1855 Newfoundland general election
Election in the Colony of Newfoundland
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The 1855 Newfoundland general election was held on May 7, 1855, to elect members of the 6th General Assembly of Newfoundland in the Newfoundland Colony. This was the first election after responsible government was introduced in Newfoundland.[1] The Liberal Party, now led by Philip Francis Little, formed the government. The opposition was formed by the Conservative Party led by Hugh Hoyles.
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May 7, 1855
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30 seats of the Newfoundland House of Assembly 16 seats needed for a majority | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Districts ranged in size from 1 to 3 members, and the election system used in each was either first past the post or block voting.
Results
| Party | Leader | 1852 | Candidates | Seats won | Seat change | % of seats (% change) |
Popular vote[b] | % of vote (% change) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Liberal | Philip Little | 9 | 22 | 18 |  9 |
60.00% (  ) |
482 | 62.68% ( 1.25%) | |
| Conservative | Hugh Hoyles | 6 | 14 | 12 | 6 |
40.00% ( ) |
287 | 37.32% (  1.25%) | |
| Totals | 15 | 36 | 30 | 15 |
100% | 769 | 100% | ||
Results by district
- Names in boldface type represent party leaders.
- â indicates that the incumbent did not run again.
- â¡ indicates that the incumbent ran in a different district.
St. John's
| Electoral district | Candidates | Incumbent | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Liberal (historical) | ||||
| St. John's East | John Kent Won by acclamation |
John Kent St. John's | ||
| Robert Parsons Won by acclamation |
Robert Parsons St. John's | |||
| Peter Winser Won by acclamation |
New seat | |||
| St. John's West | Philip Little Won by acclamation |
Philip Little St. John's | ||
| Ambrose Shea Won by acclamation |
New seat | |||
| John Fox Won by acclamation |
New seat | |||
Conception Bay
| Electoral district | Candidates | Incumbent | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Liberal (historical) | Conservative (historical) | |||||
| Bay de Verde[d] | David Walsh | John Bemister |
John Bemister Conception Bay | |||
| Carbonear | Edmund Hanrahan Won by acclamation |
Edmund Hanrahan Conception Bay | ||||
| Harbour Grace | John Hayward Won by acclamation |
John Hayward Conception Bay | ||||
| James Prendergast Won by acclamation |
New seat | |||||
| Harbour Main | William Talbot Won by acclamation |
William Talbot Conception Bay | ||||
| Thomas Byrne Won by acclamation |
New seat | |||||
| Port de Grave | Robert Brown Won by acclamation |
New district | ||||
Avalon Peninsula
| Electoral district | Candidates | Incumbent | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Liberal (historical) | ||||
| Ferryland | Thomas Glen Won by acclamation |
Peter Winserâ¡ (ran in St. John's East) | ||
| Edward Shea Won by acclamation |
New seat | |||
| Placentia and St. Mary's | George Hogsett Won by acclamation |
Ambrose Sheaâ¡ (ran in St. John's West) | ||
| Michael Kelly Won by acclamation |
George Hogsett | |||
| John Delaney Won by acclamation |
New seat | |||
Eastern and Central Newfoundland
| Electoral district | Candidates | Incumbent | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Liberal (historical) | Conservative (historical) | |||||
| Bonavista Bay[d] | John Haddon[2] | John Warren | John Warren | |||
| J. Stewart[3] | Robert Carter | New seat | ||||
| Matthew Walbank | New seat | |||||
| Trinity Bay | Stephen March Won by acclamation |
Stephen March | ||||
| John Winter Won by acclamation |
New seat | |||||
| Frederick Carter Won by acclamation |
New seat | |||||
| Twillingate and Fogo[d] | George Emerson | William Ellis | George Emerson | |||
| Thomas Knight | New seat | |||||
Southern Newfoundland
| Electoral district | Candidates | Incumbent | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Liberal (historical) | Conservative (historical) | |||||
| Burgeo and LaPoile | Robert Prowse Won by acclamation |
New district | ||||
| Burin[4] | Clement Benning 243 31.60% |
? Woods 231 30.04% |
Clement Benning | |||
| Patrick Morris 239 31.08% |
? Freeman 56 7.28% |
New seat | ||||
| Fortune Bay | Hugh Hoyles Won by acclamation |
Hugh Hoyles | ||||