1859 UK general election

United Kingdom general election, 1859

← 1857 28 April–18 May 1859 1865 →
← outgoing members Members elected →
All 654 seats in the House of Commons 328 seats needed for a majority
First party Second party   Leader The Viscount Palmerston The Earl of Derby Party Liberal Conservative Leader since 6 February 1855 July 1846 Leader's seat Tiverton Earl of Derby Last election 377 seats, 65.9% 264 seats, 34.0% Seats won 356 298 Seat change 21 34 Popular vote 372,117 193,232 Percentage 65.7% 34.3% Swing 0.2% 0.3%
Prime Minister before election Lord Derby Conservative Subsequent Prime Minister Lord Palmerston Whig

Lord Derby
Conservative

Lord Palmerston
Whig

In the 1859 United Kingdom general election, the Whigs, led by Lord Palmerston, held their majority in the House of Commons over the Earl of Derby's Conservatives. This election is also considered to be the first to be contested by the Liberal Party - a name unofficially adopted to cover the alliance of Whigs, Peelites, Radicals and Irish Brigade who had previously voted against the Derby administration in the House of Commons that had led to the election. It was also the last general election entered by the Chartists, before their organisation was dissolved. As of 2017, this is the last election in which the Conservatives won the most seats in Wales, as well as being the last election to date in which the Conservative Party took less than a third of the vote in England.

The election was the quietest and least competitive between 1832 and 1885, with most county elections being uncontested. The election also saw the lowest number of candidates between 1832 and 1885, with Tory gains potentially being the result of a lack of opposition as much as a change in public opinion.

Total votes cast: 565,500

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