Edinburgh South by-election, 1899

The Edinburgh South by-election, 1899 was a parliamentary by-election held for the House of Commons constituency of Edinburgh South in Scotland on 19 June 1899.

The by-election was caused by the death of the sitting Liberal Unionist MP, Robert Cox on 2 June 1899. Cox had held the seat since the 1895 general election when he had narrowly defeated the sitting Liberal MP Herbert Paul.

The Unionist Association of South Edinburgh held an executive meeting on 7 June to consider their choice of candidate. They provisionally decided to recommend the adoption of Major General Andrew Wauchope but they agreed not to take any formal steps in the selection until after the funeral of Mr Cox. At the time of the by-election Wauchope was aged 52 and had been an officer in the Black Watch since 1865, having been promoted to major general in November 1898 . Politically a staunch Tory, he had previously contested the Midlothian or Edinburghshire constituency at the 1892 general election coming within 690 votes of unseating Mr Gladstone.

The Liberals chose 39-year-old Arthur Dewar, a barrister and member of the Scotch whisky family John Dewar & Sons.

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