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15 seats in the Newfoundland House of Assembly 8 seats needed for a majority | ||||||||||
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 Results by riding | ||||||||||
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The 1832 Newfoundland general election came after many years of agitation against the British Parliament. Newfoundland was the last British colony in North America to gain representative government.
| Leader | Seats won | |
|---|---|---|
| Conservative | 10 | |
| Liberal | 5 | |
| Total | 15 | |
The first general election for Newfoundland was held in November, 1832. The island was divided into nine electoral districts:
None of the west coast of Newfoundland was represented during the 1832 general election because it fell within the jurisdiction of the French and American treaty shores. 15 seats in total, were up for election and representation to govern the affairs of the island.
The districts were determined by settlements and landmarks along the coast, with no consideration given to areas inland. It was determined that all residents lived on or near the coast.
Each candidate had to be male, twenty-one years or older, of sound understanding, either natural-born to the island or a lawfully naturalized British citizen, and a resident of two years standing who had occupied a dwelling as either tenant or owner. Also, no candidate could have a criminal record for any infamous or heinous crime. [1] Voters were held to much the same restrictions as candidates except the residency requirement was reduced from two years to one.
The election was conducted over a period of two months from the day of proclamation to the last polling date of December 8, 1832. There were forty-seven polling booths located at strategic locations and not all communities had one. Except for the districts of St. John's, Conception Bay, and Bonavista, the candidates were elected by acclamation.
The nomination for Conception Bay was held on October 31, 1832, with the following candidates nominated for the four available seats:
| Candidates | October 31 | November 1 | November 2 | November 3 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Robert Pack | 380 | 197 | 228 | 131 | 936 |
| Charles Cozens | 376 | 195 | 223 | 129 | 923 |
| Peter Brown | 364 | 202 | 224 | 133 | 923 |
| James Power | 371 | 198 | 209 | 126 | 904 |
| Robert J. Pinsent | 31 | 56 | 36 | 20 | 143 |
After the election results of November 3, 1832, Robert Pinsent withdrew and the remaining four were declared representatives for the district.
Seven candidates offered themselves for election after the reading of the Proclamation and the Writ. Two more offered after the first polling day, which was met with some skepticism. Nominated were:
| Candidates | November 5 | November 6 | November 7 | November 8 | November 9 | November 10 | November 12(a) | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| John Kent | 19 | 129 | 137 | 152 | 197 | 190 | 69 | 893 |
| William Thomas | 17 | 64 | 115 | 141 | 158 | 194 | 73 | 762 |
| Patrick Kough | 4 | 88 | 122 | 124 | 130 | 123 | 56 | 647 |
| William Carson | 15 | 63 | 115 | 119 | 137 | 142 | 41 | 632 |
| William Row(b) | 5 | 34 | nob(c) | nob | nob | nob | nob | 39 |
| Patrick Power(b) | 0 | 28 | nob | nob | nob | nob | nob | 28 |
| Patrick Mullowney(b) | 0 | 27 | nob | nob | nob | nob | nob | 27 |
| Walsh(b)(d) | nob | 18 | nob | nob | nob | nob | nob | 18 |
| Ryan(b)(d) | nob | 12 | nob | nob | nob | nob | nob | 12 |
(a) No voting took place on Sunday, November 11.
(b) dropped out of the race after results of November 6.
(c) nob - not on ballot.
(d) not one of the original nominees.
After the results of voting on November 12, 1832, Dr. William Carson withdrew and the remaining three were declared as representatives of the District of St. John's.
At the opening of the House of Assembly on January 2, 1833, Dr. Carson petitioned the House for Patrick Kough's removal, claiming he was a government employee and ineligible. The petition was denied.
There were two candidates for the district of Bonavista, Hugh Alexander Emerson and William Brown. After three polling stations had voted, William Brown withdrew. The returning officer, Peter LeMessurier, refused to recognize his withdrawal from the race and continued to the next polling station at Greenspond, a Brown stronghold. After those results, William Brown was declared the winner, and no voting took place at the remaining polling station at Cape Freels.
At the opening of the House of Assembly on January 2, 1833, Hugh Alexander Emerson petitioned the House for William Brown's removal due to Peter LeMessurier's actions. The petition was denied.
| Electoral district | Candidates | Incumbent | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Conservative (historical) | Liberal (historical) | |||||
| 1. Bonavista Bay | William Brown | |||||
| 2. Burin | William Hooper | |||||
| 3. Conception Bay | Charles Cozens | Peter Brown James Power Robert Pack | ||||
| 4. Ferryland | Robert Carter | |||||
| 5. Fortune Bay | Newman Hoyles | |||||
| 6. Placentia and St. Mary's | John Martin | Roger Sweetman | ||||
| 7. St. John's | Patrick Kough William Thomas | John Kent | ||||
| 8. Trinity Bay | John Bingley Garland | |||||
| 9. Twillingate and Fogo | Thomas Bennett | |||||
John Bingley Garland was appointed the first Speaker of the House. Both John Bingley Garland and William Thomas were appointed to the Executive Council and resigned their seats in the House of Assembly. William Row, who ran for a seat in St. John’s, was given the seat for Trinity Bay and Dr. William Carson was given a seat for the District of St. John's.
Bonavista North was a provincial electoral district for the House of Assembly of Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. It existed from when Newfoundland joined confederation in 1949 until 2015.
Ferryland is a provincial electoral district for the House of Assembly of Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. As of 2011, there are 8,571 eligible voters living within the district.
Cape Freels is one of the communities that comprise an area on the northeast coast of the Island of Newfoundland, called Bonavista North, in the province of Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. These communities have a shared history in that they were settled by people from England, predominantly from the West Country - Dorset, Devon, Somerset and Hampshire.
The 1861 Newfoundland general election was held in 1861 to elect members of the 8th General Assembly of Newfoundland in Newfoundland Colony. 14 Conservatives and 12 Liberals were elected. The results in Harbour Grace and Harbour Main electoral districts were set aside following violence at the polls; members were elected in subsequent by-elections. The Liberal Party led by John Kent was defeated by the Conservatives led by Hugh Hoyles; Ambrose Shea replaced Kent as party leader.
The 1859 Newfoundland general election was held in 1859 to elect members of the 7th General Assembly of Newfoundland in Newfoundland Colony. 18 Liberals and 12 Conservatives were elected. The Liberal Party led by John Kent formed the government.
The 1852 Newfoundland general election was held in 1852 to elect members of the 5th General Assembly of Newfoundland in Newfoundland Colony. There were 9 Liberals and 6 Conservatives elected.
The 1848 Newfoundland general election was held in 1848 to elect members of the 4th General Assembly of Newfoundland in Newfoundland Colony. The use of two separate bodies, an elected assembly and an appointed Legislative Council, was resumed; the experiment with combining the two bodies which had been initiated in 1842 was terminated. While the exact party composition of the Newfoundland House of Assembly following this election is unknown; the Liberals did enjoy a majority.
The 1842 Newfoundland general election was held in 1842 to elect members of the 3rd General Assembly of Newfoundland in Newfoundland Colony. The elected assembly with 15 members and the appointed Legislative Council with 10 members were combined into a unicameral legislature.
The 1874 Newfoundland general election was held in 1874 to elect members of the 12th General Assembly of Newfoundland in the Colony of Newfoundland. The Conservative Party led by Frederick Carter formed the government.
The 1878 Newfoundland general election was held in 1878 to elect members of the 13th General Assembly of Newfoundland in Newfoundland Colony. The Conservative Party led by William Vallance Whiteway formed the government.
The 1836 Newfoundland general election was held in 1836 in the Colony of Newfoundland. The results of the election were set aside by Henry John Boulton after he discovered some of the writs from the election had not been marked with the official seal. Some felt that this was a pretext used because Liberal reformers had dominated the assembly and a number who had been reelected in 1836 did not run for reelection the following year.
The 1873 Newfoundland general election was held in November 1873 to elect members of the 11th General Assembly of Newfoundland in the Colony of Newfoundland. The Anti-Confederates led by Charles Fox Bennett formed the government; a "new" Conservative party led by Frederick Carter formed the opposition.
The 1837 Newfoundland general election was held in 1837 to elect members of the 2nd General Assembly of Newfoundland in Newfoundland Colony. The results of the previous election had been set aside by Henry John Boulton after he discovered some of the writs from the previous election had not been marked with the official seal. A number of Liberal reformers who had been elected in 1836 did not run for reelection. However, reformers continued to dominate the assembly.
The 1889 Newfoundland general election was held on 6 November 1889 to elect members of the 16th General Assembly of Newfoundland in Newfoundland Colony. The Reform Party administration of Robert Thorburn was defeated in favour of the Liberal Party led by William Whiteway formed the government. Reform soon disappeared and was replaced by the Orange Order based Tory Party. This was the first general election held in Newfoundland using the secret ballot.
The 1893 Newfoundland general election was held on 6 November 1893 to elect members of the 17th General Assembly of Newfoundland in Newfoundland Colony. Although the Liberals won the majority of seats, the Tory party filed petitions against 15 elected Liberals and one Independent, James Murray, alleging election irregularities. The results of those elections were set aside by the courts and the candidates were barred from seeking reelection. The Tory Party, led by Augustus F. Goodridge, temporarily holding the balance of power, formed a government in 1894. Once the resulting by-elections had been held, the Liberals regained the balance of power and formed a government led by Daniel J. Greene. Greene's government passed legislation allowing candidates who had been disqualified to seek election again. William Whiteway was subsequently reelected in a by-election in early 1895 and became Premier.
The 1900 Newfoundland general election was held on 8 November 1900 to elect members of the 19th General Assembly of Newfoundland in the self-governing British colony. The Liberal Party led by Robert Bond formed the government. The unpopular railway policy of the Conservatives contributed to their defeat at the polls. The Tory government of James Spearman Winter was defeated largely due to its railway policy and his conservative party fell into disarray.
The 1904 Newfoundland general election was held on 31 October 1904 to elect members of the 20th General Assembly of Newfoundland in the Newfoundland Colony. The Liberal Party led by Robert Bond formed the government.
The 1908 Newfoundland general election was held on 2 November 1908 to elect members of the 21st General Assembly of Newfoundland in the Dominion of Newfoundland. The seats were split evenly between the Liberal Party and the new Newfoundland People's Party formed by Edward Morris after he resigned from the Liberal government in 1907 and joined with the opposition. Robert Bond, the Liberal leader, asked the Governor William MacGregor to dissolve the assembly. MacGregor refused to do this and Bond resigned as Premier. The Governor asked Edward P. Morris to form a government. The assembly was not able to elect a speaker and, after the Governor was unable to convince the two party leaders to form a coalition government, the house of assembly was dissolved on April 9, 1909.
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