Glasgow Garscadden by-election, 1978

The Glasgow Garscadden by-election, 1978 was a parliamentary by-election held on 13 April 1978 for the British House of Commons constituency of Glasgow Garscadden, in the north west periphery of the City of Glasgow.

It was won by Donald Dewar of the Labour Party. It was important in that it was widely seen as halting the Scottish National Party (SNP) tide in the 1970s.

The by-election was caused by the death of William Watson Small (19 October 1909 – 18 January 1978) who was a Labour Party politician from Scotland.

Small was an engineer. He was an Ayrshire County Councillor from 1945 to 1951 and an active member of the Amalgamated Engineering Union, serving on its national committee from 1955 to 1957 and as president of the union's West Ayrshire district.

At the 1959 general election, he was elected as Member of Parliament for Glasgow Scotstoun. At the February 1974 election he was elected for Glasgow Garscadden which was largely the same constituency under a new name. He held that seat until his death.

Small never held ministerial office, but served as Parliamentary Private Secretary to the Minister of Power from 1964.

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