Newfoundland general election, 1855

Last updated

The 7th Newfoundland general election was held in 1855 to elect members of the 6th General Assembly of Newfoundland. This was the first election after responsible government was introduced to the Dominion of Newfoundland. [1] The Liberal Party led by Philip Francis Little formed the government.

6th General Assembly of Newfoundland

The members of the 6th General Assembly of Newfoundland were elected in the Newfoundland general election held in May 1855. The general assembly sat from 1855 to 1859.

Responsible government is a conception of a system of government that embodies the principle of parliamentary accountability, the foundation of the Westminster system of parliamentary democracy. Governments in Westminster democracies are responsible to parliament rather than to the monarch, or, in a colonial context, to the imperial government, and in a republican context, to the president, either in full or in part. If the parliament is bicameral, then the government is responsible first to the parliament's lower house, which is more representative than the upper house, as it has more members and they are always directly elected.

Dominion of Newfoundland UK possession in North America between 1907 and 1949

Newfoundland was a British dominion from 1907 to 1949. The dominion, situated in northeastern North America along the Atlantic coast, comprised the island of Newfoundland as well as Labrador on the continental mainland. Before attaining dominion status, Newfoundland was a British colony, self-governing from 1855.

Fogo, Newfoundland and Labrador Community in Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada

Fogo is an outport community on Fogo Island in the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador. It was previously incorporated as a town prior to becoming part of the Town of Fogo Island through an amalgamation in 2011.

William Henry Ellis was an English-born politician in Newfoundland. He represented Fogo in the Newfoundland and Labrador House of Assembly from 1855 to 1858.

William Whiteway Canadian politician

Sir William Vallance Whiteway, was a politician and three time Premier of Newfoundland.

Related Research Articles

The 11th Newfoundland general election was held in 1869 to elect members of the 10th General Assembly of Newfoundland in the Dominion of Newfoundland. 21 Anti-Confederates (A-C) were elected against 9 Confederates (Con), ending for a moment the debate over joining the Dominion of Canada.

The 9th Newfoundland general election was held in 1861 to elect members of the 8th General Assembly of Newfoundland in the Dominion of Newfoundland. 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 10th Newfoundland general election was held on 7 November 1865 to elect members of the 9th General Assembly of Newfoundland in the Dominion of Newfoundland. The Conservative Party led by Frederick Carter formed the government.

1859 Newfoundland general election

The 8th Newfoundland general election was held in 1859 to elect members of the 7th General Assembly of Newfoundland in the Dominion of Newfoundland. 18 Liberals and 12 Conservatives were elected. The Liberal Party led by John Kent formed the government.

The 6th Newfoundland general election was held in 1852 to elect members of the 5th General Assembly of Newfoundland in the Dominion of Newfoundland. There were 9 Liberals and 6 Conservatives elected.

The 5th Newfoundland general election was held in 1848 to elect members of the 4th General Assembly of Newfoundland in the Dominion of Newfoundland. 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 15th Newfoundland general election was held in 1882 to elect members of the 14th General Assembly of Newfoundland in the Dominion of Newfoundland. The Conservative Party led by William Vallance Whiteway formed the government.

1874 Newfoundland general election

The 13th Newfoundland general election was held in 1874 to elect members of the 12th General Assembly of Newfoundland in the Dominion of Newfoundland. The Conservative Party led by Frederick Carter formed the government.

The 14th Newfoundland general election was held in 1878 to elect members of the 13th General Assembly of Newfoundland in the Dominion of Newfoundland. The Conservative Party led by William Vallance Whiteway formed the government.

The 2nd 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.

1873 Newfoundland general election

The 12th Newfoundland general election was held in November 1873 to elect members of the 11th General Assembly of Newfoundland in the Dominion 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 3rd Newfoundland general election was held in 1837 to elect members of the 2nd General Assembly of Newfoundland in the Dominion of Newfoundland. 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 16th Newfoundland general election was held on 31 October 1885 to elect members of the 15th General Assembly of Newfoundland in the Dominion of Newfoundland. The Reform Party had been created by Robert Thorburn on a platform of "Protestant Rights" after supporters of the Orange Order abandoned the Whiteway government after sectarian riots in 1885 against the government's 'denominational compromise'. Whiteway's Conservative Party was destroyed as a result and Whiteway founded a new Liberal Party. Thorburn's new party swept to power but soon turned away from its sectarian agenda by inviting Catholic Liberals into the Cabinet.

The 17th Newfoundland general election was held on 6 November 1889 to elect members of the 16th General Assembly of Newfoundland in the Dominion of Newfoundland. 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 19th Newfoundland general election was held on 28 October 1897 to elect members of the 18th General Assembly of Newfoundland in the Dominion of Newfoundland. The Tory Party led by James Spearman Winter formed the government. On February 15, 1900, the government was defeated following a vote on a motion of no confidence which was supported by the Liberals and several Tories.

The 20th 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 21st Newfoundland general election was held on 31 October 1904 to elect members of the 20th General Assembly of Newfoundland in the Dominion of Newfoundland. The Liberal Party led by Robert Bond formed the government.

The 22nd 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.

1909 Newfoundland general election

The 23rd Newfoundland general election was held on 8 May 1909 to elect members of the 22nd General Assembly of Newfoundland in the Dominion of Newfoundland. The Newfoundland People's Party led by Edward P. Morris, having secured a majority, formed the government.

1924 Newfoundland general election

The 27th Newfoundland general election was held on 2 June 1924 to elect members of the 26th General Assembly of Newfoundland in the Dominion of Newfoundland. The Liberal-Progressives and Liberal-Conservative Progressives were new parties formed as a result of the collapse of the ruling Liberal Reform Party. The Liberal-Conservative Progressives were led by Walter Stanley Monroe and won the election weeks after the party's creation. During his time in office, Monroe alienated a number of his supporters: Peter J. Cashin, F. Gordon Bradley, C. E. Russell, Phillip F. Moore, Lewis Little and H.B.C. Lake, who all defected to the opposition Liberal-Progressive Party. In 1926, universal suffrage was introduced in Newfoundland: women over the age of 25 were allowed to vote. Monroe was replaced by Frederick C. Alderdice as Prime Minister in August 1928.

References