1892 Rangitikei by-election

1892 Rangitikei by-election
Turnout	2,127
Member before election; Douglas Macarthur ; Conservative	Elected Member; Robert Bruce ; Conservative

Last updated April 17, 2024

The 1892 Rangitikei by-election was a by-election held during the 11th New Zealand Parliament in the Rangitikei electorate of the North Island. This was the fifth by-election since the Rangitikei electorate was established for the 1861 election. The previous by-election took place in 1880 and the following one took place in 1909. Robert Bruce, who had previously been the MP for Rangitikei between 1884 and 1890, won the by-election narrowly.

Background

Robert Bruce, an independent, had previously been the MP for Rangitikei between 1884 and 1890. In 1890 he contested the election for the Waitotara electorate in South Taranaki, but was beaten by incumbent George Hutchison.^[2] The Rangitikei electorate, meanwhile, was won by Douglas Hastings Macarthur, but Macarthur died on 24 May 1892.^[3] Macarthur's death resulted in a by-election which took place on 8 July 1892.^[4]

The two candidates for this by-election were Robert Bruce, a previous MP and conservationist, and John Stevens, also a previous MP for Rangitikei between 1881 and 1884. Bruce was a candidate for the opposition and Stevens was an Independent Liberal as the Liberal Party was reluctant to endorse him in light of the recent Bruce by-election in which the candidate the Liberal Party endorsed lost by a large margin. Furthermore, the result was regarded as "a foregone conclusion in favour of Mr Bruce".^[4]

Results

1892 Rangitikei by-election ^[5]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Conservative	Robert Bruce	1,094	51.43
	Independent Liberal	John Stevens	1,033	48.57
Majority			61	2.87
Turnout			2,127

The by-election was much closer than what was expected as Bruce won by 61 votes, a margin of less than 3%.^[5] After the election results were announced at the Club Hotel in Marton both candidates gave speeches and enjoyed a whisky together.^[6]

Bruce would never go on to win another election, as he temporarily retired in 1893 and lost to Stevens in the Manawatu electorate in both 1896 and 1899.^[7]^[8]

Notes

↑ McRobie 1989, p. 59.
↑ "The General Election, 1890". National Library. 1891. p. 1. Retrieved 17 May 2016.
↑ Wilson 1985, p. 214.
1 2 "Rangitikei Election". The Press . Vol. 49, no. 8190. 4 June 1892. p. 6. Retrieved 17 May 2016.
1 2 "The Rangitikei election". Otago Witness . No. 2003. 14 July 1892. p. 15. Retrieved 23 February 2020.
↑ "The Rangitikei Election". Bush Advocate. Vol. 7, no. 649. 14 July 1892. p. 2. Retrieved 17 May 2016.
↑ "The General Election". Auckland Star . Vol. XXVII, no. 305. 23 December 1896. p. 6. Retrieved 17 May 2016.
↑ "The General Election, 1899". Wellington: Appendix to the Journals of the House of Representatives. 19 June 1900. p. 2. Retrieved 17 May 2016.

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References

McRobie, Alan (1989). Electoral Atlas of New Zealand. Wellington: GP Books. ISBN 0-477-01384-8.
Wilson, James Oakley (1985) [First ed. published 1913]. New Zealand Parliamentary Record, 1840–1984 (4th ed.). Wellington: V.R. Ward, Govt. Printer. OCLC 154283103.

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[FOOTNOTEMcRobie198959-1] McRobie 1989, p. 59.

[2] "The General Election, 1890". National Library. 1891. p. 1. Retrieved 17 May 2016.

[FOOTNOTEWilson1985214-3] Wilson 1985, p. 214.

[before-4] 1 2 "Rangitikei Election". The Press . Vol. 49, no. 8190. 4 June 1892. p. 6. Retrieved 17 May 2016.

[1892_Rangitikei_results-5] 1 2 "The Rangitikei election". Otago Witness . No. 2003. 14 July 1892. p. 15. Retrieved 23 February 2020.

[6] "The Rangitikei Election". Bush Advocate. Vol. 7, no. 649. 14 July 1892. p. 2. Retrieved 17 May 2016.

[7] "The General Election". Auckland Star . Vol. XXVII, no. 305. 23 December 1896. p. 6. Retrieved 17 May 2016.

[8] "The General Election, 1899". Wellington: Appendix to the Journals of the House of Representatives. 19 June 1900. p. 2. Retrieved 17 May 2016.

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v t e « (1853–1890) « By-elections in New Zealand in the Liberal Party era (1891–1911) » (1912–1938) »
11th Parliament	Northern Maori, 1891 Egmont, 1891 Newton, 1891 Te Aroha, 1891 Waikato, 1891 City of Christchurch, 1891 City of Wellington, 1892 Bruce, 1892 Rangitikei, 1892 Inangahua, 1893 Wanganui, 1893 Thames, 1893 City of Auckland, 1893
12th Parliament	Waitemata, 1894 Tuapeka, 1894 City of Auckland, 1895 City of Christchurch, 1896
13th Parliament	Wellington Suburbs, 1897 Awarua, 1897 City of Dunedin, 1897 City of Wellington, 1898 Mataura, 1898 Tuapeka, 1898 City of Wellington, 1899
14th Parliament	Otaki, 1900 City of Auckland, 1900 Waihemo, 1900 Northern Maori, 1901 City of Christchurch, 1901 Patea, Jul 1901 Patea, Nov 1901 Caversham, 1901
15th Parliament	Pahiatua, 1904 City of Wellington, 1905
16th Parliament	Westland, 1906 Manukau, 1906 Taranaki, 1907 Tuapeka, 1908
17th Parliament	Thames, 1909 Northern Maori, 1909 Rangitikei, 1909 Auckland East, 1910 Christchurch North, 1911