Oldham by-election, 1899
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Robert Ascroft
James Francis Oswald
Conservative
Alfred Emmott
Walter Runciman
Liberal
The Oldham by-election of 1899 occurred in the summer of that year, and involved a by-election to fill both seats in the two-member Oldham Parliamentary borough. The block voting method allowed each elector to vote for two candidates. The election resulted in the Liberal Party winning both seats from the Conservatives who had previously held them; however the election is principally notable for being the first to be fought by future Prime Minister Winston Churchill.
At the beginning of 1899, the two members of parliament for Oldham were Robert Ascroft and James Oswald. However, Oswald had been chronically ill for many months and had been absent from his Parliamentary duties and his constituency; he had indicated that he would not seek re-election and left a resignation note with the Conservative Party and instructed them to use it if they thought it expedient. Ascroft was an active Parliamentarian, but was struck down with pneumonia at his home in Croydon on Monday 12 June, becoming partially unconscious. Over the next few days his condition did not improve, and by Sunday 18 June there was said to be "very little hope". He died on the afternoon of 19 June.
Ascroft's sudden death created an opportunity for the Conservative Party to use Oswald's resignation note and hold a double by-election, but the party delayed the decision until Ascroft's funeral on Friday 23 June. It was later observed that Ascroft was very popular in the town but had not maintained a group of election campaign workers, presumably hoping that his personal support would be enough. The forcing of a by-election therefore caught Oldham Conservatives unawares. Nevertheless, on Monday 26 June Oswald's resignation note was sent in, and in consequence he was appointed Steward of the Manor of Northstead as a way of resigning his seat.
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Wikipedia