The1903 East Perthshire by-election was a parliamentaryby-election held for the UKHouse of Commons constituency ofEast Perthshire in theCounty of Perth on 26 February 1903.
The by-election was caused by the resignation of the sittingLiberalMP,Sir John Kinloch.[1]
The Liberals selectedThomas Buchanan,[2] abarrister by profession and a former MP for three different Scottish constituencies.
A meeting ofConservatives andLiberal Unionists took place inPerth on 13 February 1903 to decide whether or not to contest the election. It was reported that the candidate they had invited to stand had declined to do so[3] and in the end they could not find a candidate willing to fight this traditional Liberal seat, which had been held by the Liberal Party at every election since its creation in1885.[4]
There being no other candidates putting themselves forward therefore, Buchanan was returned unopposed.[5] He told his supporters that they had 'gained one of the greatest Liberal victories in Scotland, as complete a victory as the largest majority could have given them at the poll'.[6]
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Liberal | Thomas Buchanan | Unopposed | N/A | N/A | |
| Liberalhold | Swing | N/A | |||