May 1872 East Sydney colonial by-election
By-election in New South Wales, Australia
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
A by-election was held for the New South Wales Legislative Assembly electorate of East Sydney on 22 May 1872 because Henry Parkes had been appointed Premier and Colonial Secretary, forming the first Parkes ministry.[1][2] Such ministerial by-elections were usually uncontested however on this occasion a poll was required in East Sydney and Newcastle (George Lloyd), while the five other ministers, Edward Butler (Argyle), James Farnell (Parramatta), Joseph Innes (Mudgee), William Piddington (The Hawkesbury) and John Sutherland (Paddington), were re-elected unopposed.[3]
James Jones had been an unsuccessful candidate for Central Cumberland at the 1868 by-election,[4] and the 1869 election.[5]
Dates
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| 14 May 1872 | First Parkes ministry appointed.[6] |
| 15 May 1872 | Writ of election issued by the Speaker of the Legislative Assembly.[7] |
| 20 May 1872 | Nominations |
| 22 May 1872 | Polling day |
| 11 June 1872 | Return of writ |
Result
| Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Henry Parkes (re-elected) | 2,686 | 68.8 | |
| James Jones | 1,216 | 31.2 | |
| Total formal votes | 3,902 | 100.0 | |
| Informal votes | 0 | 0.0 | |
| Turnout | 3,902 | 35.0 | |