The by-election held in Mid Ulster on 11 August 1955 was called as a result of a vote in the British parliament on 18 July 1955 which voted 197 votes to 63 to nullify the result of the previous

1955 UK General Election The 1955 United Kingdom general election was held on Thursday 26 May 1955, four years after the previous general election in 1951. It was a snap election: after Winston Churchill retired in April 1955, Anthony Eden took over and immediately ca ...

in the constituency. At that election, Sinn Féin candidate Tom Mitchell took the seat. In the by-election, Mitchell managed to retain the seat with an increase in the number of votes. In the aftermath of the election, the defeated Unionist candidate successfully lodged a petition to have Mitchell, a convicted felon, removed as Member of Parliament (MP). The seat was subsequently given to

Charles Beattie Charles Beattie (3 August 1899 – 10 March 1958) was a Northern Irish farmer and auctioneer. Active in the Ulster Farmers' Union and in Unionist associations, he achieved senior office in the Orange Order and the Royal Black Institution and se ...

. However, as Beattie was at the time of his appointment a member of an appeals tribunal, considered "offices of profit under the Crown", the

British House of Commons The House of Commons is the lower house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Like the upper house, the House of Lords, it meets in the Palace of Westminster in London, England. The House of Commons is an elected body consisting of 650 mem ...

ruled that this disqualified him from the office of MP. This led to the

1956 Mid Ulster by-election The by-election held in Mid Ulster on 8 May 1956 was called because both candidates in the 1955 Mid Ulster by-election The by-election held in Mid Ulster on 11 August 1955 was called as a result of a vote in the British parliament on 18 July ...

External links

A Vision of Britain Through Time
(Constituency elector numbers)

References

1955 elections in the United Kingdom 20th century in County Londonderry 20th century in County Tyrone August 1955 events in the United Kingdom By-elections to the Parliament of the United Kingdom in County Londonderry constituencies By-elections to the Parliament of the United Kingdom in County Tyrone constituencies 1955 elections in Northern Ireland {{Ireland-UK-Parl-by-election-stub