Harwich by election, 1954

The Harwich by-election, 1954 was a parliamentary by-election held on 11 February 1954 for the British House of Commons constituency of Harwich in England. The seat had become vacant when the National Liberal Member of Parliament (MP) Stanley Holmes was elevated to the peerage as Baron Dovercourt, having held the seat since a 1935 General Election. The 'Conservative and Liberal' candidate, Julian Ridsdale held the seat for the government. He remained the constituency's MP until his retirement at the 1992 general election. The Labour candidate Shirley Catlin would later, under the name Shirley Williams, be elected as MP for Hitchin and would serve in the Cabinets of Harold Wilson and James Callaghan.