[citation needed] Under the Representation of the People (Scotland) Act 1832 the Aberdeen burgh constituency was created to cover the burgh plus areas previously within the Aberdeenshire constituency.
Gordon was appointed a Lord Commissioner of the Admiralty, requiring a by-election.
Gordon resigned by accepting the office of Steward of the Chiltern Hundreds, causing a by-election.
Hamilton-Gordon succeeded as 5th Earl of Aberdeen, and had thus become ineligible to sit in the House of Commons.
[14] The ensuing by-election was won by the Conservative candidate, William Leslie.