1855 New Zealand general election

1855 general election

26 October – 28 December 1855
All 37 seats in the New Zealand House of Representatives
First party   Leader Henry Sewell Party Independent Leader's seat Town of Christchurch Last election 37 seats Seats won 37 Seat change
Premier before election Office Established Subsequent Premier Henry Sewell Independent

The 1855 New Zealand general election was a nationwide vote to determine the shape of the New Zealand Parliament's 2nd term. It was the second national election ever held in New Zealand, and the first one which elected a Parliament that had full authority to govern the colony.

Background

The first New Zealand elections had been held after the passage of the New Zealand Constitution Act 1852 by the Parliament of the United Kingdom. The 1st Parliament did not have the ability to appoint the executive branch (Cabinet) of the New Zealand government, however, and a major dispute arose between Parliament and the Governor. In the 2nd Parliament, Parliament gained the powers it sought — for this reason, some see the 1855 elections, not the 1853 elections, as the beginning of New Zealand democracy.

At the time of the 1855 elections, there were no political parties in New Zealand. As such, all candidates were independents. Governments were formed based on loose coalitions, with prospective Prime Ministers needing to seek support from enough individual MPs to command a majority. This means that nobody could truly be said to have "won" an election — a government usually rose or fell based on its ability to make deals with MPs, not on election results.

The election

In the 1855 elections, voting occurred on a different day for each individual seat. The first seat was elected on 26 October, and the final seat was elected on 28 December. An estimated 9,891 people were eligible to vote, although records are poor for some areas. The number of electoral districts was 24, with some districts electing multiple MPs. The total number of seats was 37.^[1] Some parts of the colony were not part of any district, and did not have representation in Parliament.^[2]

Results

Member	Electorate	Province	MP's term	Election date
John Cuff	Akaroa	Canterbury	First	28 December[3]
John Logan Campbell	City of Auckland	Auckland	First	27 October[4]
Thomas Beckham	City of Auckland	Auckland	First	27 October[5]
William Daldy	City of Auckland	Auckland	First	27 October[3]
Frederick Merriman	Auckland Suburbs	Auckland	Second	27 October[6]
Walter Brodie	Auckland Suburbs	Auckland	First	27 October[7]
Hugh Carleton	Bay of Islands	Auckland	Second	24 November[4]
Dingley Brittin	Christchurch Country	Canterbury	First	20 December[7]
John Hall	Christchurch Country	Canterbury	First	20 December[8]
Henry Sewell	Town of Christchurch	Canterbury	Second	18 December[9]
John Cargill	Dunedin Country	Otago	Second	11 December[4]
William Cargill	Dunedin Country	Otago	First	11 December[4]
James Macandrew	Town of Dunedin	Otago	Second	11 December[10]
Charles Brown	Grey and Bell	New Plymouth	First	8 November[7]
Alfred Ludlam	Hutt	Wellington	Second	16 November[11]
Dillon Bell	Hutt	Wellington	First	16 November[5]
James FitzGerald	Town of Lyttelton	Canterbury	Second	21 December[12]
Charles Parker	Motueka and Massacre Bay	Nelson	First	8 November[13]
Alfred Domett	Town of Nelson	Nelson	First	12 November[14]
Edward Stafford	Town of Nelson	Nelson	First	12 November[15]
William Richmond	Town of New Plymouth	New Plymouth	First	5 November[16]
Thomas Henderson	Northern Division	Auckland	First	27 October[17]
Walter Lee	Northern Division	Auckland	Second	27 October[11]
Alfred East	Omata	New Plymouth	First	10 November[14]
John Williamson	Pensioner Settlements	Auckland	First	27 October[18]
Joseph Greenwood	Pensioner Settlements	Auckland	Second	27 October[19]
Charles Taylor	Southern Division	Auckland	Second	26 October[20]
Robert Graham	Southern Division	Auckland	First	26 October[19]
Charles Elliott	Waimea	Nelson	First	5 November[21]
William Travers	Waimea	Nelson	Second	5 November[21]
John Smith	Wairarapa and Hawke's Bay	Wellington	First	26 November[22]
William Wells	Wairau	Nelson	First	19 November[23]
William Fox	Wanganui and Rangitikei	Wellington	First	27 November[24]
Charles Clifford	City of Wellington	Wellington	Second	13 November[25]
Isaac Featherston	City of Wellington	Wellington	Second	13 November[26]
William Fitzherbert	City of Wellington	Wellington	First	13 November[12]
Dudley Ward	Wellington Country	Wellington	First	15 November[27]

Notes

1. "General elections 1853-2005 - dates & turnout". Elections New Zealand. Archived from the original on 14 November 2014. Retrieved 12 September 2010.
2. Wilson 1985.
3. Scholefield 1950, p. 102.
4. Scholefield 1950, p. 99.
5. Scholefield 1950, p. 95.
6. Scholefield 1950, p. 126.
7. Scholefield 1950, p. 97.
8. Scholefield 1950, p. 111.
9. Scholefield 1950, p. 138.
10. Scholefield 1950, p. 121.
11. Scholefield 1950, p. 120.
12. Scholefield 1950, p. 106.
13. Scholefield 1950, p. 131.
14. Scholefield 1950, p. 104.
15. Scholefield 1950, p. 140.
16. Scholefield 1950, p. 136.
17. Scholefield 1950, p. 113.
18. Scholefield 1950, p. 148.
19. Scholefield 1950, p. 109.
20. Scholefield 1950, p. 143.
21. "Election of members to represent the Waimea districts". Nelson Examiner and New Zealand Chronicle. Vol. XIV. 7 November 1855. p. 2. Retrieved 13 November 2020.
22. Scholefield 1950, p. 139.
23. Scholefield 1950, p. 147.
24. Scholefield 1950, p. 107.
25. Scholefield 1950, p. 100.
26. Scholefield 1950, p. 105.
27. Scholefield 1950, p. 146.

References

• Scholefield, Guy (1950) [First ed. published 1913]. New Zealand Parliamentary Record, 1840–1949 (3rd ed.). Wellington: Govt. Printer.
• Wilson, James Oakley (1985) [First ed. published 1913]. New Zealand Parliamentary Record, 1840–1984 (4th ed.). Wellington: V.R. Ward, Govt. Printer. OCLC 154283103.