  to  the  peerage  as  Baron  Forteviot.

He  died  in  1929  aged 73.

1516 Frederick Hall

Constituency : Normanton 1905-09, 1909-33  ( Labour )

Frederick  took  over  at  Normanton  after  the  death  of  William  Parrott. Like  Parrott  he  was  a  Liberal-Labour  candidate. He  was  unopposed.

Frederick  had  started  working  in  the  mines  at  9  and  was  self-taught. In  1878  he  became  Treasurer  of  the  Yorkshire  Miners  Association. He  sat  on  West  Riding  County  Council  and  was  a  Grand  Master  of  the  Oddfellows.

In  1909  Frederick  obeyed  the  instruction  by  the  MFGB  to  take  the  Labour  whip.  He  was  a  reluctant  convert  and omitted  the  word  "Labour"  from  his  election  address in  1910.  The  local  Liberals  did  not  contest  the  seat  until  1974

In  1918  Frederick  was  endorsed  by  the  Coalition  government  and  elected  unopposed. He  was  opposed  by  a  National  Liberal  in  1922.

In  1924  Frederick  became  a  Labour  whip.

Despite  his  longevity  as  an  MP , Frederick  rarely  spoke in  the  Commons. and  restricted  himself  to  questions.

He  died  in  1933  aged  78.

Frederick  is  the  last  of  the  by-election  victors  of  1900-05. Now  we  look  at  those  who  came  in  at  the  1906  election  and  there's  a  lot  of  them.