The seat had been won by a Liberal at every election since it was created in 1885. They easily held the seat at the last election, with an increased majority;
The local Liberal Association selected 60-year-old James Gibson to defend the seat. He had been Lord Provost of Edinburgh since 1906.
The Conservatives selected 29-year-old Patrick Ford as their candidate.
Campaign
Polling Day was fixed for 16 April 1909.
Result
The Liberal majority was only a ninth of their 1906 result. This was generally ascribed to the loss of the Roman Catholic vote because of the failure to settle the education question.;[5]