Gorton by-election, 1889

The Gorton by-election, 1889 was a parliamentary by-election held on 22 March 1889 for the British House of Commons in the Gorton Division of Lancashire.

The seat had become vacant on the death of the sitting Liberal MP Richard Peacock on 3 March 1889. Peacock had held the seat since the 1885 general election.

The Liberal Party selected William Mather a 50-year-old industrialist, the head of an engineering firm in Salford and the former MP for Salford South.

The Conservatives, who were backed by their Liberal Unionist allies, selected Ernest Hatch. Hatch was aged 29, a wine merchant from London but had been active in the Gorton constituency for his party since June 1888.

The principal issue of the by-election was Irish home rule. Indeed, Mather declared it was the only question to be settled in the contest and hoped that the electors would not be influenced by any side issues. The Irish and Roman Catholic communities in the area had their own political organisations. While they were solidly behind the Liberal Party, they valued their independence and campaigned separately. During the by-election, they set up their own election committee on behalf of Mather and canvassed in their own end of the constituency. Even the local priests were out campaigning for him. For his part, Hatch stated the Irish had no cause for grievance and strongly defended the Irish policies of the government of Lord Salisbury.

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