by-election. Hardie subsequently was a leading figure in the development of the Labour Party. He was elected Independent Labour MP for West Ham South in 1892 and sat until defeated in 1895. During this time he was the person who presided over the meeting which created the Independent Labour Party (ILP) in 1893. Hardie contested Bradford East for the ILP in a by-election in 1896 and Preston at the 1900 general election for the Labour Representation Committee (LRC). He also contested and won Merthyr Tydfil in the 1900 election. The LRC was renamed the Labour Party in 1906. Hardie was the Parliamentary Labour Party Chairman (its de facto leader) from 1906 until 1908. He continued to represent Merthyr Tydfil until he died in 1915. Votes Resignation of Mason, April 1888 See also Mid Lanarkshire constituency List of United Kingdom by-elections (1885–1900) United Kingdom by-election records References British Parliamentary Election Results 1885-1918, compiled and edited by F.W.S. Craig (Macmillan Press 1974) 1888 elections in the United Kingdom 1888 in Scotland 1880s elections in Scotland By-elections to the Parliament of the United Kingdom in Scottish constituencies Lanarkshire History of the Labour Party (UK) April 1888 events