1911 Kilmarnock Burghs by-election

Vacancy

Electoral history

Candidates

• Twenty-six-year-old William Glynne Charles Gladstone was chosen as the new Liberal candidate. He was a grandson of the former Liberal Prime Minister, William Gladstone and the son of former Liberal MP, William Henry Gladstone. In 1909, Gladstone was the Assistant Private Secretary to John Hamilton-Gordon, Earl of Aberdeen who was serving as Lord Lieutenant of Ireland. In early 1911, he served for a few months at the British Embassy in Washington, D.C. as an Honorary Attaché. This was his first election as a candidate.
• The Conservatives chose a new candidate in 57-year-old Sir John David Rees. He was a former colonial administrator in India. He was a former Liberal MP for Montgomery Boroughs until December 1910 when he did not defend his seat. He crossed the floor before the dissolution of parliament November 1910.
• A Labour party candidate, in the form of 29-year-old Thomas McKerrell appeared for the first time. At the last election, he had contested Liverpool Kirkdale. He sat on the executives of the Scottish and British Miners unions. He had been a Kilmarnock magistrate. He was the organiser of the Ayrshire Miners Union. He was a member of Kilmarnock Town Council.

  Campaign

Result

Aftermath

• Liberal: Will Gladstone
• Unionist:
• Labour: