1939 Southern Rhodesian general election

none December 2018 May 2013 July 2024 Southern Rhodesia parliamentary 1934 Southern Rhodesian general election 1934 yes 1939 04 14 1946 Southern Rhodesian general election 1946 All 30 seats in the Legislative Assembly 16 Huggins.jpg Godfrey Huggins United Rhodesia Party 24 seats 23 1 11,161 50.37% 3x4.svg Harry Davies Rhodesia Labour Party 5 seats 7 2 7,353 33.18% Composition of the Southern Rhodesian Legislative Assembly 1939.svg 200px Composition of the Legislative Assembly after the election Prime Minister Godfrey Huggins United Rhodesia Party Godfrey Huggins United Rhodesia Party General elections were held in Southern Rhodesia on 14 April 1939, the fifth elections since the colony of Southern Rhodesia was granted internal self-government. Prime Minister Godfrey Huggins' United Party government were re-elected in a landslide. The elections were called slightly earlier than the deadline as Huggins feared the German invasion of Czechoslovakia would lead to European War. Electoral system In 1937, a new Electoral Act was passed. The franchise was extended slightly to those who were not British subjects but who had been in active wartime service in the armed forces. Electors were also required to have lived for three months in their electoral districts. The requirement for qualifying for the vote on the basis of receiving salary or wages of £100 per annum was extended also to people with income of £100 per annum, a change which principally benefited those who had investment income but few assets. Voters were also no longer required to demonstrate proficiency in English through a dictation test. The postal vote, which had been introduced in 1928, was extended in 1937 to all voters living more than 25 miles away from the nearest polling station. Finally, those who had drawn government rations were disenfranchised. A boundary revision in 1938 enabled the elimination of the four remaining double-member electoral districts as the Colony was split into 30 single-member districts. Results United Party 11161 23 –1 Rhodesia Labour Party 7353 7 +2 Reform Party 2773 0 –1 Union Party 380 0 New Independents 492 0 New 0 28032 Willson By constituency Avondale United Rhodesia Party Harry Bertin 571 N/A Rhodesia Labour Party Colin Ross McLachlan 217 N/A 354 N/A 962 82.9 N/A United Rhodesia Party Bulawayo Central United Rhodesia Party William Hives Eastwood 393 Reform Party (Southern Rhodesia) James Cowden 272 Rhodesia Labour Party Philip Harvey Veale 251 1,116 82.1 United Rhodesia Party Bulawayo East United Rhodesia Party John Banks Brady 639 Reform Party (Southern Rhodesia) Donald MacGillivray 227 1,025 84.5 United Rhodesia Party Bulawayo North United Rhodesia Party Hugh Beadle 461 Reform Party (Southern Rhodesia) Charles Edward Harrison 243 Rhodesia Labour Party William John Phelps 165 1,023 84.9 United Rhodesia Party Bulawayo South Rhodesia Labour Party Donald MacIntyre 534 United Rhodesia Party Robert Woodward Hammond 461 1,279 77.8 Rhodesia Labour Party Charter United Rhodesia Party Ernest Lucas Guest 355 Union Party Johan Christoffel Kruger 181 Rhodesia Labour Party Henry Stephen Sharp 151 838 82.3 United Rhodesia Party Eastern United Rhodesia Party Jacobus Petrus De Kock 399 Union Party Douglas Abrahamson 199 Rhodesia Labour Party Reginald Herbert Bruce Dickson 182 1,004 77.7 United Rhodesia Party Gatooma Rhodesia Labour Party Thomas Alfred Kimble 416 United Rhodesia Party James Dalton 293 Reform Party (Southern Rhodesia) Thomas James Golding 173 1,031 85.5 Rhodesia Labour Party Gwanda United Rhodesia Party Frank Ernest Harris 381 Reform Party (Southern Rhodesia) David Wood Young 216 839 71.2 United Rhodesia Party Reform Party (Southern Rhodesia) Gwelo United Rhodesia Party Frank Delano Thompson 326 Reform Party (Southern Rhodesia) Robert Williamson 243 Rhodesia Labour Party William John Bassett 184 954 78.9 United Rhodesia Party Hartley United Rhodesia Party Hugh Volant Wheeler 264 Reform Party (Southern Rhodesia) William Muter Leggate 215 Independent politician Henry Hamilton Beamish 196 Rhodesia Labour Party John Allen 121 969 82.1 United Rhodesia Party Independent politician Highlands United Rhodesia Party Leslie Benjamin Fereday 447 Rhodesia Labour Party William Frith Wilson 267 Reform Party (Southern Rhodesia) John Arthur Douglas Hawksley 68 953 82.1 United Rhodesia Party Hillside Rhodesia Labour Party Harry Davies 544 United Rhodesia Party George Victor Wallace 329 1,017 85.8 Rhodesia Labour Party Insiza United Rhodesia Party Robert Clarkson Tredgold 335 Rhodesia Labour Party James Turner Durward 198 Reform Party (Southern Rhodesia) Leo George Robinson 116 887 73.2 United Rhodesia Party Lomagudi United Rhodesia Party Lewis Aloys MacDonald Hastings 393 Rhodesia Labour Party Otilia Liebermann 142 834 64.1 United Rhodesia Party Marandellas United Rhodesia Party William Henry Ralston 366 Rhodesia Labour Party Alexander Aitken Draper 148 Reform Party (Southern Rhodesia) Alfred William Vincent Crawley 147 891 74.2 United Rhodesia Party Mazoe United Rhodesia Party Edward Walter Lionel Noaks 402 Rhodesia Labour Party Jack Herbert Keightley 139 Reform Party (Southern Rhodesia) James Murdoch Eaton 75 Independent politician Mark Douglas Claxton 73 873 78.9 United Rhodesia Party Que Que United Rhodesia Party Charles Walter Leppington 434 Rhodesia Labour Party de Lacey Henry Stowe 422 1,072 79.9 United Rhodesia Party Raylton Rhodesia Labour Party Lawrence John Walter Keller 559 United Rhodesia Party Charles Spencer 210 954 80.6 Rhodesia Labour Party Salisbury Central United Rhodesia Party Edgar Pope Vernall 408 Rhodesia Labour Party Gladys Maasdorp 288 Reform Party (Southern Rhodesia) George Harry Stone 139 1,089 76.4 United Rhodesia Party Salisbury City United Rhodesia Party Jacob Hendrik Smit 519 Rhodesia Labour Party Alec Pelham 276 1,012 78.6 United Rhodesia Party Salisbury Gardens United Rhodesia Party Sir Percival Donald Leslie Fynn 410 Reform Party (Southern Rhodesia) Lancelot Middleton Foggin 155 Rhodesia Labour Party Rex Atherton Rawstorne 111 966 76.4 United Rhodesia Party Salisbury North United Rhodesia Party Godfrey Huggins unopposed 862 United Rhodesia Party Salisbury South Rhodesia Labour Party George Henry Walker 546 United Rhodesia Party Heiman Joseph Hoffman 283 1,049 79.0 Rhodesia Labour Party Selukwe United Rhodesia Party Max Danziger 410 Reform Party (Southern Rhodesia) Ernest Millington 321 954 76.6 United Rhodesia Party Umtali North United Rhodesia Party Edgar Whitehead 498 Rhodesia Labour Party Thomas Norris 209 844 83.8 United Rhodesia Party Untali South Rhodesia Labour Party James Brown Lister 401 Independent politician Matthew Henry Gibson 223 820 76. Rhodesia Labour Party Victoria United Rhodesia Party William Alexander Eustace Winterton 497 Rhodesia Labour Party Robert Joseph Austin 286 1104 77.2 United Rhodesia Party Wankie Rhodesia Labour Party Allan Watson Whittington 346 United Rhodesia Party Cyril Mainwaring Newman 311 Reform Party (Southern Rhodesia) Henry Robert Barbour 73 1,000 73.0 Rhodesia Labour Party United Rhodesia Party Western United Rhodesia Party Patrick Bissett Fletcher 366 Rhodesia Labour Party Albert James Davies 247 Reform Party (Southern Rhodesia) Wilfred Denton Estment 93 894 79.0 United Rhodesia Party Byelections Salisbury Gardens Sir Percival Fynn died on 25 April 1940. Owing to the war, normal party politics had been suspended and a joint selection conference including members of both the United Party and the Rhodesia Labour Party was included. Four candidates stood for the selection: Cecil Douglas Dryden (United Party), Mrs. Gladys Maasdorp (Rhodesia Labour Party), Arthur William Redfern (Independent) and O.P. Wheeler (Independent). Redfern was selected and returned unopposed on 26 June 1940. Umtali North Edgar Whitehead resigned from the Assembly on 24 June 1940. A byelection was held to replace him on 27 August 1940. ConstituencyElectorate and turnoutCandidatePartyVotesUMTALI NORTH821 (53.8%)Tom Ian Finlay WilsonUP312Thomas NorrisLab130 Hartley Hugh Volant Wheeler resigned on 30 June 1940. A byelection was held in his constituency on 27 August 1940. ConstituencyElectorate and turnoutCandidatePartyVotesHARTLEY943 (49.9%)William Muter LeggateRP247Tom Cecil Leonard HowardInd120Leonard Tolcher TraceyInd104 Lomagundi Lewis Aloys MacDonald Hastings resigned on 30 June 1940. A byelection was held in his constituency on 27 August 1940. ConstituencyElectorate and turnoutCandidatePartyVotesLOMAGUNDI827 (48.1%)George Henry HackwillUP220Edward George HolmanInd178 Victoria William Alexander Eustace Winterton resigned on 30 October 1940. A byelection was held on 10 December 1940. ConstituencyElectorate and turnoutCandidatePartyVotesVICTORIA1,014 (61.4%)Walter Brumage RichardsUP232Harry Joseph FilmerLab228Richard Fraser DottInd National163 Insiza Robert Clarkson Tredgold resigned on 28 February 1943. A byelection was held on 21 April 1943 to replace him. ConstituencyCandidatePartyVotesINSIZALeslie Thomas SmithThe Labour Party280Victor Henry SauermanLab197John Everett ChickUP151 References Sources Source Book of Parliamentary Elections and Referenda in Southern Rhodesia 1898–1962 ed. by F.M.G. Willson (Department of Government, University College of Rhodesia and Nyasaland, Salisbury 1963) Holders of Administrative and Ministerial Office 1894–1964 by F.M.G. Willson and G.C. Passmore, assisted by Margaret T. Mitchell (Source Book No. 3, Department of Government, University College of Rhodesia and Nyasaland, Salisbury 1966) collapsed Category:Parliamentary elections in Zimbabwe Southern Rhodesia General Southern Rhodesia Category:Election and referendum articles with incomplete results Southern Rhodesia