1889 Oamaru by-election
New Zealand by-election
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The 1889 Oamaru by-election was a by-election held on 30 September 1889 in the Oamaru electorate during the 10th New Zealand Parliament.
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30 September 1889
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| Turnout | 964 | |||||||||||||||
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Background
The by-election was triggered by the resignation of the incumbent MP Thomas William Hislop. The resignation was caused by the Ward-Hislop affair where Hislop was reproached by a Legislative Council committee for his manner of correspondence with a District Judge Ward. The report judged that he was using his Ministerial position to aid the business affairs of his personal friends.[1] He had also resigned his ministerial portfolios.[2]
Campaign
Hislop stood again to regain his position as an MP. He was opposed by David Dunn.[3] Dunn, the Liberal Party candidate, claimed to be "...one having no political experience at all."[4] This was despite the fact that he had been elected Mayor of Oamaru in 1888.[5]
Hislop's majority was reduced from 136 to 134 after two votes were removed.[6] One person was charged with voting twice (personation).[7]
Results
The following table gives the election result:
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Independent | Thomas William Hislop | 549 | 56.95 | ||
| Liberal | David Dunn | 415 | 43.05 | ||
| Majority | 134 | 13.90 | |||
| Turnout | 964 | ||||
