1915 Wellington mayoral election

New Zealand local election November 2016 November 2016 1915 Wellington mayoral election New Zealand Wellington coat of arms (1878-1951) (shield only).svg Presidential no 1914 Wellington mayoral election 1914 1917 Wellington mayoral election 1917 8 May 1915 18,644 (55.65%) 100px John Luke Wellington Citizens League 9,987 53.56 100px Robert Fletcher Independent politician 7,525 40.36 110px Charles Chapman Social Democratic Party (New Zealand) 1,132 6.07 Mayor John Luke John Luke The 1915 Wellington mayoral election was part of the New Zealand local elections held that same year. In 1915, elections were held for the Mayor of Wellington plus other local government positions including fifteen city councillors. John Luke, the incumbent Mayor, retained office tallying just ten votes fewer than he did two years earlier. The standard first-past-the-post electoral method was used to conduct polling. Background The election was held during World War I, which was the dominant news item of the day. The war was a topic in the election itself, with the current mayor John Luke being a strong supporter campaigning along a 'win the war' line. In stark contrast the Labour movement were opposed to the war, in particular conscription. In mid-1915 the war was still supported by the bulk of the population, thus the Labour mayoral candidate Charles Chapman performing much poorer than expected, when only three years earlier (before the war) Wellingtonians voted in the city's first Labour mayor.Gustafson 1980 42 The Labour movement had restored some unity between the moderate and militant factions (helped by mutual opposition to conscription) and both factions agreed on a single candidate for the mayoralty, and a reduced but joint ticket for the council. However, the expected nadir in support in the face of jingoistic opponents came to fruition with none of the six Labour candidates elected to the council.Betts 1970 133 This left Alfred Hindmarsh (who was elected to the Wellington Harbour Board) the sole elected Labour representative in Wellington.http://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/cgi-bin/paperspast?a=d&cl=search&d=EP19150508.2.107.8 The Evening Post 8 Wellington City Council 8 May 1915 25 May 2016 LXXXIX 108 Mayoralty results 1915 Wellington mayoral election Wellington Citizens League John Luke 9,987 53.56 +2.27 Independent politician Robert Fletcher 7,525 40.36 Social Democratic Party (New Zealand) Charles Chapman 1,132 6.07 2,462 13.20 +21.02 18,644 55.65 +5.46 Councillor results 1915 Wellington City Council election Wellington Citizens League John Fuller Jr. 10,986 58.92 +8.92 Wellington Citizens League George Frost 10,656 57.15 +9.68 Wellington Citizens League William Barber 10,609 56.90 +5.56 Wellington Citizens League Len McKenzie 10,314 55.32 +9.40 Wellington Citizens League Arthur Atkinson 10,006 53.66 +3.98 Wellington Citizens League Robert Wright 9,860 52.88 +5.19 Independent politician John Hutcheson 9,115 48.88 Wellington Citizens League James Godber 9,008 48.31 +4.99 Wellington Citizens League John Fitzgerald 8,605 46.15 +6.88 Wellington Citizens League Martin Luckie 7,895 42.34 +3.12 Wellington Citizens League William Bennett 7,702 41.31 Wellington Citizens League William Thompson 7,491 40.17 -0.42 Wellington Citizens League Alexander Veitch 7,355 39.44 Independent politician William Hildreth 6,584 35.31 Wellington Citizens League Thomas Bush 6,379 34.21 Wellington Citizens League John Swan 6,160 33.04 Independent politician Francis MacKenzie 5,594 30.00 Social Democratic Party (New Zealand) Harry Holland 5,484 29.41 Independent politician John Jenkinson 5,393 28.92 Wellington Citizens League Charles Norwood 5,320 28.53 Independent politician Robert Hall 5,268 28.25 United Labour Party (New Zealand) William Murdoch 5,169 27.72 Social Democratic Party (New Zealand) John Glover 4,741 25.42 United Labour Party (New Zealand) Tom Young 4,644 24.90 +2.71 Independent politician Daniel Moriarty 4,495 24.10 +7.45 United Labour Party (New Zealand) Edward Kennedy 4,233 22.70 +3.34 Independent politician Andrew Hornblow 3,243 17.39 Social Democratic Party (New Zealand) John Read 3,186 17.08 Independent politician William Edwards 3,060 16.41 Notes References Betts George George Betts (political scientist) Betts on Wellington:a city and its politics 1970 A. H. & A. W. Reed Ltd. Wellington 0 589 00469 7 Barry Gustafson Barry Gustafson Labour's path to political independence: The Origins and Establishment of the New Zealand Labour Party, 1900–19 Auckland, New Zealand Auckland University Press 1980 0-19-647986-X autocollapse Category:Mayoral elections in Wellington Category:1915 elections in New Zealand Category:Politics of the Wellington Region Category:1910s in Wellington