# 1965 Hove by-election

The 1965 Hove by-election was a parliamentary by-election for the British House of Commons constituency of Hove held on 22 July 1965.

## Vacancy

The by-election was caused by the resignation of Conservative MP Anthony Marlowe. Marlowe had had a heart attack in June 1965. He had been MP here since winning the seat in 1950.

## Election history

Hove had been won by the Conservatives at every election since 1950 when the seat was created. The result at the last General election was as follows;
General election 1964: Hove :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Anthony Marlowe | 32,923 | 68.4 | −6.4 |
| | Labour | Thomas James Marsh | 15,214 | 32.3 | +6.4 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 17,709 | 36.8 | –12.8 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 48,137 | 69.6 | −2.6 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | -6.4 | |

## Candidates

* The Conservatives selected 44-year-old former MP Martin Maddan. He had sat for Hitchin, Hertfordshire from 1955 to 1964. He had been defeated at the general election the previous year.
* Labour re-selected 50-year-old Thomas James Marsh who had stood here at the previous general election when he came second. Marsh was a company secretary and accountant. He had been educated at Worthing High School, West Sussex. He had been a member of Southwick Urban Council since 1948 and of West Sussex County Council from 1952 to 1955 and since 1958. He was a member of the executive committee of the Southern Regional Labour Party.
* The Liberals selected 43-year-old Oliver Moxon. He had been educated at Gresham's School, Holt. He was an author who was standing for parliament for the first time. The Liberals had not fielded a candidate since 1950 when their candidate polled just 9.7%. Moxon was the brother of actor Timothy Moxon with whom, after the war, he founded the New Torch Theatre in London.
* An Independent candidate, 64-year-old Max Cossman, put himself forward. He was a Company secretary who had been raised in Austria where he became a graduate in law and economics at Vienna University.

## Result

It was won by the Conservatives' Martin Maddan. There was a 6.2% swing against the Conservatives;
1965 Hove by-election :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | William Francis Martin Maddan | 25,339 | 62.0 | −6.4 |
| | Labour | Thomas James Marsh | 8,387 | 21.0 | −10.6 |
| | Liberal | Oliver Charles Napier Moxon | 6,867 | 16.7 | New |
| | Independent | Max Cossman | 121 | 0.3 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 16,952 | 41.0 | +4.2 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 40,714 | 58.2 | −11.4 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | +2.1 | |

## Aftermath

The result at the 1966 general election;
General election 1966: Hove :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | William Francis Martin Maddan | 28,799 | 57.2 | −4.8 |
| | Labour | Trevor Williams | 12,909 | 25.7 | +4.7 |
| | Liberal | Oliver Charles Napier Moxon | 8,037 | 16.0 | −0.7 |
| | Independent | Max Cossmann | 574 | 1.1 | +0.8 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 15,890 | 31.6 | −9.5 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 50,319 | 72.1 | +13.9 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | -4.7 | |
Moxon contested Brighton Kemptown in 1970 Sidcup, against Prime Minister Edward Heath, before moving to Jamaica. Marsh did not stand again.