Edinburgh East by-election, 1912

The Edinburgh East by-election was a Parliamentary by-election. It returned one Member of Parliament to the House of Commons of the United Kingdom, elected by the first past the post voting system.

Sir James Gibson had been Liberal MP for the seat of Edinburgh East since the Edinburgh East by-election, 1909. On 10 January 1912 his poor health was reported by The Times, who commented that he had been ill for some time. He death was reported two days later.

The seat had been won by a Liberal at every election since it was created in 1885. The result at the last election was as follows.

However, at the by-election in 1909, the Liberal majority had been reduced to 458 votes - 5.4%.

Jameson, the Unionist candidate unsurprisingly sought to champion opposition to two Liberal Government policies, the Irish Home Rule proposals and the National Insurance Act while supporting Tariff Reform. However, he also spoke out in favour of the abolition of hereditary peers and making the second chamber democratic. He also favoured the use of public referenda. He was opposed to giving women the vote and opposed to granting Home Rule for Scotland.

For the Liberal, Hogge stood for Irish and Scottish Home Rule, universal adult suffrage, temperance reform and the reform of the land laws. He also favoured the abolition of the House of Lords.

The Edinburgh branch of the National Society for Women's Suffrage after questioning both candidates unsurprisingly chose to support the Liberal, James Hogge. The National Union of Women's Suffrage Societies also chose to use interest in the by-election to promote women's suffrage through a series of local meetings.

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