Combined Scottish Universities
Former University constituency
for the House of Commons
1918–1950
SeatsThree
Created fromGlasgow & Aberdeen Universities
Edinburgh and St Andrews Universities

The Combined Scottish Universities was a three-member university constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1918 until 1950. It was created by merging the single-member constituencies of Glasgow and Aberdeen Universities and Edinburgh and St Andrews Universities.

Boundaries

The constituency was not a physical area but was rather elected by the graduates of the Scottish Universities of St Andrews, Edinburgh, Glasgow and Aberdeen.

The constituency returned three Members of Parliament to Westminster, elected by Single Transferable Vote. The by-elections used the first past the post voting system.

This University constituency was created by the Representation of the People Act 1918 and abolished in 1950 by the Representation of the People Act 1948.

Members of Parliament

Election1st Member1st Party2nd Member2nd Party3rd Member3rd Party
1918 Sir William Cheyne Coalition Conservative Dugald McCoig Cowan Coalition Liberal Sir Henry Craik Coalition Conservative
1922 Sir George Berry Unionist Liberal Unionist
Apr 1927 John Buchan Unionist
1931 Noel Skelton Unionist
Mar 1934 George Alexander Morrison Liberal
Jun 1935 National Liberal Sir John Kerr Unionist
Jan 1936 Ramsay MacDonald National Labour
Feb 1938 Sir John Anderson National
Apr 1945 Sir John Boyd-Orr Independent
Nov 1946 Walter Elliot Unionist
1950 University constituencies abolished

Election results

Elections in the 1910s

Dugald Cowan
General election, November 1918: Combined Scottish Universities [1]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Unionist Green tickYWatson Cheyne 3,719 28.7
Liberal Green tickYDugald Cowan 3,499 27.0
Unionist Green tickYHenry Craik 3,286 25.4
Labour Peter Macdonald 1,581 12.2
Independent William Robert Smith 850 6.6
Majority 1,705 13.2
Turnout 12,935
Unionist win (new seat)
Liberal win (new seat)
Unionist win (new seat)

Elections in the 1920s

General election 1922: Combined Scottish Universities
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Unionist George Andreas Berry Unopposed
Liberal Dugald Cowan Unopposed
Unionist Henry Craik Unopposed
General election 1923: Combined Scottish Universities
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Unionist George Andreas Berry Unopposed
Liberal Dugald Cowan Unopposed
Unionist Henry Craik Unopposed
General election 1924: Combined Scottish Universities [2]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Unionist Henry Craik 7,188 40.8 N/A
Liberal Dugald Cowan 5,011 28.4 N/A
Unionist George Andreas Berry 3,781 21.5 N/A
Labour John Martin Munro 1,639 9.3 New
Majority 2,177 12.2 N/A
Turnout 17,619
Unionist hold Swing
Liberal hold Swing
Unionist hold Swing
1927 Combined Scottish Universities by-election
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Unionist John Buchan 16,963 87.7 +66.2
Labour Hugh Guthrie 2,378 12.3 +3.0
Majority 14,585 75.4 +63.2
Turnout 19,341 55.1 0.0
Unionist hold Swing
General election 1929: Combined Scottish Universities (3 seats) [3]
PartyCandidateFPv%Count
12
Unionist John Buchan 39.7 9,959  
Liberal Dugald Cowan 26.7 6,698  
Unionist George Berry 22.9 5,755 9,262
Labour James Kerr (Scottish doctor) 10.7 2,691 2,867
Electorate: 43,192   Valid: 25,103   Quota: 6,276   Turnout: 25,103  

    Elections in the 1930s

    General election, October 1931: Combined Scottish Universities
    Party Candidate Votes % ±%
    Unionist John Buchan Unopposed
    Liberal Dugald Cowan Unopposed
    Unionist Noel Skelton Unopposed
    1934 Combined Scottish Universities by-election
    Party Candidate Votes % ±%
    Liberal George Morrison 18,070 79.2 N/A
    Labour Robert Gibson 4,750 20.8 New
    Majority 13,320 58.4 N/A
    Turnout 22,820 44.3 N/A
    Liberal hold Swing
    1935 Combined Scottish Universities by-election
    Party Candidate Votes % ±%
    Unionist John Graham Kerr 20,507 82.7 N/A
    Labour Naomi Mitchison 4,293 17.3 -3.5
    Majority 16,214 65.4 N/A
    Turnout 24,800 48.1 N/A
    Unionist hold Swing N/A
    General election, November 1935: Combined Scottish Universities [4]
    Party Candidate Votes % ±%
    Unionist John Graham Kerr 8,252 30.4 N/A
    National Liberal George Morrison 7,529 27.7 N/A
    Unionist Noel Skelton[5] 7,479 27.6 N/A
    SNP Andrew Dewar Gibb 3,865 14.2 New
    Majority 723 13.4 N/A
    Turnout 27,125 N/A
    Unionist hold Swing
    1936 Combined Scottish Universities by-election[6]
    Party Candidate Votes % ±%
    National Labour Ramsay MacDonald 16,393 56.5 New
    SNP Andrew Dewar Gibb 9,034 31.1 +16.9
    Labour David Cleghorn Thomson 3,597 12.4 New
    Majority 7,359 37.4 N/A
    Turnout 29,024 54.8 +3.6
    National Labour gain from Unionist Swing N/A
    1938 Combined Scottish Universities by-election[7]
    Party Candidate Votes % ±%
    National John Anderson 14,042 48.8 −7.7
    Independent Frances H. Melville 5,618 19.5 New
    SNP Andrew Dewar Gibb 5,246 18.2 −12.9
    Independent Progressive Peter Chalmers Mitchell 3,868 13.5 New
    Majority 8,424 29.3 +3.9
    Turnout 28,774 52.1 −2.7
    National hold Swing

    Elections in the 1940s

    1945 Combined Scottish Universities by-election
    Party Candidate Votes % ±%
    Independent John Boyd-Orr 20,197 71.2 N/A
    National Liberal R.M. Munro 8,177 28.8 N/A
    Majority 12,020 43.4 N/A
    Turnout 28,374 44.6 −7.5
    Registered electors 63,581
    Independent gain from National Liberal Swing
    1945 general election: Combined Scottish Universities
    Party Candidate Votes % ±%
    National Green tickYJohn Anderson 16,011 48.8 New
    Independent Green tickYJohn Boyd-Orr 10,685 32.6 New
    Labour Halliday Sutherland 2,860 8.7 N/A
    Liberal Ralph Somerville Weir 1,872 5.7 N/A
    Unionist Green tickYJohn Graham Kerr 1,361 4.2 -53.8
    Majority 7,825 23.9
    Turnout 32,789 51.6 +3.5
    National hold Swing N/A
    Independent hold Swing N/A
    Unionist hold Swing N/A
    1946 Combined Scottish Universities by-election
    Party Candidate Votes % ±%
    Unionist Walter Elliot 22,152 68.2 +64.0
    Labour C. E. M. Joad 3,731 11.5 +2.8
    Liberal John Bannerman 2,593 8.0 +2.3
    Independent J. G. Jameson 2,080 6.4 New
    National Liberal Robert Scott Stevenson 1,938 5.9 New
    Majority 18,421 56.7 N/A
    Turnout 32,494 50.7 −0.9
    Unionist gain from Independent Swing N/A

    References

    1. ↑ Whitaker's Almanack, 1920
    2. ↑ Oliver and Boyd's Edinburgh Almanack, 1927
    3. ↑ The Times, 11 June 1929
    4. ↑ The Times, 26 November 1935
    5. ↑ Skelton died on 22 November, and his election has announced posthumously
    6. ↑ "Ex-Premier returned to Parliament. 7359 Majority in Universities By-election". The Glasgow Herald. 4 February 1936. p. 9. Retrieved 19 March 2017.
    7. ↑ "Universities By-election. Sir J. Anderson's Success". The Glasgow Herald. 1 March 1938. p. 3. Retrieved 19 March 2017.
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