1877 Clare by-election
The 1877 Clare by-election was fought on 13 August 1877. The by-election was fought due to the death of the incumbent Home Rule MP, Sir Colman O'Loghlen. It was won by the Home Rule candidate Sir Bryan O'Loghlen.[1] The result was remarkable in that O'Loghlen did not seek the nomination and was elected without his consent. He refused to take his seat as he was Attorney-General of Victoria. This position was considered an office of profit and thus disqualified him from membership of the House of Commons. A select committee was established to consider the issue and reported in 1879. They found that this was the case and the seat was declared vacant.[2] Some controversy remained because O'Loghlen's position was in a colony and not in the United Kingdom.[3] A writ was moved for another by-election in 1879.
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home Rule | Sir Bryan O'Loghlen | 1,721 | 47.2 | ||
| Ind. Nationalist | O'Gorman Mahon | 1,149 | 31.5 | ||
| Irish Conservative | Robert Carey Reeves | 764 | 20.9 | +2.9 | |
| Home Rule | Francis Burton | 15 | 0.4 | ||
| Majority | 572 | 15.7 | −3.5 | ||
| Turnout | 3,649 | 68.9 | |||
| Home Rule hold | Swing | -18.9 | |||
References
- ^ Leigh Rayment's Historical List of MPs
- ^ "CLARE COUNTY WRIT". Parliamentary Debates (Hansard). 25 April 1879. Retrieved 26 January 2017.
- ^ "THE HOUSE OF COMMONS CONSTITUENCIES BEGINNING WITH "C" Sir Bryan O'Loghlen,3rd baronet, MP for Clare 1877-1879 (bottom of page)". Leigh Rayment's Peerage Page. Archived from the original on 10 August 2009. Retrieved 26 January 2017.
- ^ "Clare Election". Leicester Daily Mercury. 14 August 1877. Retrieved 6 October 2016 – via British Newspaper Archive.