1920 Belfast Corporation election
Map showing the area of Belfast Corporation
Council control after election
Irish Unionist
An election to Belfast Corporation took place in January 1920 as part of that year's Irish local elections . The Local Government (Ireland) Act 1919 had seen elections for local government in Ireland change to a more proportional system. As a result, Unionist dominance of the Belfast council was somewhat undermined, and the party lost 15 seats. In contrast Labour, Sinn Féin, and Nationalist representation grew, resulting in a more politically and socially representative council.[ 1]
147 candidates stood for the sixty seats on the council. The sixty seats were in nine new wards, identical to the parliamentary constituencies.[ 2] In advance of the election, the Irish Times stated that it expected the Unionists to lose between five and eight seats, to be picked up by the Labour and Nationalist candidates, with Sinn Féin having a chance of taking one or two seats.[ 3]
The result in the Falls was controversial; over twenty candidates stood, creating the most complex election by single-transferable vote to date; and 764 votes were disallowed due to spoiled ballot papers. 300 of these lacked an official mark; this was because the printing press marking them had ceased adding it near the end of the run, but this error was not noticed until the election count took place.[ 4] [ 5]
After the election Sir William Coates, 1st Baronet was elected by the new council as Lord Mayor of Belfast .
Following the partition of Ireland the Northern Irish Government restored the older, and less representative ward based electoral system.[ 1]
Party
Candidates
Seats
±
First Pref. votes[ 6]
FPv%
±%
UUP
56
29
-17
40,907
45.95
Labour Unionist
6
4,699
5.28
Belfast Labour
37
10
+10
12,768
14.34
Nationalist
40
5
-3
10,758
12.08
Sinn Féin
10
5
+5
7,120
8.00
Ind. Unionist
2
4,167
4.68
Independent Labour
2
3,007
3.37
Independent
1
4,467
5.02
NAUL
0
1,138
1.28
Totals
60
89,031
100.00
—
[ 5] [ 7]
Pottinger - 6 seats[ 8]
Party
Candidate
FPv%
Count
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
UUP
Julia McMordie
1,968
UUP
David Anderson
1,698
UUP
W. J. McGowan
-
-
-
-
-
1,140
1,485
Labour Unionist
John F. Gordon
-
-
-
-
-
-
1,054
1,329
Nationalist
Archibald Savage
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
1,152
Belfast Labour
J. S. L. McKeague
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
1,050
Belfast Labour
James Duff
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
1,002
Eliminated
Nationalist
James Smith
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
643
Eliminated
UUP
John S. Shaw J.P.
-
-
-
-
-
-
Eliminated
UUP
John Stanley Johnston
-
-
-
-
-
Eliminated
NAUL
James Johnston
-
-
-
-
Eliminated
Independent Nationalist
James Feenan
-
-
-
Eliminated
Independent
Zimri Stewart
-
-
-
Eliminated
Belfast Labour
Alexander Stewart
-
-
-
Eliminated
Electorate: 13,474 Valid: 8,379 Spoilt: 267 Quota: 1,198 Turnout: 8,646
Ormeau - 6 seats[ 8]
Party
Candidate
FPv%
Count
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
UUP
Dr J. D. Williamson
12.45
1,037
1,055
1,090
1,143
1,302
UUP
J. W. T. Watters
12.40
1,033
1,044
1,098
1,137
1,366
UUP
John Campbell White (Lord Mayor)
11.74
978
991
1,022
1,051
1,191
UUP
William Frederick Coates
11.35
945
957
1,020
1,055
1,162
1,307
Belfast Labour
James Baird
9.63
802
815
826
876
890
-
-
-
1,082
1,259
Nationalist
J. P. O'Kane
9.25
770
771
773
778
779
-
-
-
783
Eliminated
Belfast Labour
David Robb Campbell
8.80
733
743
748
782
792
-
-
-
1,150
1,498
UUP
W. J. Price
6.75
562
578
632
703
Eliminated
Ind. Unionist
Alexander McConnell
5.82
485
659
688
762
791
-
-
Eliminated
Independent
Robert Pierce
4.45
371
393
424
Eliminated
Labour Unionist
William Lorimer
3.71
309
319
Eliminated
Ind. Unionist
Emily S. Montgomery
3.63
302
Eliminated
Electorate: 13,264 Valid: 8,328 Spoilt: 150 Quota: 1,190 Turnout: 8,478
Duncairn - 7 seats[ 8]
Party
Candidate
FPv%
Count
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
Ind. Unionist
J. Barron
2,238
UUP
S. F. Mercier J.P.
1,386
UUP
T. E. Alexander
1,353
Nationalist
Patrick Dempsey J.P.
848
-
-
-
-
-
-
1,262
Belfast Labour
J. S. Lawther
711
-
-
-
-
-
-
1,248
Labour Unionist
J. Bradbury
692
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
1,285
Irish Islander
P. Griffith
542
UUP
E. J. Elliott
500
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
1,124
T. English J.P.
446
UUP
John Tyrrell J.P.
430
Belfast Labour
R. McClung
331
-
-
-
-
422
UUP
Robert Dunlop J.P.
270
Independent
R. S. McBurnie
118
Workers
J. Polkinghorne
80
Electorate: 15,259 Valid: 9,945 Spoilt: 248 Quota: 1,244 Turnout: 10,193
Crawford McCullough (Unionist)
James McKirnan (Nationalist)
T. McConnell (Unionist)
T. J. Kennedy (Independent Unionist)
H. Riddell (Unionist)
Lennox (Labour Unionist)
Jameson (Unionist)
Shankill - 8 seats[ 9] [ 10]
Party
Candidate
FPv%
Count
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
Belfast Labour
Sam Kyle
2,082
UUP
Hugh Murphy
1,585
Ind. Unionist
Tommy Henderson
1,210
-
-
-
-
1,380
UUP
Florence F. Clark
906
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
1,368
UUP
William George Turner
988
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
1,340
Sinn Féin
Michael Carolan
918
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
1,406
UUP
W. C. Bickerstaff
848
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
1,104
UUP
R. Andrews
794
Irish Nationalist
H. Martin
789
Belfast Labour
Dawson Gordon
543
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
1,363
Labour Unionist
R. Weir
340
Labour Unionist
J. A. Turkington
293
UUP
Edwin Squire
227
Ind. Unionist
T. McClughin
183
Ind. Unionist
J. Burns
159
Trade Unionist
T. Jenkinson
108
Belfast Labour
R. McWillians
84
Trade Unionist
Zimri Stewart
0
Electorate: 17,629 Valid: 12,057 Spoilt: 239 Quota: 1,340 Turnout: 12,296
Alexander Boyd (Independent Labour)
G. M. Donaldson (Labour)
J. A. Doran (Unionist)
Alexander Hopkins (Unionist)
James Johnston (Unionist)
Hugh McLaurin (Unionist) John Harkin (Nationalist)
James Augustine Duff (Unionist)
Frank Workman (Unionist)
T. Kennedy (Labour)
Thompson Donald (Labour Unionist)
Joseph Cosgrove (SF)
D. Jones (Unionist) Joseph Davison (Unionist)
John Graham (Unionist)
Clarke Scott (Labour)
A. Hodgens (Unionist)
W. Macartney (Unionist)
W. Addis (Labour)
Falls - 6 seats[ 8]
Party
Candidate
FPv%
Count
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
Nationalist
Richard Byrne
16.87
1,655
Nationalist
Oswald Jamison
14.91
1,463
UUP
Henry McKeag
13.34
1,309
1,311
-
-
-
-
-
1,316
1,323
1,328
1,342
1,366
Sinn Féin
Denis McCullough
1,034
-
-
+57
-
-
-
-
-
1,173
1,228
1,464
Sinn Féin
Demot Barnes
781
-
-
+36
-
-
-
-
-
901
941
1,086
1,139
Belfast Labour
James Boyle
577
-
-
-
-
-
+52
-
684
809
849
-
-
Eliminated
Belfast Labour
Denis Houston
527
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
667
874
929
-
-
Elected
Sinn Féin
James McEntee
435
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
571
Independent
Jeremiah McCavanagh
369
-
-
-
-
-
-
435
487
498
Belfast Labour
Hugh Gorman
339
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
412
Nationalist
Constantine O'Neill
250
277
-
-
-
-
-
397
Nationalist
Michael McKeown
240
323
351
-
-
-
-
542
740
-
785
856
Belfast Labour
Daniel McRandall
209
-
-
-
-
226
Sinn Féin
Francis McCurry
168
-
-
-
175
Nationalist
Felix Kane Jr.
146
218
228
-
-
-
254
Nationalist
James Rodgers
145
-
-
173
Sinn Féin
Joseph Connolly
100
-
102
Eliminated
Sinn Féin
Edward Trodden
38
-
38
Eliminated
Independent Nationalist
Michael Cunningham
23
-
24
Eliminated
Independent
Zimri Stewart
3
-
3
Eliminated
Electorate: 13,139 Valid: 9,811 Spoilt: 764 Quota: 1,402 Turnout: 10,575
^ a b Laffan, Michael (1999). The Resurrection of Ireland: The Sinn Féin Party, 1916–1923 . Cambridge University Press. p. 327. ISBN 9781139426299 .
^ "Provincial nominations", Irish Times , 6 January 1920, p.6
^ "Parties and the elections: interesting figures", Irish Times , 15 January 1920, p.5
^ "Municipal elections: the Belfast count", 20 January 1920
^ a b "Returns in the provinces: Belfast Labour's big stride", Irish Times , 19 January 1920
^ p.139
^ "Interesting contests", Irish Times , 17 January 1920
^ a b c d Belfast News-Letter - Saturday 17 January 1920
^ Belfast News-Letter - Monday 19 January 1920
^ Belfast Telegraph - Monday 19 January 1920
(1919 ←)
1920 United Kingdom local elections (→ 1921)
England County councils (Ireland)Borough councils (Ireland)District councils (Ireland)Counties of cities (Scotland) Police burghs (Scotland)
Airdrie
Aberdeen
Annan
Ayr
Barrhead
Bathgate
Castle-Douglas
Clydebank
Crieff
Cumnock
Cupar
Dalkeith
Dumfries
Dunbar
Dundee
Dunfermline
Elgin
Falkirk
Forfar
Fort William
Gourock
Govan
Greenock
Hamilton
Inverness
Irvine
Kilcreggan and Cove
Kilmarnock
Kilsyth
Kinning Park
Kircaldy
Kirriemuir
Ladybank
Leith
Linlithgow
Lochmaben
Lockerbie
Maybole
Millport
Milngavie
Motherwell
Newton-on-Ayr
Newton-Stewart
North Berwick
Paisley
Partick
Perth
Pollockshaws
Port Glasgow
Prestwick
Renfrew
Rothesay
Rutherglen
Sanquhar
South Queensferry
Stirling
Stranraer
St Andrews
Whithorn
Wishaw