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1956 Newfoundland general election
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Canadian provincial election
September 2023
1956 Newfoundland general election Newfoundland and Labrador parliamentary no no October 2, 1956 1951 Newfoundland general election 1951 Outgoing members 1959 Newfoundland general election 1959 Elected members 36 seats of the Newfoundland House of Assembly 19 seats were needed for a majority 61.0% (14.1%)Report on Provincial General Election, 1956 https://collections.mun.ca/digital/collection/nl_gazette/id/8746/rec/3 12 April 2025 The Newfoundland Gazette 15 January 1957 150x150px NL Liberal nohash Joey Smallwood 1949 Bonavista North NL Liberal name 24 32 8 75,883 66.3% 2.7pp PC NL PC nohash Malcolm Hollett 1953 St. John's West NL PC name 4 4 36,591 32.0% 3.6pp Premier Joey Smallwood NL Liberal name Premier after election Joey Smallwood NL Liberal name No 1952
The 1956 Newfoundland general election was held on 2 October 1956 to elect members of the 31st General Assembly of Newfoundland. It was won by the Liberal party.
Results
Party Leader1951Seats won% changePopular vote (%)
NL Liberal row-nameJoey Smallwood 243275,88366.3%
NL PC row-nameMalcolm Hollett4436,59132.0%
NL CCF row-nameSam Drover00*CCF votes are among the 1,964 ballots categorized as "other".*
NL Independent rowOther000% 1,9641.7%Totals2836 -114,438100%
Results by district
Names in boldface type represent party leaders.
† indicates that the incumbent did not run again.
‡ indicates that the incumbent ran in a different district.
St. John's
NL Liberal PC
|-
|bgcolor=whitesmoke|St. John's Centre63.19% turnout
|
|James Gibbs2,16435.99%
|NL PC background|
|Augustine Duffy3,84864.01%
|NL Vacant background|
|New district
|-
|bgcolor=whitesmoke rowspan=2|St. John's East71.08% turnout
|rowspan=2|
|rowspan=2|Edward Thorburn1,83932.60%
|rowspan=2 NL PC background|
|rowspan=2|James Higgins3,80267.40%
|NL PC background|
|James Higgins
|-
|NL PC background|
|Frank Fogwill†
|-
|bgcolor=whitesmoke|St. John's North67.88% turnout
|NL Liberal background|
|George Nightingale2,69456.32%
|
|Derrick Bowring2,08943.68%
|NL Vacant background|
|New district
|-
|bgcolor=whitesmoke|St. John's South66.95% turnout
|
|Hubert Kelly2,59043.93%
|NL PC background|
|William Browne3,30656.07%
|NL Vacant background|
|New district
|-
|-
|bgcolor=whitesmoke rowspan=2|St. John's West
|rowspan=2|
|rowspan=2|
|rowspan=2 NL PC background|
|rowspan=2|Malcolm HollettWon by acclamation
|NL PC background|
|William Browne‡ (ran in St. John's South)
|-
|NL PC background|
|Malcolm Hollett
|}
Conception Bay
NL Liberal PC CCF Other
|-
|bgcolor=whitesmoke|Bell Island69.52% turnout
|NL Liberal background|
|Joseph O'Driscoll1,91260.05%
|
|David Jackman90128.30%
|
|Ray Littlejohn431.35%
|
|Michael Hawco (Independent)32810.30%
|NL Vacant background|
|New district
|-
|bgcolor=whitesmoke|Carbonear-Bay de Verde59.38% turnout
|NL Liberal background|
|George Clarke2,69970.14%
|
|P. W. Crummey1,05227.34%
|
|Stanley Atkins972.52%
|
|
|NL Liberal background|
|Herbert Pottle†
|-
|bgcolor=whitesmoke|Harbour Grace70.23% turnout
|NL Liberal background|
|Claude Sheppard1,71458.98%
|
|Richard Parsons54418.72%
|
|Israel Gosse411.41%
|
|Frank Archibald (Independent)60720.89%
|NL Liberal background|
|James Chalker‡(ran in St. Barbe)
|-
|bgcolor=whitesmoke rowspan=2|Harbour Main
|NL Liberal background|
|Philip Lewis2,25130.55%
|
|Arthur Harnett1,64822.37%
|
|
|
|
|NL PC background|
|David Jackman‡Harbour Main-Bell Island (ran in Bell Island)
|-
|NL Liberal background|
|Matthew Whelan1,86125.26%
|
|James A. McGrath1,60821.82%
|
|
|
|
|NL Liberal background|
|Philip LewisHarbour Main-Bell Island
|-
|bgcolor=whitesmoke|Port de Grave56.12% turnout
|NL Liberal background|
|Llewellyn Strange1,85375.94%
|
|John Pinsent58724.06%
|
|
|
|
|NL Liberal background|
|Isaac Mercer‡(ran in Fogo)
|-
|}
Avalon Peninsula
NL Liberal PC CCF
|-
|bgcolor=whitesmoke|Ferryland76.33% turnout
|NL Liberal background|
|Myles Murray1,94169.22%
|
|Rex Renouf86330.78%
|
|
|NL Liberal background|
|Myles Murray
|-
|bgcolor=whitesmoke|Placentia East62.55% turnout
|NL Liberal background|
|Greg Power1,84976.82%
|
|
|
|Esau Thoms55823.18%
|NL Liberal background|
|Greg PowerPlacentia-St. Mary's
|-
|bgcolor=whitesmoke|St. Mary's75.67% turnout
|NL Liberal background|
|James M. McGrath1,16367.50%
|
|Larry Daley56032.50%
|
|
|NL Vacant background|
|New district
|-
|bgcolor=whitesmoke|Trinity South51.21% turnout
|NL Liberal background|
|Samuel Hefferton2,41981.94%
|
|
|
|Charles Bailey53318.06%
|NL Liberal background|
|Maxwell Button†
|}
Eastern Newfoundland
NL Liberal PC CCF
|-
|bgcolor=whitesmoke|Bonavista North57.17% turnout
|NL Liberal background|
|Joey Smallwood3,42993.00%
|
|
|
|Paul Thoms2587.00%
|NL Liberal background|
|Joey Smallwood
|-
|bgcolor=whitesmoke|Bonavista South50.32% turnout
|NL Liberal background|
|Uriah Strickland2,49071.53%
|
|Rossy Barbour90526.00%
|
|Guy Dixon862.47%
|NL Liberal background|
|Clyde Brown†
|-
|bgcolor=whitesmoke|Fogo
|NL Liberal background|
|Isaac MercerWon by acclamation
|
|
|
|
|NL Liberal background|
|Gordon Janes†
|-
|bgcolor=whitesmoke|Trinity North50.15% turnout
|NL Liberal background|
|Arthur Mifflin3,03888.65%
|
|
|
|Solomon Drodge38911.35%
|NL Liberal background|
|Samuel Hefferton‡(ran in Trinity South)
|}
Central Newfoundland
NL Liberal PC Other
|-
|bgcolor=whitesmoke|Gander68.97% turnout
|NL Liberal background|
|Beaton Abbott4,04575.02%
|
|Bennett Elliott1,34724.98%
|
|
|NL Vacant background|
|New district
|-
|bgcolor=whitesmoke|Grand Falls76.69% turnout
|NL Liberal background|
|Edward Spencer2,68055.82%
|
|Kevin Griffin2,12144.18%
|
|
|NL Liberal background|
|Edward Spencer
|-
|bgcolor=whitesmoke|Green Bay67.04% turnout
|NL Liberal background|
|William Smallwood2,52978.61%
|
|Roy Manuel49715.45%
|
|Cyril Pelley (Independent)1915.94%
|NL Liberal background|
|Baxter Morgan†
|-
|bgcolor=whitesmoke|Twillingate55.78% turnout
|NL Liberal background|
|Leslie Curtis2,38087.05%
|
|Arthur Butcher35412.95%
|
|
|NL Liberal background|
|Leslie Curtis
|-
|bgcolor=whitesmoke|White Bay South66.43% turnout
|NL Liberal background|
|Frederick W. Rowe1,43784.23%
|
|
|
|Sam Drover (CCF)26915.77%
|NL CCF background|
|Sam DroverWhite Bay
|}
Southern Newfoundland
NL Liberal PC CCF
|-
|bgcolor=whitesmoke|Burgeo-La Poile64.47% turnout
|NL Liberal background|
|John Cheeseman2,20168.14%
|
|Allan Evans99230.71%
|
|Willis Parsons371.15%
|NL Liberal background|
|George Norman†
|-
|bgcolor=whitesmoke|Burin69.20% turnout
|NL Liberal background|
|Eric S. Jones3,21983.96%
|
|Frank Pearce61516.04%
|
|
|NL Liberal background|
|Phillip Forsey†
|-
|bgcolor=whitesmoke|Fortune and Hermitage64.46% turnout
|NL Liberal background|
|John Courage3,33785.00%
|
|Samuel Walters58915.00%
|
|
|NL Liberal background|
|John Courage
|-
|bgcolor=whitesmoke|Placentia West
|NL Liberal background|
|Patrick CanningWon by acclamation
|
|
|
|
|NL Liberal background|
|Patrick Canning
|}
Western Newfoundland
NL Liberal PC Other
|-
|bgcolor=whitesmoke|Humber East74.84% turnout
|NL Liberal background|
|John Forsey3,05860.59%
|
|Woodrow Hunt1,81235.90%
|
|Darius Powell (Independent)1773.51%
|NL Vacant background|
|New district
|-
|bgcolor=whitesmoke|Humber West78.57% turnout
|NL Liberal background|
|Charles Ballam3,92361.11%
|
|William Young1,86038.89%
|
|
|NL Liberal background|
|Charles BallamHumber
|-
|bgcolor=whitesmoke|Port au Port73.93% turnout
|NL Liberal background|
|Stephen Smith2,01967.71%
|
|William Goodyear96332.29%
|
|
|NL Vacant background|
|New district
|-
|bgcolor=whitesmoke|St. Barbe66.25% turnout
|NL Liberal background|
|James Chalker2,18779.64%
|
|Wallace Maynard55920.36%
|
|
|NL Liberal background|
|Reginald Sparkes†
|-
|bgcolor=whitesmoke|St. George's78.23% turnout
|NL Liberal background|
|William Keough1,69559.49%
|
|Richard White1,15440.51%
|
|
|NL Liberal background|
|William KeoughSt. George's-Port au Port
|-
|bgcolor=whitesmoke|White Bay North75.05% turnout
|NL Liberal background|
|Maxwell Lane2,41491.06%
|
|James Tucker1385.21%
|
|Gilbert Simms (CCF)993.73%
|NL Vacant background|
|New district
|-
|}
Labrador
NL Liberal PC
|-
|bgcolor=whitesmoke|Labrador North68.60% turnout
|NL Liberal background|
|Earl Winsor87387.21%
|
|Roderick Roberts12812.79%
|NL Liberal background|
|Frederick W. Rowe‡Labrador (ran in White Bay South)
|-
|bgcolor=whitesmoke|Labrador South
|NL Liberal background|
|George SellarsWon by acclamation
|
|
|NL Vacant background|
|New district
|}
Notes
References
Further reading
Riggs Bert 1981 General Election #31: October 6, 1956 https://collections.mun.ca/digital/collection/cns_enl/id/120 Encyclopedia of Newfoundland and Labrador, volume 1 St. John's Harry Cuff Publications Ltd. 12 April 2025
Category:Elections in Newfoundland and Labrador
Newfoundland
Category:1956 in Newfoundland and Labrador
Category:October 1956 in Canada
Category:Long stubs with short prose