Bye Election

The caption on the photograph says it all, Cleveland by-election Mr Samuel in Loftus Tuesday July 6th, 1902. Outside what used to be the National Provincial Bank later the Nation Westminster Bank (NatWest). The by-election followed the resignation of the standing Liberal MP, Alfred Edward Pease on the grounds of ill-health. Pease had previously been the MP for York from 1885 until 1892; Despite this plea of poor health, Pease actually lived for another 37 years and spent much of the rest of his life in British East Africa (known as Kenya from 1920), hunting game and entertaining travellers who came for the safaris.