1962 Lincoln by-election

There was a 1962 by-election in the Lincoln constituency on 8 March 1962 following the resignation of the sitting member, Sir Geoffrey de Freitas, on 20 December 1961 to take up the appointment of High Commissioner to Ghana. The by-election was won by Dick Taverne of the Labour Party. Taverne came to wider attention after he fell out with the Labour Party in 1973, winning a second controversial by-election.

Electoral history

General election 1959: Lincoln

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Geoffrey de Freitas	23,629	55.1	−1.1
	Conservative	Leslie Herbert Priestley	19,240	44.9	+1.1
Majority			4,389	10.2	−2.2
Turnout			42,869	84.1	−1.8
	Labour hold		Swing

Candidates

The local Liberal Party selected 35-year-old Patrick Furnell to contest the seat. He was a lecturer and tutor in economics and the British constitution. He was educated at Godalming County Grammar School and Trinity College, Oxford (where he was Kitchener Scholar). He joined the R.A.F. in 1948, was commissioned three months later, and served at the R.A.F. station near Cardiff. His earliest political activity came while he was at Oxford University; in 1947 he was President of Oxford University Liberal Club for the Michaelmas term. He first contested Cardiff South East at the 1950 general election while only 22 years of age. In a bad election for the Liberals nationwide, he polled 8% and came third. At the 1959 general election he contested East Grinstead. On this occasion he polled 18% and came third.

Result

The Labour Party held the seat with an increased majority.

1962 Lincoln by-election

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Dick Taverne	19,038	50.51	−4.59
	Conservative	Percy Grieve	11,386	30.21	−14.69
	Liberal	Patrick Arthur Thomas Furnell	6,856	18.19	New
	Independent	Capt. A. Taylor	412	1.09	New
Majority			7,652	20.30	+10.10
Turnout			37,692
	Labour hold		Swing