View source for 1987 University of Oxford Chancellor election

{{Short description|none}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=March 2020}}
{{Infobox election
| country           = United Kingdom
| type              = presidential
| flag_image         =
| ongoing           = no
| previous_election = University of Oxford Chancellor election, 1960
| previous_year     = 1960
| election_date     = 14 March 1987
| next_election     = University of Oxford Chancellor election, 2003
| next_year         = 2003
| image1            = Roy Jenkins 1977 (cropped).jpg
| candidate1        = [[Roy Jenkins]]
| party1            = Social Democratic Party (UK)
| colour1           =
| popular_vote1     = '''3,249'''
| percentage1       = '''39.1%'''
| image2            = [[File:No image.svg|100px]]
| candidate2        = [[Robert Blake, Baron Blake|Lord Blake]]
| party2            = Conservative Party (UK)
| popular_vote2     = 2,674
| percentage2       = 32.2%
| image4            = Golda Meir and Edward Heath cropped (cropped).jpg
| candidate4        = [[Edward Heath]]
| party4            = Conservative Party (UK)
| popular_vote4     = 2,348
| percentage4       = 28.3%
| image5            = [[File:No image.svg|100px]]
| candidate5        = Mark Payne
| party5            = Independent (politician)
| popular_vote5     = 38
| percentage5       = 0.5%
| title             = Chancellor
| before_election   = [[Harold Macmillan]]
| after_election    = [[Roy Jenkins]]
}}
The '''1987 University of Oxford election for the position of Chancellor''' was called upon the death of the incumbent [[Chancellor (education)|Chancellor]], [[Harold Macmillan|Harold Macmillan, 1st Earl of Stockton]], on 29 December 1986.
==Electorate==
The [[constituency|electorate]] consisted of all members of the [[University of Oxford|University]] holding the rank of [[Master of Arts (Oxford, Cambridge and Dublin)|MA]]. Votes had to be cast in person at Oxford in [[Academic dress of the University of Oxford|academic dress]]. The election was by [[first past the post]]. To stand a candidate had to be nominated by two electors.
==Potential candidates==
The forthcoming election generated much interest, and several names were raised in the press as potential candidates, including:<ref name="guard870110">{{cite news|title=Finding a dark blue horse|work=[[The Guardian]]|date=10 January 1987}}</ref>
*Former [[Leader of the Labour Party (UK)|Labour leaders]] [[Harold Wilson|Lord Wilson of Rievaulx]] (1916–1995) ([[Prime Minister of the United Kingdom|Prime Minister]] 1964–1970 and 1974–1976) and [[James Callaghan]] (1912–2005) (Prime Minister 1976–1979)
*Former [[Leader of the Conservative Party (UK)|Conservative leaders]] [[Alec Douglas-Home|Lord Home of the Hirsel]] (1902–1995) (Prime Minister 1963–1964) and [[Edward Heath|Edward Heath MP]] (1916–2005) (Prime Minister 1970–1974), and the incumbent leader [[Margaret Thatcher]] (1925–2013) (Prime Minister 1979–1990)
*Two other prominent Conservative politicians: former [[Foreign Secretary]] [[Peter Carington, 6th Baron Carrington|Lord Carrington]] (1919–2018) (held that position 1979–1982; a Cabinet minister in every Conservative government from 1956 until 1982), and [[Quintin Hogg, Baron Hailsham of St Marylebone|Lord Hailsham of St Marylebone]] ([[Lord Chancellor]] 1970–1974 and 1979–1987; a former Conservative Cabinet minister since 1957)
*[[Social Democratic Party (UK)|Social Democratic Party]] politicians [[Roy Jenkins]] (1920–2003) ([[Home Secretary]] 1965–1967 and 1974–1976; [[Chancellor of the Exchequer]] 1967–1970, Leader of the Social Democrats 1981–1983) and [[Shirley Williams, Baroness Williams of Crosby|Shirley Williams]] (1930–2021) ([[Secretary of State for Prices and Consumer Protection]] 1974–1976; [[Paymaster-General]] & [[Secretary of State for Education and Science]] 1976–1979) who had both broken away from Labour in 1981 due to its leftward drift.
All of the above had been educated at Oxford, apart from Lords Callaghan and Carrington.<ref name="guard870110"/>
A notable feature of the election was the decision of the university establishment not to agree a preferred candidate in advance, thus increasing the possibility of a long list of candidates being nominated.<ref name="guard870121">{{cite news|title=The buzz begins on an Oxford successor |work=[[The Guardian]]|date=21 January 1987}}</ref>
==Candidates nominated==
Eventually four candidates were nominated:
*[[Robert Blake, Baron Blake|Lord Blake]], a graduate from [[Magdalen College, Oxford|Magdalen College]], student of [[Christ Church, Oxford|Christ Church]], Provost of [[The Queen's College, Oxford|Queen's College]], and prominent historian of the [[Conservative Party (UK)|Conservative Party]]
*[[Edward Heath|Sir Edward Heath]], a graduate from [[Balliol College, Oxford|Balliol College]] and former Conservative Prime Minister
*[[Roy Jenkins]], also a graduate from [[Balliol College, Oxford|Balliol]], former Chancellor of the Exchequer, former [[President of the European Commission]] and former leader of the Social Democratic Party
*Mark Payne, a [[general practitioner]] from [[Birmingham]]
==Course of the election==
The election attracted huge levels of publicity, at times likened to a parliamentary by-election.<ref name="times870308">{{cite news|title=Oxford's scholarly voters catch by-election fever|work=[[The Times]]|date=8 March 1987}}</ref> Much of the attention focused upon the Jenkins and Heath campaigns, whilst Blake was seen as a non-political candidate. Payne was regarded as an outsider.
Much attention was focused on the issue of government funding for universities, with Oxford facing the effects of cuts in its funding, leading to several chairs being left unfilled.<ref name="times870315a">{{cite news|title=What a swell party this is ..And, by the way, we also elected a chancellor – The triumph of Roy Jenkins|work=[[The Times]]|date=15 March 1987}}</ref>
The requirement for those voting to do so in academic dress resulted in the local tailor selling out. One tactic of the supporters of Jenkins was to lend gowns to voters lacking them.<ref name="times870315a" />
==Result==
Polling ran until 14 March 1987. The results were as follows:<ref name="times870315">{{cite news|title=Jenkins wins the Oxford vote|work=[[The Times]]|date=15 March 1987}}</ref>
{| class="wikitable" style="font-size: 95%;"
! colspan="2" style="width: 170px"|Candidate
! style="width: 50px"|Votes
! style="width: 40px"|%
|-
|-
| colspan="2" style="width: 170px" | {{Aye}}'''[[Roy Jenkins]]'''
| align="right" | '''3,249'''
| align="right" | '''39.1'''
|-
|-
| colspan="2" style="width: 170px" | [[Robert Blake, Baron Blake|Lord Blake]]
| align="right" | 2,674
| align="right" | 32.2
|-
|-
| colspan="2" style="width: 170px" | [[Edward Heath|Sir Edward Heath]]
| align="right" | 2,348
| align="right" | 28.3
|-
|-
| colspan="2" style="width: 170px" | Mark Payne
| align="right" | 38
| align="right" | 0.5
|-
|-
|- style="background-color:#F6F6F6"
| colspan="2" align="right"|'''Turnout'''
| align="right"            | 8,309
| align="right"            |
|-
|}
==See also==
*[[List of chancellors of the University of Oxford]]
==Notes==
{{reflist}}
{{Edward Heath|state=collapsed}}
[[Category:University of Oxford Chancellor elections|1987]]
[[Category:1987 elections in the United Kingdom|Oxford Chancellor election]]
[[Category:1987 in England|Oxford Chancellor election]]
[[Category:20th century in Oxford]]
[[Category:March 1987 events in the United Kingdom|Oxford Chancellor election]]