1909 Thames by-election

Last updated
1909 Thames by-election
Flag of New Zealand.svg
  1908 general 4 February 1909 (1909-02-04) 1911 general  
Turnout4,017
  Edmund Harvey Taylor.jpg William Henry Lucas, 1909.jpg
Candidate Edmund Taylor William Henry Lucas
Party Liberal Liberal

Member before election

James McGowan
Liberal

Elected Member

Edmund Taylor
Liberal

The Thames by-election of 1909 was a by-election held during the 17th New Zealand Parliament.

By-elections, also spelled bye-elections, are used to fill elected offices that have become vacant between general elections.

17th New Zealand Parliament

The 17th New Zealand Parliament was a term of the New Zealand Parliament. It was elected at the 1908 general election in November and December of that year.

Contents

Background

The by-election was caused after the resignation of Liberal Party MP James McGowan, who had been appointed to the Legislative Council. McGowan announced his resignation by advertisement in the Thames Star on 7 January 1909, and in the same edition, the Mayor of Thames, Archibald Burns, announced his candidacy. [1]

The New Zealand Liberal Party was the first organised political party in New Zealand. It governed from 1891 until 1912. The Liberal strategy was to create a large class of small land-owning farmers who supported Liberal ideals, by buying large tracts of Māori land and selling it to small farmers on credit. The Liberal Government also established the basis of the later welfare state, with old age pensions, developed a system for settling industrial disputes, which was accepted by both employers and trade unions. In 1893 it extended voting rights to women, making New Zealand the first country in the world to enact universal female suffrage.

James McGowan (politician) New Zealand politician

James McGowan was a New Zealand politician of the Liberal Party.

New Zealand Legislative Council Upper House of the Parliament of New Zealand (1841 - 1951)

The Legislative Council of New Zealand existed from 1841 until 1951. When New Zealand became a colony in 1841 the Legislative Council was established as the country's first legislature; it was reconstituted as the upper house of a bicameral legislature when New Zealand became self-governing in 1852.

In the end, five candidates contested the election, but Burns was not among them. William Henry Lucas, a unionist, was the official representative of the liberal government. [2] [3] Edmund Taylor and Thomas William Rhodes were also Liberal Party member. [2] Frederick Henry Haselden was the official candidate of the conservative opposition, but Ernest Deeble also stood for opposition interests. [2] [4] [5]

Liberal Government of New Zealand

The Liberal Government of New Zealand was the first responsible government in New Zealand politics organised along party lines. The government formed following the founding of the Liberal Party and took office on 24 January 1891, and governed New Zealand for over 21 years until 10 July 1912. To date, it is the longest-serving government in New Zealand's history. The government was also historically notable for enacting significant social and economic changes, such as the Old Age Pensions Act and women's suffrage. One historian described the policies of the government as "a revolution in the relationship between the government and the people".

Edmund Taylor (New Zealand politician) New Zealand politician

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

Thomas William Rhodes New Zealand politician

Thomas William Rhodes was a New Zealand politician of the Liberal Party, then the Reform Party. He changed his affiliation to the Reform Party in 1915.

Results

The following table gives the election results:

1909 Thames by-election: First ballot [2]
PartyCandidateVotes%±
Liberal Edmund Taylor 1,305 34.44
Liberal William Henry Lucas85322.51
Conservative Ernest Deeble57315.12
Liberal Thomas William Rhodes 56514.91
Conservative Frederick Henry Haselden 49313.01
Turnout 3,789

The Second Ballot Act 1908 was in force and had previously been used for the 1908 election. This was the first by-election where it applied, and the act stipulated that the leading candidate had to obtain an absolute majority of the votes, or else the two highest polling candidates would face each other in a second election. At the 28 January election, Taylor was the highest-polling candidate, but received only 34% of the vote, hence a second election between him and Lucas was required. [2] That election was held on 4 February 1909, and was won by Taylor. [6]

The Second Ballot Act 1908 was an electoral system in place from 1908 to 1913 in New Zealand. It applied to elections to the House of Representatives. It was used in the 1908 and 1911 general elections, and a number of by-elections. It was introduced by the Liberal Government under Joseph Ward, who feared that the emergence of the Independent Political Labour League (IPLL) would split the vote on the political left and thus be beneficial to the conservative opposition, who in 1909 formed the Reform Party. Ward expected that this electoral mechanism would result in all second ballots to be between Liberal and conservative (Reform) candidates. In the Wellington East electorate, however, two Liberal candidates received similar votes and both were eliminated in the first ballot. This left the Labour candidate, David McLaren, face a conservative candidate and with many liberal voters transferring their allegiance to McLaren, he became the only candidate of the IPLL who was ever elected to the House of Representatives.

1908 New Zealand general election

The 1908 New Zealand general election was held on Tuesday, 17 November, 24 November and 1 December in the general electorates, and on Wednesday, 2 December in the Māori electorates to elect a total of 80 MPs to the 17th session of the New Zealand Parliament. A total number of 537,003 (79.8%) voters turned out to vote.

1909 Thames by-election: Second ballot [6] [7]
PartyCandidateVotes%±
Liberal Edmund Taylor 2,241 55.79
Liberal William Henry Lucas1,77644.21
Turnout 4,017

A week after the election, William Massey announced that the opposition will from now on be known as the Reform Party. [8] Taylor served until the end of the parliamentary term and was narrowly beaten by Rhodes at the next general election in 1911. [9] Taylor contested the electorate again in 1914 but Rhodes remained successful. [10]

William Massey Prime Minister of New Zealand

William Ferguson Massey, commonly known as Bill Massey, was a politician who served as the 19th Prime Minister of New Zealand from May 1912 to May 1925. He was the founding leader of the Reform Party, New Zealand's second organised political party, from 1909 until his death.

The Reform Party, formally the New Zealand Political Reform League, was New Zealand's second major political party, having been founded as a conservative response to the original Liberal Party. It was in government between 1912 and 1928, and later formed a coalition with the United Party, and then merged with United to form the modern National Party.

1911 New Zealand general election

The New Zealand general election of 1911 was held on Thursday, 7 and 14 December in the general electorates, and on Tuesday, 19 December in the Māori electorates to elect a total of 80 MPs to the 18th session of the New Zealand Parliament. A total number of 590,042 (83.5%) voters turned out to vote. In two seats there was only one candidate.

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.

Bay of Islands is a former New Zealand parliamentary electorate. It existed during various periods between 1853 and 1993. It was thus one of the original 24 electoral districts, and New Zealand's first ever MP was elected, although unopposed, in the Bay of Islands; Hugh Carleton thus liked to be called the Father of the House.

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.

Thames is a former New Zealand electorate, in the Thames-Coromandel District. It existed from 1871 to 1946.

Henry Greenslade New Zealand politician

Henry James Greenslade (1867–1945) was a Liberal Party Member of Parliament in New Zealand.

Wellington, was a parliamentary electorate in Wellington, New Zealand. It existed from 1853 to 1905 with a break in the 1880s. It was a multi-member electorate. The electorate was represented, over the years, by 24 Members of Parliament.

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 1860–61 election to the 1871 election, it existed as City of Christchurch. It then existed from the 1875–76 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.

13th New Zealand Parliament

The 13th New Zealand Parliament was a term of the New Zealand Parliament. It was elected at the 1896 general election in December of that year.

Mayor of Thames Wikimedia list article

The Mayor of Thames officiated over the Thames Borough of New Zealand, which was administered by the Thames Borough Council. The office existed from 1874 until 1975, when Thames Borough and Coromandel County were amalgamated to form Thames-Coromandel District. There were 24 holders of the office.

The Otaki by-election of 1900 was a by-election during the 14th New Zealand Parliament. The election was held on 6 January following the death of Henry Augustus Field, and was won by his brother William Hughes Field.

1878 Hokitika by-election New Zealand by-election

The Hokitika by-election 1878 was a by-election held in the multi-member Hokitika electorate during the 6th New Zealand Parliament, on 26 June 1878. The by-election was caused by the resignation of incumbent MP Charles Button and was won by Seymour Thorne George, who defeated Gerard George Fitzgerald. Thorne George was suggested as a candidate by the premier, Sir George Grey; he was the Premier's nephew, and lived in the North Island.

1917 Bay of Islands by-election New Zealand by-election

The 1917 Bay of Islands by-election was a by-election held on 19 March 1917 during the 19th New Zealand Parliament in the Northland electorate of Bay of Islands. The by-election came about because Vernon Reed's win in the 1914 general election had been declared void by an electoral court, and Reed barred from standing for a year. The seat was won by William Stewart, Reed's Reform Party colleague, in the resulting 1915 by-election. When Reed became eligible again, Stewart resigned and Reed won the 1917 by-election unopposed.

1893 Thames by-election New Zealand by-election

The Thames by-election of 1893 was a by-election held during the 11th New Zealand Parliament in the electorate of Thames.

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.

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.

The 1909 Rangitikei by-election was a by-election held during the 17th New Zealand Parliament in the Rangitikei electorate of the North Island. This was the sixth by-election since the Rangitikei electorate was established for the 1861 election. The previous by-election took place in 1892 and the following one took place in 1978. The Second Ballot Act 1908 was in force and in the first ballot, and Frank Hockly of the opposition Reform Party won the first ballot, but Robert William Smith of the governing Liberal Party was ultimately chosen in the second ballot.

The April 1865 Bruce by-election was a New Zealand by-election held in the multi-member electorate of Bruce during the 3rd New Zealand Parliament on 8 April 1865. It was triggered on 9 January that year by the resignation of separationist Thomas Gillies and won by prominent settler Arthur John Burns. The more liberal businessman William John Dyer was the sole other contester of the by-election, finishing with 43.33% of the vote.

References

  1. "Page 3 Advertisements Column 2". Thames Star. XLV (10608). 7 January 1909. p. 3. Retrieved 23 March 2016.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 "Success of Government Candidate". Thames Star. XLV (10627). 29 January 1909. p. 2. Retrieved 23 March 2016.
  3. Cyclopedia Company Limited (1902). "Thames". The Cyclopedia of New Zealand : Auckland Provincial District. Christchurch: The Cyclopedia of New Zealand . Retrieved 23 March 2016.
  4. "Thames Electoral District". Thames Star. XLV (10621). 22 January 1909. p. 3. Retrieved 23 March 2016.
  5. "The Other Candidates". Thames Star. XLV (10618). 19 January 1909. p. 2. Retrieved 23 March 2016.
  6. 1 2 "The Thames Election". Thames Star. XLV (10633). 5 February 1909. p. 2. Retrieved 23 March 2016.
  7. "Thames By-Election". The Press . LXV (13342). 6 February 1909. p. 9. Retrieved 23 March 2016.
  8. "The Reform Party". The Evening Post . LXVVII (36). 12 February 1909. p. 8. Retrieved 23 March 2016.
  9. Mansfield, F. W. (1912). The General Election, 1911. National Library. p. 2. Retrieved 25 April 2015.
  10. "The General Election, 1914". National Library. 1915. p. 6. Retrieved 1 August 2013.