# Wolverhampton East (UK Parliament constituency)

Wolverhampton East was a parliamentary constituency in the town of Wolverhampton in Staffordshire, England. It returned one Member of Parliament (MP) to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom.

## History

The constituency was created by the Redistribution of Seats Act 1885 for the 1885 general election, when the former two-seat Wolverhampton constituency was divided into three single-member constituencies.
It was abolished for the 1950 general election.

## Boundaries

1885–1918: The Borough of Wolverhampton wards of St James's, St Mary's, and St Peter's, and the parishes of Wednesfield and Willenhall.
1918–1950: The County Borough of Wolverhampton wards of St James's, St Mary's, and St Peter's, and the Urban Districts of Short Heath, Wednesfield, Wednesfield Heath, and Willenhall.

## Members of Parliament

| Election | Member | Party |
| 1885 | Henry Fowler | Liberal |
| 1908 | George Thorne | Liberal |
| 1929 | Geoffrey Mander | Liberal |
| 1945 | John Baird | Labour |
| 1950 | constituency abolished | constituency abolished |

## Election results
### Elections in the 1880s

General election 1885: Wolverhampton East :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | Henry Fowler | 3,935 | 59.8 | |
| | Conservative | Walter Bird | 2,648 | 40.2 | |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 1,287 | 19.6 | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 6,583 | 83.2 | |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 7,917 | | |
| | Liberal win (new seat) | Liberal win (new seat) | Liberal win (new seat) | Liberal win (new seat) | Liberal win (new seat) |
General election 1886: Wolverhampton East :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | Henry Fowler | 3,752 | 58.8 | −1.0 |
| | Conservative | John Underhill | 2,629 | 41.2 | +1.0 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 1,123 | 17.6 | −2.0 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 6,381 | 80.6 | −2.6 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 7,917 | | |
| | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Swing | -1.0 | |

### Elections in the 1890s

General election 1892: Wolverhampton East :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | Henry Fowler | Unopposed | Unopposed | Unopposed |
| | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Liberal hold |
Fowler was appointed President of the Local Government Board, requiring a by-election.
By-election, 23 Aug 1892: Wolverhampton East :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | Henry Fowler | Unopposed | Unopposed | Unopposed |
| | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Liberal hold |
General election 1895: Wolverhampton East :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | Henry Fowler | 4,011 | 57.4 | N/A |
| | Conservative | Rupert Edward Cooke Kettle* | 2,977 | 42.6 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 1,034 | 14.8 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 6,988 | 82.7 | N/A |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 8,446 | | |
| | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Swing | N/A | |
*some sources describe as Liberal Unionist

### Elections in the 1900s

General election 1900: Wolverhampton East :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | Henry Fowler | Unopposed | Unopposed | Unopposed |
| | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Liberal hold |
General election 1906: Wolverhampton East :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | Henry Fowler | 5,610 | 67.1 | N/A |
| | Liberal Unionist | Leo Amery | 2,745 | 32.9 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 2,865 | 34.2 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 8,355 | 85.6 | N/A |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 9,756 | | |
| | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Swing | N/A | |
1908 Wolverhampton East by-election :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | George Thorne | 4,514 | 50.0 | −17.1 |
| | Liberal Unionist | Leo Amery | 4,506 | 50.0 | +17.1 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 8 | 0.0 | −34.2 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 9,020 | 89.7 | +4.1 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 10,058 | | |
| | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Swing | −17.1 | |

### Elections in the 1910s

General election January 1910: Wolverhampton East :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | George Thorne | 5,276 | 54.2 | −12.9 |
| | Liberal Unionist | Leo Amery | 4,462 | 45.8 | +12.9 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 814 | 8.4 | −25.8 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 9,738 | 95.1 | +9.5 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 10,238 | | |
| | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Swing | −12.9 | |
General election December 1910: Wolverhampton East :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | George Thorne | 5,072 | 56.7 | +2.5 |
| | Conservative | Robert Borras Whiteside | 3,881 | 43.3 | −2.5 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 1,191 | 13.4 | +5.0 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 8,953 | 87.4 | −7.7 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 10,238 | | |
| | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Swing | +2.5 | |
General Election 1914–15:
Another General Election was required to take place before the end of 1915. The political parties had been making preparations for an election to take place and by the July 1914, the following candidates had been selected;
* Liberal: George Thorne
* Unionist: Ivor Windsor-Clive
General election 1918: Wolverhampton East :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | George Thorne | 7,660 | 51.8 | −4.9 |
| C | National Democratic | James A Shaw | 7,138 | 48.2 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 522 | 3.6 | −9.8 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 14,798 | 48.6 | −38.8 |
| | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Swing | N/A | |
| C indicates candidate endorsed by the coalition government. ||||||

### Elections in the 1920s

General election 1922: Wolverhampton East :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | George Thorne | 11,577 | 45.9 | −5.9 |
| | Unionist | Charles Henry Pinson | 9,410 | 37.3 | New |
| | Labour | William Thomas Augustus Foot | 3,076 | 12.2 | New |
| | National Liberal | James A Shaw | 1,169 | 4.6 | −43.6 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 2,167 | 8.6 | +5.0 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 25,232 | 80.4 | +31.8 |
| | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Swing | | |
General election 1923: Wolverhampton East :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | George Thorne | Unopposed | N/A | N/A |
| | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Swing | | |
General election 1924: Wolverhampton East :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | George Thorne | 11,066 | 42.1 | N/A |
| | Unionist | Thomas Strangman | 10,013 | 38.1 | New |
| | Labour | D Rowland Williams | 5,188 | 19.8 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 1,053 | 4.0 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 26,267 | 80.6 | N/A |
| | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Swing | | |
General election 1929: Wolverhampton East :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | Geoffrey Mander | 15,391 | 44.8 | +2.7 |
| | Unionist | Patrick Buchan-Hepburn | 10,163 | 29.5 | −8.6 |
| | Labour | D Rowland Williams | 8,840 | 25.7 | +5.9 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 5,228 | 15.3 | +11.3 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 34,394 | 81.5 | +0.9 |
| | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Swing | +5.7 | |

### Elections in the 1930s

General election 1931: Wolverhampton East :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | Geoffrey Mander | 14,945 | 44.1 | −0.7 |
| | Conservative | A T Waters-Taylor | 12,628 | 37.2 | +7.7 |
| | Labour | John Smith | 6,340 | 18.7 | −7.0 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 2,317 | 6.9 | −8.4 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 33,913 | 78.6 | −2.9 |
| | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Swing | -4.2 | |
General election 1935: Wolverhampton East :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | Geoffrey Mander | 15,935 | 48.5 | +4.4 |
| | Conservative | J Brockhouse | 11,935 | 36.3 | −0.9 |
| | Labour | H E Lane | 4,985 | 15.2 | −3.5 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 4,000 | 12.2 | +5.3 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 32,855 | 73.3 | −5.3 |
| | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Swing | +2.7 | |

### Elections in the 1940s

A General election was due to take place before the end of 1940, but was postponed due to the Second World War. By 1939, the following candidates had been selected to contest this constituency;
* Liberal: Geoffrey Mander
* Conservative:
General election 1945: Wolverhampton East :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | John Baird | 17,763 | 47.7 | +32.5 |
| | Liberal | Geoffrey Mander | 11,206 | 30.1 | −18.4 |
| | Conservative | William Garthwaite | 8,266 | 22.2 | −14.1 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 6,557 | 17.6 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 37,235 | 73.3 | 0.0 |
| | Labour gain from Liberal | Labour gain from Liberal | Swing | | |