New Zealand general election, 1853

1853 general election

14 July – 1 October 1853 → 1855 members

All 37 seats in the New Zealand House of Representatives   First party   Party Independent Last election 37 seats Seats won 37 Seat change 37 Popular vote N/A Percentage N/A Swing N/A

The 1853 New Zealand general election was a nationwide vote to determine the shape of the New Zealand Parliament's 1st term. It was the first national election ever held in New Zealand, although Parliament did not yet have full authority to govern the colony, which was part of the British Empire at that time.

Background

Election poster in support of William Barnard Rhodes, standing for Wellington Country

The New Zealand Constitution Act 1852, passed by the Parliament of the United Kingdom, established a bicameral New Zealand Parliament, with the lower house (the House of Representatives) being elected by popular vote. Votes were to be cast under a simple FPP system, and the secret ballot had not yet been introduced. To qualify as a voter, one needed to be male, to be a British subject, to be at least 21 years old, to own a certain value of land, and to not be serving a criminal sentence.

At the time of the 1853 elections, there were no political parties in New Zealand. As such, all candidates were independents.

The election

In the 1853 elections, election day was different in each seat. The first seat to be elected was Bay of Islands on 14 July, and the final election day was on 1 October.^[1] Hugh Carleton (Bay of Islands) was the first MP ever elected in New Zealand (though he was elected unopposed), so he liked to be called the Father of the House.^[2]

There were 5,849 people registered to vote.^[1] The number of electoral districts was 24, and some districts elected multiple MPs. The total number of seats was 37.^[1] Some parts of the colony were not part of any district, and did not have representation in Parliament.^[2]

Results

Member	Electorate	Province	Election date
Bacot, JohnJohn Bacot	Pensioner Settlements	Auckland	02011-08-13 13 August[3]
Bartley, ThomasThomas Bartley	AucklandCity of Auckland	Auckland	02011-08-11 11 August[4]
Cargill, JohnJohn Cargill	Dunedin Country	Otago	02011-10-01 1 October[5]
Carleton, HughHugh Carleton	Bay of Islands	Auckland	02011-07-14 14 July[5]
Cautley, WilliamWilliam Cautley	Waimea	Nelson	02011-08-16 16 August[6]
Clifford, CharlesCharles Clifford	WellingtonCity of Wellington	Wellington	02011-08-15 15 August[6]
Crompton, WilliamWilliam Crompton	Omata	New Plymouth	02011-08-26 26 August[7]
Cutten, WilliamWilliam Cutten	Dunedin Country	Otago	02011-10-01 1 October[7]
Featherston, IsaacIsaac Featherston	Wanganui and Rangitikei	Wellington	02011-08-12 12 August[8]
FitzGerald, JamesJames FitzGerald	LytteltonTown of Lyttelton	Canterbury	02011-08-17 17 August[9]
Forsaith, ThomasThomas Forsaith	Northern Division	Auckland	02011-08-23 23 August[10]
Gledhill, FrancisFrancis Gledhill	New PlymouthTown of New Plymouth	New Plymouth	02011-08-26 26 August[11]
Gray, JohnJohn Gray	Southern Division	Auckland	02011-08-23 23 August[12]
Greenwood, JosephJoseph Greenwood	Pensioner Settlements	Auckland	02011-08-13 13 August[12]
Hart, RobertRobert Hart	WellingtonCity of Wellington	Wellington	02011-08-15 15 August[13]
Kelham, JamesJames Kelham	WellingtonCity of Wellington	Wellington	02011-08-15 15 August[14]
King, ThomasThomas King	Grey and Bell	New Plymouth	02011-08-27 27 August[14]
Lee, WalterWalter Lee	Northern Division	Auckland	02011-08-23 23 August[15]
Ludlam, AlfredAlfred Ludlam	Hutt	Wellington	02011-08-18 18 August[15]
Macandrew, JamesJames Macandrew	DunedinTown of Dunedin	Otago	02011-09-27 27 September[16]
Mackay, JamesJames Mackay	NelsonTown of Nelson	Nelson	02011-07-25 25 July[17]
Merriman, FrederickFrederick Merriman	Auckland Suburbs	Auckland	02011-08-10 10 August[18]
Monro, DavidDavid Monro	Waimea	Nelson	02011-08-16 16 August[19]
Moorhouse, WilliamWilliam Moorhouse	Akaroa	Canterbury	02011-08-24 24 August[19]
O'Brien, LoughlinLoughlin O'Brien	AucklandCity of Auckland	Auckland	02011-08-11 11 August[20]
O'Neill, JamesJames O'Neill	AucklandCity of Auckland	Auckland	02011-08-11 11 August[21]
Picard, AlfredAlfred Picard	Motueka and Massacre Bay	Nelson	02011-08-18 18 August[22]
Porter, WilliamWilliam Porter	Auckland Suburbs	Auckland	02011-08-10 10 August[23]
Revans, SamuelSamuel Revans	Wairarapa and Hawkes Bay	Wellington	02011-08-12 12 August[24]
Rhodes, WilliamWilliam Rhodes	Wellington Country	Wellington	02011-08-18 18 August[25]
Sewell, HenryHenry Sewell	ChristchurchTown of Christchurch	Canterbury	02011-08-20 20 August[26]
Stuart-Wortley, JamesJames Stuart-Wortley	Christchurch Country	Canterbury	02011-08-27 27 August[27]
Taylor, CharlesCharles Taylor	Southern Division	Auckland	02011-08-23 23 August[28]
Travers, WilliamWilliam Travers	NelsonTown of Nelson	Nelson	02011-07-25 25 July[29]
Wakefield, Edward GibbonEdward Gibbon Wakefield	Hutt	Wellington	02011-08-19 19 August[30]
Wakefield, Edward JerninghamEdward Jerningham Wakefield	Christchurch Country	Canterbury	02011-08-27 27 August[30]
Weld, FrederickFrederick Weld	Wairau	Nelson	02011-08-02 2 August[31]

Notes

1. ^ ^{a b c} "General elections 1853-2005 - dates & turnout". Elections New Zealand. http://www.elections.org.nz/elections/resultsdata/elections-dates-turnout.html. Retrieved 12 September 2010. 
2. ^ ^{a b} Wilson 1984.
3. ^ Scholefield 1950, p. 94.
4. ^ Scholefield 1950, p. 95.
5. ^ ^{a b} Scholefield 1950, p. 99.
6. ^ ^{a b} Scholefield 1950, p. 100.
7. ^ ^{a b} Scholefield 1950, p. 102.
8. ^ Scholefield 1950, p. 105.
9. ^ Scholefield 1950, p. 106.
10. ^ Scholefield 1950, p. 107.
11. ^ Scholefield 1950, p. 108.
12. ^ ^{a b} Scholefield 1950, p. 109.
13. ^ Scholefield 1950, p. 112.
14. ^ ^{a b} Scholefield 1950, p. 118.
15. ^ ^{a b} Scholefield 1950, p. 120.
16. ^ Scholefield 1950, p. 121.
17. ^ Scholefield 1950, p. 123.
18. ^ Scholefield 1950, p. 126.
19. ^ ^{a b} Scholefield 1950, p. 127.
20. ^ Scholefield 1950, p. 129.
21. ^ Scholefield 1950, p. 130.
22. ^ Scholefield 1950, p. 132.
23. ^ Scholefield 1950, p. 133.
24. ^ Scholefield 1950, p. 134.
25. ^ Scholefield 1950, p. 135.
26. ^ Scholefield 1950, p. 138.
27. ^ Scholefield 1950, p. 141.
28. ^ Scholefield 1950, p. 143.
29. ^ Scholefield 1950, p. 144.
30. ^ ^{a b} Scholefield 1950, p. 145.
31. ^ Scholefield 1950, p. 147.

References

• Scholefield, Guy Hardy (1950) [First ed. published 1913]. New Zealand parliamentary record, 1840-1949. Wellington: Govt. Printer. 
• Wilson, James Oakley (1985) [First ed. published 1913]. New Zealand parliamentary record, 1840-1984 (4 ed.). Wellington: V.R. Ward, Govt. Printer. OCLC 154283103.