The Hamilton by-election 1959 was a by-election held in the Hamilton electorate in Hamilton in the Waikato during the term of the 32nd New Zealand Parliament, on 2 May 1959.
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| Turnout | 13,555 (78.40%) | |||||||||||||||
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Background edit
The by-election was caused by the death of incumbent MP Hilda Ross of the National Party on 6 March 1959.[1] The by-election was won by Lance Adams-Schneider, also of the National Party.[2]
Candidates edit
- Labour
There were two candidates for the Labour Party nomination:[3]
- Iris Martin, matron of Wellington Hospital and daughter of former Labour cabinet minister Lee Martin
- Ben Waters, a member of Labour's national executive and candidate for Hamilton in 1951, 1954 and 1957
Labour chose Waters as its candidate. Waters had recently been appointed a trustee of the Waikato Savings Bank.[4] Contesting the seat three times prior, he slightly increased Labour share of the vote from 41.63 to 43.16 percent.[5]
- National
There were seven candidates for the National Party nomination:[6]
- Lance Adams-Schneider, a member of the Taumarunui Borough Council and candidate for Hutt in 1957
- Dorothy Blomfield, a member of the Hamilton City Council
- Victor Allan de Lacey, a Hamilton businessman and a member of several National Party executive committees
- A. R. Griffiths, a member of the Hamilton City Council and former chairman of the Hamilton National Party
- Francis Dewsbury Pinfold, the chairman of the Hamilton Fire Board and former Mayor of Hamilton
- Deena Sergel, a war widow and candidate for Riccarton in 1957
- Geoffrey Taylor, an Auckland businessman and candidate for Mount Albert in 1957
The local National Party members selected Adams-Schneider as candidate for the seat.[7]
- Social Credit
Frederick Charles Roberts, a Hamilton businessman, stood as the candidate for the Social Credit Party. In 1957 he stood for Social Credit in the Raglan electorate.[8]
Results edit
The following table gives the election results:
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| National | Lance Adams-Schneider | 7,832 | 57.89 | ||
| Labour | Ben Waters | 4,844 | 35.81 | -7.35 | |
| Social Credit | Frederick Charles Roberts | 852 | 6.30 | ||
| Majority | 2,988 | 22.09 | |||
| Informal votes | 27 | 0.20 | |||
| Turnout | 13,555 | 78.40 | -13.87 | ||
| Registered electors | 17,289 | ||||
| National hold | Swing | ||||
Notes edit
- ^ Wilson 1985, p. 231.
- ^ Wilson 1985, p. 179.
- ^ "Two Labour Nominees". The Press. Vol. XCVIII, no. 28860. 3 April 1959. p. 12.
- ^ "Candidate for Hamilton – Labour Chooses Mr E. A. Waters". The Press. Vol. XCVIII, no. 28862. 6 April 1959. p. 8.
- ^ a b Norton 1988, p. 233.
- ^ "Seven Seeking National Nomination At Hamilton". The Press. Vol. XCVIII, no. 28855. 28 March 1959. p. 14.
- ^ "By-election at Hamilton – National Party Candidate". The Press. Vol. XCVIII, no. 28864. 8 April 1959. p. 14.
- ^ "Social Credit Candidate For Hamilton". The Press. Vol. XCVIII, no. 28850. 21 March 1959. p. 7.
References edit
- Norton, Clifford (1988). New Zealand parliamentary election results, 1946–1987. Wellington: Victoria University of Wellington Department of Political Science. ISBN 0-475-11200-8.
- Wilson, James Oakley (1985) [First published in 1913]. New Zealand Parliamentary Record, 1840–1984 (4th ed.). Wellington: V.R. Ward, Govt. Printer. OCLC 154283103.
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