1902 Orkney and Shetland by-election
Orkney and Shetland is a constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elects one Member of Parliament (MP) by the first past the post system of election. In the Scottish Parliament, Orkney and Shetland are separate constituencies. The Orkney and Shetland by-election was a Parliamentary by-election. It returned one Member of Parliament (MP) to the House of Commons of the United Kingdom, elected by the first past the post voting system. Vacancy. Cathcart Wason had been Liberal Unionist MP for the seat of Orkney and  Shetland since 1900. In July 1902, he decided to cross the floor of the House to sit with the Liberal opposition. Leaving the Liberal Unionist Party, he cited Government policy on the army, the Education Bill and the Irish land question. He faced criticism from the Unionists in his constituency and following pressure, he resigned his seat on 7 October 1902 to contest the subsequent by-election. Electoral history. Since 1885, the seat had been always comfortably returned the Liberal Party candidate. Then the seat was surprisingly gained by Wason; albeit with a narrow majority of forty votes, standing as  a Liberal Unionist in 1900. Campaign. Polling Days were fixed for the 18–19 November 1902, over five weeks after Wason's resignation. Result. Wason remarkably held his seat, with an increased majority of 411 votes. Immediately following his re-election, Wason re-took the Liberal Party whip in the House of Commons. Aftermath. By the time of the 1906 general election, Wason had been fully integrated with the local Liberal Party and was re-elected as their official candidate; McKinnon Wood was elected Liberal MP for Glasgow St Rollox at the 1906 general election. Angier was knighted in 1904 and  contested unsuccessfully, Gateshead at the 1906 general election.