1858 New England and Macleay colonial by-election
By-election in New South Wales, Australia
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A by-election was held for the New South Wales Legislative Assembly electorate of New England and Macleay on 26 November 1858 because of the resignation of Abram Moriarty,[1] for reasons that included the difficulty of serving a far distant electorate.[2]
Dates
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| 13 October 1858 | Abram Moriarty resigned.[1] |
| 19 October 1858 | Writ of election issued by the Speaker of the Legislative Assembly.[3] |
| 26 November 1858 | Nominations at Armidale.[4] |
| 14 December 1858 | Polling day |
| 30 December 1858 | Return of writ |
Candidates
- Alexander Dick was a Sydney solicitor,[5] who had advertised himself as a candidate,[6][7] however he sent a letter to the returning officer declining to go to the poll.[4]
- James Eames advertised himself as a candidate,[8] however this appears to have been a joke,[9] and there was no seconder for his nomination.[4]
- James Hart was a Sydney solicitor.[10]
- Merion Moriarty, the father of Abram,[1] advertised himself as a candidate,[8] however was not nominated.[4]
- Thomas Rusden was a squatter in the New England district and the former member for the district,[11] who had been defeated at the 1858 election.[12] He had petitioned against the election,[13][14] however these were rejected by the house as not complying with the requirements of the Electoral Act.[15][16][17] On 15 October he attempted to take a seat in the assembly, but was ejected by the sergeant-at-arms.[18] Rusden stated he was unable to nominate for the seat, asserting he was already the member.[7]
- John Williams was a Sydney solicitor and the then current Mayor of Sydney.[10][19]
Result
| Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
| James Hart (elected) | show of hands | ||
| Thomas Rusden | |||
| John Williams | |||
Neither candidate called for a poll.[4]