1899 Northumberland colonial by-election
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The 1899 Northumberland colonial by-election was held on 20 June 1899 to elect the member for Northumberland in the New South Wales Legislative Assembly, following the death of Protectionist MP Richard Stevenson.[1] The vote was held on the same day as a statewide referendum on the subject of federation, which was an issue throughout the campaign.[2][3]
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20 June 1899
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Electoral district of Northumberland in the New South Wales Legislative Assembly | ||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Registered | 2,439 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Turnout | 66.3% ( 0.6) | |||||||||||||||||||||
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Two candidates withdrew during the campaign.[4] On 9 June 1899, Protectionist-endorsed candidate William Schey withdrew shortly after candidate nominations closed to avoid splitting the vote with Independent Protectionist candidate John Norton.[5][6] Five days later, William Melville withdrew and endorsed fellow Federalist candidate William Snape.[7][8]
Norton won the seat with 52.6% of the vote, defeating Free Trade candidate (and former Northumberland MP) Henry Wheeler.[9][10]
Key events
- 14 May 1899 â Richard Stevenson died[11]
- 2 June 1899 â Writ of election issued by the Speaker of the Legislative Assembly[12]
- 9 June 1899 â Candidate nominations
- 20 June 1899 â Polling day
- 24 June 1899 â Declaration of result[13]
- 30 June 1899 â Return of writ
Candidates
| Party | Candidate | Background | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Independent | George Black | Not the former MP of the same name[14] | |
| Independent | Charles Duffy | Not the former Premier of Victoria of the same name[15] | |
| Federalist[16] | William Melville | Advocate for Federation[17] | |
| Ind. Protectionist[18] | John Norton | Former MP for Sydney-Fitzroy[19] | |
| Protectionist[20] | William Schey | Former MP for Redfern and Darlington[21] | |
| Federalist[22] | William Snape | Advocate for Federation[17] | |
| Free Trade | Henry Wheeler | Former MP for Northumberland[23] | |
Result
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ind. Protectionist | John Norton | 838 | 52.6 | +52.6 | |
| Free Trade | Henry Wheeler | 655 | 41.1 | â6.1 | |
| Federalist | William Snape | 52 | 3.3 | +3.3 | |
| Independent | Charles Duffy | 33 | 2.1 | +2.1 | |
| Independent | George Black | 11 | 0.7 | +0.7 | |
| Federalist | William Melville (withdrawn) | 3 | 0.2 | +0.2 | |
| Protectionist | William Schey (withdrawn) | 2 | 0.1 | â52.7 | |
| Total formal votes | 1,594 | 98.5 | â0.7 | ||
| Informal votes | 24 | 1.5 | +0.7 | ||
| Turnout | 1,618 | 66.3 | â0.6 | ||
| Ind. Protectionist gain from Protectionist | Swing | N/A | |||