 In August 1903 the Conservative Member of Parliament (MP) for the borough of Rochester, Viscount Cranborne succeeded to the peerage as Marquess of Salisbury, and was therefore elevated to the House of Lords, creating a vacancy in the Commons.On 3 September Tuff was adopted as the Unionist candidate for the resulting by-election by the Rochester Liberal Unionist association and the Rochester Constitutional Association.He held the seat with a majority of 11.6% over his only opponent, the Liberal Party candidate Sir Harry Johnston.