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The Lyttelton seat in the House of Representatives. Election by simple majority using first-past-the-post voting. | ||||||||||||||||
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| Turnout | 67.43% | |||||||||||||||
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The 1935 Lyttelton by-election was a by-election held on 24 July 1935 during the 24th New Zealand Parliament in the Lyttelton electorate. The electorate was won by Terry McCombs of the New Zealand Labour Party, succeeding his mother.
Terrence McCombs's mother, Elizabeth McCombs had held the seat after winning it in a by-election in 1933. She died on 7 June 1935 after succumbing to illness. [1]
The New Zealand Labour Party chose Terrence McCombs to stand for them. This was in some ways a surprise as many expected that Jim Thorn would be the candidate. [2]
The United-Reform Coalition who were operating under the name "National Political Federation" selected Melville Lyons as their candidate. Lyons had a rural background as he was secretary of the New Zealand Sheepbreeders' Association at the time. In the 1925 New Zealand general election he had stood for the New Zealand Reform Party in 1925 in Lyttelton against James McCombs. He was declared the winner with a victory of eight votes but the election court overturned this and McCombs won by just one vote. [3]
The New Zealand Democrat Party's leader Albert Davy declined to stand a candidate in the by-election. He believed that the by-election was a waste of money given the close proximity to the 1935 general election. [4]
Other candidates who chose to stand included Edward Hills [5] and G.S Hamilton.
Results of the by-election held on 13 September 1933 were:
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Labour | Elizabeth McCombs | 6,344 | 61.66 | 11.89 | |
| United/Reform | Frederick Freeman | 3,675 | 35.72 | -13.76 | |
| Independent Labour | Edward Hills | 269 | 2.61 | ||
| Majority | 2,669 | 25.94 | +25.65 | ||
| Turnout | 10,288 | 74.98 | |||
Results of the by-election held on 24 July 1935 were:
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Labour | Terry McCombs | 5,437 | 58.65 | ||
| United/Reform | Melville Lyons | 3,685 | 39.75 | ||
| Independent Labour | Edward Hills | 103 | 1.11 | ||
| Independent | G.S. Hamilton | 46 | 0.50 | ||
| Majority | 1752 | 18.9 | -6.75 | ||
| Turnout | 9,271 | 67.43 [8] | |||
McCombs extended his majority to 2,645 at the general election later that year and held the seat until 1951. This meant that his family held the seat for 38 years ever since his father's win in the Lyttelton by-election of 1913.
Elizabeth Reid McCombs was a New Zealand politician of the Labour Party who in 1933 became the first woman elected to the New Zealand Parliament. New Zealand women gained the right to vote in 1893, though were not allowed to stand for the House of Representatives until the election of 1919. McCombs had previously contested elections in 1928 and 1931.
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James (Jimmy) McCombs was a New Zealand Member of Parliament for Lyttelton.
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The Lyttelton by-election of 1933 was a by-election held during the 24th New Zealand Parliament in the Christchurch electorate of Lyttelton. It is notable for being won by Elizabeth McCombs of the New Zealand Labour Party, who became the first woman to be elected to the New Zealand Parliament. This by-election was therefore seen as a milestone in Women's suffrage in New Zealand.
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