1832 Newfoundland general election

Election in the Colony of Newfoundland September 2023 1832 Newfoundland general election Newfoundland Flag of the United Kingdom (3-5).svg parliamentary no no October 31 – December 8, 1832 members 1836 Newfoundland general election 1836 15 seats in the Newfoundland House of Assembly 8 NL Conservative (historical) nohash NL Conservative (historical) name 10 3,025 40.89% NL Liberal (historical) nohash NL Liberal (historical) name 5 4,373 59.11% Newfoundland general election, 1832.svg 200px Results by riding party NL Conservative (historical) name The 1832 Newfoundland general election was held from October 31 to December 8, 1832 to elect the members of the 1st General Assembly of Newfoundland. It was the first democratic election held in the Newfoundland Colony. Democracy came to Newfoundland after several years of agitation against the British Parliament. The reformers in Newfoundland, led by William Carson and Patrick Morris, received Parliamentary support from George Robinson, and a bill was passed on June 7, 1832 permitting the creation of a bicameral legislature consisting of a Council and a House of Assembly. Newfoundland was the last British colony in North America to gain representative government, previously being governed by appointed colonial officials. Although the districts were created such that Roman Catholics and Protestants would be equally represented, the majority of those who were elected were Anglican merchants. Despite their vigorous advocacy for representative government, Morris chose not to run and Carson was defeated in his bid for the multi-member district of St. John's. The Anglicans eventually coalesced into the Conservative Party, and the reformers, who primarily consisted of Roman Catholics and dissident Protestants, formed the Liberal Party. Structure of the new assembly The eastern half of the colony was divided into nine electoral districts with fifteen members. They were divided in such a manner that Roman Catholics and Protestants would have a roughly equal degree of representation. As it was determined that all residents lived on or near the coast, the electoral boundaries did not give any consideration to areas further inland. The districts were drawn up as follows: Conception Bay (4 members): Extending from Topsail to the head of Bay de Verde. There were approximately equal numbers of Roman Catholics and Protestants. St. John's (3 members): Extending from Petty Harbour to Topsail and including Bell Island. The district was heavily Roman Catholic. Placentia and St. Mary's (2 members): Extending from Cape Race to Rushoon. This district was also predominantly Roman Catholic. Bonavista Bay (1 member): Extending from Cape Bonavista to Cape Freels. The majority of residents in this district were Protestant. Burin (1 member): Extending from Rushoon to Garnish. This district's population leaned Protestant, but there was a substantial Roman Catholic minority. Ferryland (1 member): Extending from Petty Harbour to Cape Race. This district was heavily Roman Catholic. Fortune Bay (1 member): Extending from Garnish to Bonne Bay (today known as McCallum). This district was heavily Protestant. Trinity Bay (1 member): Extending from the head of Bay de Verde to Cape Bonavista. This district was primarily Protestant. Twillingate and Fogo (1 member): Extending from Cape Freels to Cape St. John. This district was heavily Protestant. The west coast of Newfoundland did not receive any representation as it fell within the jurisdiction of the French Shore established by the 1713 Treaty of Utrecht. Labrador was also not included due to the remoteness of the area and the transient nature of the European settlers there. The election was conducted using first past the post in single-member districts and block voting in multi-member districts, which ranged in representation from 1 to 4. Suffrage Each candidate for the House of Assembly had to be male, twenty-one years or older, of sound understanding, either natural-born to the island or a lawfully naturalized British citizen, and a resident of two years standing who had occupied a dwelling as either tenant or owner. Also, no candidate could have a criminal record for any infamous or heinous crime.Encyclopedia of Newfoundland and Labrador, 0-9693422-1-7. Voters were held to much the same restrictions as candidates except the residency requirement was reduced from two years to one. Results by party  Party CandidatesSeats won% of seatsPopular vote % of vote NL Conservative (historical) rowConservative131066.67%3,02540.89% NL Liberal (historical) rowLiberal10533.33%4,37359.11%Totals2315100%7,398100% Results by district St. John's NL Conservative (historical) Liberal (historical) Others |- |bgcolor=whitesmoke rowspan=3|St. John's |NL Conservative (historical) background| |William Thomas76224.92% |NL Liberal (historical) background| |John Kent89329.20% | |Patrick Mullowney (Independent Liberal)270.88% |rowspan=3 NL Vacant background| |rowspan=3|New district |- |NL Conservative (historical) background| |Patrick Kough64721.16% | |William Carson63220.67% | |? Walsh (Independent Liberal)180.59% |- | |William B. Row391.28% | |Patrick Power280.92% | |? Ryan (Independent Liberal)120.39% |} Avalon Peninsula NL Conservative (historical) Liberal (historical) |- |bgcolor=whitesmoke rowspan=3|Conception Bay |NL Conservative (historical) background| |Charles Cozens92324.11% |NL Liberal (historical) background| |Robert Pack93624.44% |rowspan=5 NL Vacant background| |rowspan=5|New districts |- |rowspan=2| |rowspan=2|Robert Pinsent1433.73% |NL Liberal (historical) background| |Peter Brown92324.11% |- |NL Liberal (historical) background| |James Power90423.61% |- |bgcolor=whitesmoke|Ferryland |NL Conservative (historical) background| |Robert CarterWon by acclamation | | |- |bgcolor=whitesmoke|Placentia and St. Mary's |NL Conservative (historical) background| |John MartinWon by acclamation |NL Liberal (historical) background| |Roger SweetmanWon by acclamation |} Eastern and Southern Newfoundland NL Conservative (historical) Other |- |bgcolor=whitesmoke|Bonavista BayTo the Editor of the Times https://collections.mun.ca/digital/collection/timesgeneral/id/226/rec/1 7 July 2025 Times and General Commercial Gazette 28 November 1832 |NL Conservative (historical) background| |William Brown28956.56% | |Hugh Emerson (Independent Conservative)22243.44% |rowspan=5 NL Vacant background| |rowspan=5|New districts |- |bgcolor=whitesmoke|Burin |NL Conservative (historical) background| |William HooperWon by acclamation | | |- |bgcolor=whitesmoke|Fortune Bay |NL Conservative (historical) background| |Newman HoylesWon by acclamation | | |- |bgcolor=whitesmoke|Trinity Bay |NL Conservative (historical) background| |John GarlandWon by acclamation | | |- |bgcolor=whitesmoke|Twillingate and Fogo |NL Conservative (historical) background| |Thomas BennettWon by acclamation | | |- |} Detailed results The election was conducted over a period of two months from the day of proclamation to the last polling date of December 8, 1832. There were forty-seven polling booths located at strategic locations and not all communities had one. Except for the districts of St. John's, Conception Bay, and Bonavista, the candidates were elected by acclamation. District of Conception Bay The nomination for Conception Bay was held on October 31, 1832, with the following candidates nominated for the four available seats: Charles Cozens of Brigus, nominated by William Innott and John McCarthy Peter Brown of Harbour Grace, nominated by John C. Nutall and William Molloy Robert Pack of Carbonear, nominated by William Dalton and William Talbot James Power of Carbonear, nominated by Thomas Chancey and William Bennett Robert J. Pinsent of Port de Grave, nominated by Robert Prowse and John Stark Candidates October 31 November 1 November 2 November 3 Total Robert Pack 380197 228131 936 Charles Cozens376195223129923 Peter Brown364202224133923 James Power371198209126904 Robert J. Pinsent31563620143 After the election results of November 3, 1832, Robert Pinsent withdrew and the remaining four were declared representatives for the district. District of St. John's Seven candidates offered themselves for election after the reading of the Proclamation and the Writ. Two more offered after the first polling day, which was met with some skepticism. Nominated were: Dr. William Carson, nominated by Newman W. Hoyles and Dr. Shea John Kent, nominated by Patrick Doyle and T. Beck William Thomas, nominated by Mr. Jennings and R. Brine William B. Row, nominated by Thomas Bennett and Mr. McBride Patrick Kough, nominated by Mr. Barron and Mr. Hogan Patrick Mullowney, nominated by R. Howley and M. O'Brien Patrick Power, nominated by Mr. Linehan and T. Flannery Candidates November 5 November 6 November 7 November 8 November 9 November 10 November 12(a) Total John Kent 19129 13715219719069 893 William Thomas176411514115819473762 Patrick Kough48812212413012356647 William Carson156311511913714241632 William Row(b)534nob(c)nobnobnobnob39 Patrick Power(b)028nobnobnobnobnob28 Patrick Mullowney(b)027nobnobnobnobnob27 Walsh(b)(d)nob18nobnobnobnobnob18 Ryan(b)(d)nob12nobnobnobnobnob12 (a) No voting took place on Sunday, November 11. (b) dropped out of the race after results of November 6. (c) nob - not on ballot. (d) not one of the original nominees. After the results of voting on November 12, 1832, Dr. William Carson withdrew and the remaining three were declared as representatives of the District of St. John's. At the opening of the House of Assembly on January 2, 1833, Dr. Carson petitioned the House for Patrick Kough's removal, claiming he was a government employee and ineligible. The petition was denied. District of Bonavista There were two candidates for the district of Bonavista, Hugh Alexander Emerson and William Brown. After three polling stations had voted, William Brown withdrew. The returning officer, Peter LeMessurier, refused to recognize his withdrawal from the race and continued to the next polling station at Greenspond, a Brown stronghold. After those results, William Brown was declared the winner, and no voting took place at the remaining polling station at Cape Freels. At the opening of the House of Assembly on January 2, 1833, Hugh Alexander Emerson petitioned the House for William Brown's removal due to Peter LeMessurier's actions. The petition was denied. Aftermath John Bingley Garland was appointed the first Speaker of the House. Both John Bingley Garland and William Thomas were appointed to the Executive Council and resigned their seats in the House of Assembly. William Row, who ran for a seat in St. John’s, was given the seat for Trinity Bay and Dr. William Carson was given a seat for the District of St. John's. See also General elections in Newfoundland (pre-Confederation) References Further reading Bannister Jerry 2000 Campaign for Representative Government https://www.heritage.nf.ca/articles/politics/campaign-representative-government.php Heritage Newfoundland and Labrador 12 July 2025 Riggs Bert 1981 General Election #1: November 1832 https://collections.mun.ca/digital/collection/cns_enl/id/74 Encyclopedia of Newfoundland and Labrador, volume 1 St. John's Harry Cuff Publications Ltd. 12 July 2025 1832 Category:1832 elections in North America Category:1832 elections in Canada Category:Pre-Confederation Newfoundland Category:1832 in North America Category:1832 in the British Empire Category:19th century in Newfoundland Category:November 1832