1901 City of Christchurch by-election

Last updated

The City of Christchurch by-election of 1901 was a by-election held on 18 July 1901 during the 14th New Zealand Parliament in the urban seat of the City of Christchurch. The by-election was triggered by the resignation of conservative politician Charles Lewis and won by George John Smith.

Contents

Background

Lewis was first elected in the 1896 City of Christchurch by-election. As a conservative, he won despite the electorate being mostly liberal supporters due to vote splitting by two candidates with liberal leanings. [1] [2] Lewis was confirmed by the voters in the 1896 and 1899 general elections, but he found the parliamentary work demanding to his health. At the time, sessions regularly extended into the evening or the early morning, sometimes even all night. He missed the last week of the session in 1900 due to exhaustion. When he called a meeting in Christchurch in June 1901 that was poorly attended, he felt unsupported by the constituency and resigned later that week. Christchurch's main newspaper, The Press , argued that people were focussed on the upcoming royal visit instead. [3] His resignation was announced in the newspapers on 12 June 1901. [4]

The by-election was the first election held under the provisions of the Electoral Act Amendment Act, 1900. [5] The parliamentary session of 1901 opened on 1 July. [6] The prime minister, Richard Seddon, moved in the House of Representatives on 3 July that the speaker issue writs for the Christchurch and Patea by-elections. [7] The Christchurch registrar of elections received the writ on 4 July, and that closed the electoral roll. [8]

Candidates

Arthur Hughes Turnbull

The first person to confirm his candidacy was Arthur Hughes Turnbull. [9] His father, Richard Turnbull, had represented the Timaru electorate from 1868 to 1890. [10] Turnbull stood as an independent Liberal. [11] One of the people who nominated Turnbull was Thomas Gapes. [12]

Charles Taylor

Charles Taylor had stood in the 1899 general election as a Liberal–Labour candidate and came sixth of the eight candidates; [13] [14] prior to that election campaign, he had been virtually unknown. [15] In June 1901, the Trades and Labour Council decided to ask its 5,000 members in Christchurch to choose between Charles Taylor, W. Newton, and G. Fisher by ballot. [16] It was reported on 21 June that Taylor had "decidedly" won the selection. [9]

George John Smith

Tommy Taylor was regarded as almost certain to stand as a prohibitionist; [13] he had previously represented the City of Christchurch electorate and was very popular. If Taylor decided not to stand, George John Smith would stand instead. [13] A large meeting was held on 18 June where Smith announced that he would not stand, and Taylor was asked by unanimous resolution to become a candidate. [17] Two days later, Taylor announced that he could not stand because of business commitments. [9] Smith accepted to become a candidate at a meeting held on 27 June in the hall of the Trinity Church, with James Arthur Flesher as the chairman of his election committee. [18] Smith stood as an independent Liberal. [11]

William Hoban

William Hoban announced his candidacy on 22 June by newspaper advertisement. [19] He had previously run for election, and represented the interests of licensed victuallers. He withdrew again to avoid "vote splitting" on 9 July. [20]

Campaign

The first election meeting was held by Taylor on 3 July, who spoke at the Canterbury Hall under the chairmanship of the Mayor of Christchurch, Arthur Rhodes. [15] Turnbull's public meetings commenced on 8 July at the Druids' Hall in Colombo Road in Sydenham. In total, Turnbull held eight public meetings. [21] Smith also commenced his series of public meetings on Monday, 8 July. [22] A total of 23 public meetings were held by the three candidates, as per the table below:

DateSmithTaylorTurnbull
Wed, 3 JulyCanterbury Hall
Thu, 4 July
Fri, 5 July
Sat, 6 July
Sun, 7 July
Mon, 8 JulyForesters' Hall, Vogel Street, RichmondDruids' Hall, Colombo Road, SydenhamState School, Waltham
Tue, 9 JulyState School, WalthamPublic Library, Knightstown
Wed, 10 JulyChoral Hall, CityForesters' Hall, Vogel Street, RichmondWomen's Political Association, Hobb's Building
Thu, 11 JulyMethodist Schoolroom, Selwyn Street, AddingtonPublic Library, KnightstownTheatre Royal, Gloucester Street
Fri, 12 JulyPublic Library, KnightstownMerivale Schoolroom
Sat, 13 July Cathedral Square
Sun, 14 July
Mon, 15 JulyMethodist Schoolroom, Selwyn Street, AddingtonForesters' Hall, Vogel Street, Richmond
Tue, 16 JulyMission Hall, SydenhamState School, WalthamMethodist Schoolroom, Selwyn Street, Addington
Wed, 17 JulyMethodist Schoolroom, St Albans LaneCathedral SquareDruids' Hall, Colombo Road, Sydenham

There was little political difference between Turnbull and Smith, as both were independent Liberals with fairly similar views. Their only real point of difference was that Smith was a prohibitionist (although much more moderate than Tommy Taylor), whilst Turnbull was in favour of temperance. [23] Charles Taylor, on the other hand, was a staunch advocate for labour interests. [9]

Results

The election was held on 18 July 1901. There were a total of fourteen polling booths throughout the electorate: nine in Christchurch, three in Sydenham, and two in St Albans. [24] When the resignation of Lewis was received, an election official purged the electoral roll that had been compiled for the 1899 general election by several thousand names, and invited people new to the electorate to enrol. With limited time available for enrolment, the final roll had 17,268 names, 4083 fewer than the 1899 electoral roll. [12] Smith beat Charles Taylor and Arthur Hughes Turnbull. [25]

1901 City of Christchurch by-election [26]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Independent Liberal George John Smith 3,912 40.3%
Liberal–Labour Charles Taylor3,41835.2%
Independent Liberal Arthur Hughes Turnbull2,37724.5%
Majority
Informal votes——
Turnout 9,70755.9%
Registered electors 17,355

Notes

  1. ↑ "The Star". The Star (5457). 8 January 1896. p. 1. Retrieved 16 April 2016.
  2. ↑ "The Christchurch election". The Press . LIII (9340). 14 February 1896. p. 5. Retrieved 15 April 2016.
  3. ↑ "Mr Lewis Explains". The Press . LVIII (10993). 17 June 1901. p. 3. Retrieved 16 April 2016.
  4. ↑ "Resignation of Mr. C. Lewis, M.H.R." The Press . LVIII (10989). 12 June 1901. p. 4. Retrieved 23 April 2016.
  5. ↑ "An Anticipated Difficulty". The Press . LVIII (10991). 14 June 1901. p. 9. Retrieved 23 April 2016.
  6. ↑ Scholefield 1950, p. 69.
  7. ↑ "House of Representatives". The Press . LVIII (11008). 4 July 1901. p. 5. Retrieved 23 April 2016.
  8. ↑ "The Bye-Election". The Press . LVIII (11009). 5 July 1901. p. 3. Retrieved 23 April 2016.
  9. 1 2 3 4 "The Bye-Election". The Press . LVIII (10997). 21 June 1901. p. 7. Retrieved 23 April 2016.
  10. ↑ Macdonald, George. "Arthur Hughes Turnbull". Macdonald Dictionary. Canterbury Museum . Retrieved 23 April 2016.
  11. 1 2 "The Bye-Election". The Press . LVIII (11012). 9 July 1901. p. 6. Retrieved 23 April 2016.
  12. 1 2 "The Bye-Election". The Press . LVIII (11015). 12 July 1901. p. 3. Retrieved 25 April 2016.
  13. 1 2 3 "The Bye-Election". The Press . LVIII (10991). 14 June 1901. p. 3. Retrieved 23 April 2016.
  14. ↑ "The General Election, 1899". Wellington: Appendix to the Journals of the House of Representatives. 19 June 1900. p. 2. Retrieved 1 November 2012.
  15. 1 2 "The Bye-Election". The Star (7141). 4 July 1901. p. 2. Retrieved 23 April 2016.
  16. ↑ "The Christchurch Seat". The Star (7127). 17 June 1901. p. 3. Retrieved 23 April 2016.
  17. ↑ "The Bye-Election". The Press . LVIII (10995). 19 June 1901. p. 9. Retrieved 23 April 2016.
  18. ↑ "The Bye-Election". The Star (7136). 28 June 1901. p. 1. Retrieved 23 April 2016.
  19. ↑ "Election Notices". The Press . LVIII (10998). 22 June 1901. p. 12. Retrieved 23 April 2016.
  20. ↑ "Election Notices". The Press . LVIII (11012). 9 July 1901. p. 1. Retrieved 23 April 2016.
  21. ↑ "Election Notices". The Press . LVIII (11009). 5 July 1901. p. 1. Retrieved 23 April 2016.
  22. ↑ "Christchurch Electorate". The Press . LVIII (11010). 6 July 1901. p. 12. Retrieved 23 April 2016.
  23. ↑ "The Star". The Star (7115). 9 July 1901. p. 1. Retrieved 25 April 2016.
  24. ↑ "Christchurch Electorate". The Press . LVIII (11011). 8 July 1901. p. 1. Retrieved 23 April 2016.
  25. ↑ "Election Notices". The Press . LVIII (11015). 12 July 1901. p. 1. Retrieved 22 April 2016.
  26. ↑ "The Christchurch election". Otago Witness (2471). 24 July 1901. p. 63. Retrieved 22 April 2016.

Related Research Articles

1896 New Zealand general election

The New Zealand general election of 1896 was held on Wednesday, 4 December in the general electorates, and on Thursday, 19 December in the Māori electorates to elect a total of 74 MPs to the 13th session of the New Zealand Parliament. A total number of 337,024 (76.1%) voters turned out to vote.

1899 New Zealand general election

The New Zealand general election of 1899 was held on 6 and 19 December in the European and Māori electorates, respectively, to elect 74 MPs to the 14th session of the New Zealand Parliament. The election was again won by the Liberal Party, and Richard Seddon remained Prime Minister.

Tommy Taylor (New Zealand politician) New Zealand politician

Thomas Edward Taylor was a Christchurch mayor, New Zealand Member of Parliament, businessman and prohibitionist.

Christchurch East New Zealand electorate

Christchurch East, originally called Christchurch City East, is a current New Zealand parliamentary electorate. It was first created for the 1871 election and was abolished for two period, from 1875–1905 and again from 1946–1996. It was last created for the introduction of the MMP voting system for the 1996 election. The current MP is Poto Williams, a member of the New Zealand Labour Party who was first elected in the 2013 Christchurch East by-election.

Nelson (New Zealand electorate) Current New Zealand electorate

Nelson is a New Zealand parliamentary electorate, returning one Member of Parliament to the House of Representatives of New Zealand. From 1853 to 1860, the electorate was called Town of Nelson. From 1860 to 1881, it was City of Nelson. The electorate is the only one that has continuously existed since the 1st Parliament in 1853.

Francis Fisher New Zealand politician and tennis player

Francis "Frank" Marion Bates Fisher was a New Zealand Member of Parliament from Wellington. He was known as Rainbow Fisher for his frequent changes of political allegiance. He was also an internationally successful tennis player.

Waimarino was a New Zealand parliamentary electorate that existed from 1911 to 1954, and from 1963 to 1972. It was rural in nature and was represented by four Members of Parliament.

Avon is a former New Zealand parliamentary electorate. It was created for the 1861 general election and existed until 1996. It was represented by 13 Members of Parliament and was held by Independents, Liberal Party or Labour Party representatives.

Arthur Rhodes (politician)

Arthur Edgar Gravenor Rhodes was a New Zealand Member of Parliament and Mayor of Christchurch.

Edmund Taylor (New Zealand politician)

Edmund Harvey Taylor was a Liberal Party Member of Parliament in New Zealand.

Christchurch was a parliamentary electorate in Christchurch, New Zealand. It existed three times. Originally it was the Town of Christchurch from 1853 to 1860. From the 1860–1861 election to the 1871 election, it existed as City of Christchurch. It then existed from the 1875–1876 election until the 1881 election. The last period was from the 1890 election to the 1905 election. Since the 1946 election, a similarly named electorate called Christchurch Central has been in existence.

City of Dunedin, during the first two parliaments called Town of Dunedin, was a parliamentary electorate in Dunedin in Otago, New Zealand. It was one of the original electorates created in 1853 and existed, with two breaks, until 1905. The first break, from 1862 to 1866, was caused by an influx of people through the Otago Gold Rush, when many new electorates were formed in Otago. The second break occurred from 1881 to 1890. It was the only New Zealand electorate that was created as a single-member, two-member and three member electorate.

Charles Lewis (New Zealand politician)

Charles Lewis was an independent conservative Member of Parliament in New Zealand.

Edward Wingfield Humphreys

Edward Wingfield Humphreys was a New Zealand member of parliament representing Christchurch North from 1889 to 1890. He was also a farmer in Otago, and his extended family included a number of political figures.

William Cowper Smith

William Cowper Smith was a Liberal Party Member of Parliament in New Zealand.

The Christchurch North by-election of 1889 was a by-election held to elect a member to the New Zealand House of Representatives' 10th session. It was held to fill the gap left by Sir Julius Vogel, the former Premier of New Zealand, by resigning from the Christchurch North electorate.

Eden George

Ernest Eden George, known as Eden George, was born in New South Wales and came to New Zealand as a young man. He made his career in photography and was active in Auckland and Dunedin, but mainly in Christchurch. Entrepreneurial, combative and confrontational, he entered the political scene. In his early life, he stood at five elections to the New Zealand Parliament, but he came last at every occasion. Surprisingly, he was elected Mayor of Christchurch in 1892 without, unlike all his predecessors, having ever served as a councillor on Christchurch City Council before. He had a most difficult year, was soundly beaten at the next election and told councillors that they "should forget him, as he would forget them". Indeed, in 1906, his was the only photo of all the city's ex mayors that was not on display in the mayor's office.

1927 Raglan by-election New Zealand by-election

The Raglan by-election of 1927 was a by-election held in the Raglan electorate during the 22nd New Zealand Parliament, on 29 September 1927. It was caused by the death of incumbent MP Richard Bollard of the Reform Party. Despite being a local contest it quickly became a national contest in miniature due to growing discontent with the Reform Government.

The City of Christchurch by-election of 1896 was a by-election held on 13 February 1896 during the 12th New Zealand Parliament in the urban seat of the City of Christchurch. The by-election was triggered by the appointment of William Pember Reeves as Agent-General to the United Kingdom. The Liberal Government led by Richard Seddon had trouble finding a suitable candidate and delayed Reeves' resignation until the day he left his home in Christchurch to take up the London post. Nonetheless, rumours of Reeves' pending resignation had been circulating for a month and candidates were lining up. The Liberal Party candidate who was secured resigned within a week of Reeves' eventual resignation, and a new candidate had to be found. Three candidates contested the election: Richard Molesworth Taylor was the official Liberal Party candidate, Tommy Taylor was a prohibitionist also with liberal views but an ardent opponent of Seddon, and Charles Lewis was the reluctant conservative candidate of the opposition. Being a Liberal Party stronghold, vote splitting between those candidates who held liberal views secured the election win for Lewis, with the Liberal Party candidate coming last.

1881 Christchurch mayoral election

The Christchurch mayoral election held on 30 November 1881 was contested by German-born baker, hotel proprietor and businessman George Ruddenklau, and businessman Charles Taylor. The election was won by Ruddenklau with a small margin.

References

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.