1890 Western Australian colonial election

April 2022 June 2020 none 1890 Western Australian colonial election Western Australia 1870 parliamentary 1890 12 Members of the Western Australian Legislative Assembly, 1890–1894 1894 Western Australian colonial election 1894 Western Australian Legislative Assembly electoral districts, 1890.png Map showing electoral districts used for the election thumb|right|250px|John Forrest was elected unopposed to the seat of Bunbury on 11 December 1890, and 18 days later was sworn in as Western Australia's first premier. Elections were held in the Colony of Western Australia in December 1890 to elect 30 members to the Legislative Assembly. They were the first elections to be held for the Legislative Assembly, which had been created earlier in the year by a new constitution that granted Western Australia responsible self-government. Background Historian Brian De Garis describes the 1890 election as "a rather quiet affair". There were no organised political parties (or even factions), and no government to be voted in or out of office.De Garis, Brian Self-Government and Political Parties 1991 The House on the Hill: A History of the Parliament of Western Australia 1832–1990 Black, David Perth, Western Australia Parliament of Western Australia 0-7309-3983-9 63 The Legislative Assembly had been established by Western Australia's new constitution, which was enacted by the Parliament of the United Kingdom on 21 August 1890 and proclaimed in Perth on 21 October 1890. Prior to that, the Legislative Council, an only partially elective body, had been the sole chamber of parliament.De Garis, Brian Constitutional and Political Development, 1870–1890 1991 The House on the Hill: A History of the Parliament of Western Australia 1832–1990 Black, David Perth, Western Australia Parliament of Western Australia 0-7309-3983-9 55 Timeline Close of nominations 27 November: East Kimberley, Gascoyne, Irwin, West Kimberley 28 November: Nelson, Roebourne 29 November: Ashburton, Greenough, Moore, Murchison, Plantagenet 2 December: Albany, Geraldton, Northam, Wellington, Williams, York 3 December: Bunbury, Murray, Sussex, Swan 4 December: Beverley, De Grey, East Perth, Perth, Toodyay, West Perth 5 December: Fremantle, North Fremantle, South Fremantle Polling day 5 December: Nelson 6 December: Ashburton, Irwin, Plantagenet 8 December: Greenough, Roebourne 9 December: Albany, Gascoyne, Moore, Murchison, Williams 10 December: Beverley, East Perth, Geraldton, Murray, Perth, Wellington, West Perth 11 December: Bunbury, Fremantle, North Fremantle, South Fremantle 12 December: De Grey, East Kimberley, Northam, Sussex, Swan, Toodyay, West Kimberley, York Results Results of the Western Australian colonial election, 1890 Only 11 out of the 30 seats were contested at the election, and only two were contested by more than two candidates.Black David David Black (historian) Prescott Valerie Election statistics : Legislative Assembly of Western Australia, 1890-1996 1997 Western Australian Parliamentary History Project and Western Australian Electoral Commission Perth, [W.A.] 0730984095 Prior to the election, there had been some doubts expressed (notably by Septimus Burt) as to whether enough suitable candidates would come forward.De Garis, p. 65. In several uncontested electorates, an informal election was held before the official polling day, in which members of local organisations determined their preferred representative. Aftermath The Governor of Western Australia, Sir William Robinson, decided that he would not commission a government until the elections had been held. It had initially been assumed that Stephen Henry Parker would be chosen as Western Australia's first premier, but John Forrest actively sought the position, arguing that he was the only candidate with prior governmental experience (as a former Surveyor-General). Governor Robinson asked Forrest to form a government on 22 December 1890, and he and the rest of his new ministry were sworn in on 29 December.De Garis, p. 64. References Category:December 1890 in Australia Category:1890 elections in Australia Category:Elections in Western Australia Category:1890s in Western Australia