1859 Newfoundland general election

Election in the Colony of Newfoundland September 2023 1859 Newfoundland general election no Flag of the United Kingdom (3-5).svg parliamentary no no 1855 Newfoundland general election 1855 outgoing members November 7, 1859 members 1861 Newfoundland general election 1861 30 seats of the Newfoundland House of Assembly 16 150x150px NL Liberal (historical) nohash John Kent NL Liberal (historical) name 1858 St. John's East 18 18 0 7,249 69.85% 7.17%"Incomplete" Based on incomplete figures from the previous election 150x150px Hugh Hoyles NL Conservative (historical) nohash NL Conservative (historical) name 1855 Fortune BayRan in Burin (lost) 12 12 0 3,129 30.15% 7.17%"Incomplete" Premier John Kent Liberal John Kent Premier after election Liberal 400px The 1859 Newfoundland general election was held on November 7, 1859 to elect members of the 7th General Assembly of Newfoundland in Newfoundland Colony. 18 Liberals and 12 Conservatives were elected. The Liberal Party led by John Kent formed the government. Results by party  Party Leader 1855CandidatesSeats wonSeat change% of seats(% change)Popular vote % of vote(% change) NL Liberal (historical) rowLiberalJohn Kent18221860.00%()7,24969.85%(7.17%) NL Conservative (historical) rowConservativeHugh Hoyles12171240.00%()3,129Including the votes for the Conservative candidate in the district of Harbour Grace who withdrew his candidacy following voting, a total of 3,401 votes were cast for Hoyles' Conservative candidates.30.15%(7.17%)Totals303930100%10,378Including the additional votes in Harbour Grace, a total of 10,650 votes were cast in this election.100% Elected members 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 (historical) Other |- |bgcolor=whitesmoke rowspan=3|St. John's EastNomination of Candidates http://collections.mun.ca/digital/collection/morncourier/id/7891/rec/17 15 June 2025 Morning Courier 2 November 1859 |NL Liberal (historical) background| |John KentWon by acclamation | | |NL Liberal (historical) background| |John Kent |- |NL Liberal (historical) background| |John KavanaghWon by acclamation | | |NL Liberal (historical) background| |John Kavanagh |- |NL Liberal (historical) background| |Robert ParsonsWon by acclamation | | |NL Liberal (historical) background| |Robert Parsons |- |bgcolor=whitesmoke rowspan=3|St. John's WestThe Elections https://collections.mun.ca/digital/collection/morncourier/id/7926/rec/7 15 June 2025 Morning Courier 9 November 1859 |NL Liberal (historical) background| |Pierce Barron1,02022.22% | |J. J. Gearin (Independent Liberal)"GearinRenoufTalbot" Gearin, Renouf, and Talbot appear to have run as a ticket despite also being supporters of the Kent administration. They published a joint letter on November 5, 1859 expressing anxiety that their voters would be prevented from going to the polls.We the undersigned Candidates for the Western District of St. John's https://collections.mun.ca/digital/collection/telegraph/id/813/rec/1 15 June 2025 Telegraph 9 November 185972915.88% |NL Liberal (historical) background| |John Casey |- |NL Liberal (historical) background| |John Casey94120.50% | |Henry Renouf (Independent Liberal)"GearinRenoufTalbot"64814.12% |NL Liberal (historical) background| |Ambrose Shea‡(ran in Burin) |- |NL Liberal (historical) background| |Thomas Dwyer82517.97% | |Thomas Talbot (Independent Liberal)"GearinRenoufTalbot"4279.30% |NL Liberal (historical) background| |J. J. Gearin |- |} Conception Bay NL Liberal (historical) Conservative (historical) |- |bgcolor=whitesmoke|Bay de Verde | | |NL Conservative (historical) background| |John BemisterWon by acclamation |NL Conservative (historical) background| |John Bemister |- |bgcolor=whitesmoke|Carbonear |NL Liberal (historical) background| |Edmund HanrahanWon by acclamation | | |NL Liberal (historical) background| |Edmund Hanrahan |- |bgcolor=whitesmoke rowspan=2|Harbour GraceTo the Editor of the Standard https://collections.mun.ca/digital/collection/nfldexpress/id/5748/rec/22 15 June 2025 Newfoundland Express 26 November 1859 |NL Liberal (historical) background| |John Hayward48250.05% |rowspan=2| |rowspan=2|Robert Walsh27228.25%Walsh withdrew the day following the election due to mob violence, and Prendergast was elected as the only remaining candidate. |NL Liberal (historical) background| |James Prendergast |- |NL Liberal (historical) background| |James Prendergast20921.70% |NL Liberal (historical) background| |John Hayward |- |bgcolor=whitesmoke rowspan=2|Harbour Main |NL Liberal (historical) background| |Patrick Nowlan53540.07% | |John Dearin17813.33% |NL Liberal (historical) background| |Thomas Byrne† |- |NL Liberal (historical) background| |Charles Furey48836.55% | |J. Woodford13410.04% |NL Liberal (historical) background| |William Talbot† |- |bgcolor=whitesmoke rowspan=2|Port de Grave | | |NL Conservative (historical) background| |John LeamonWon by acclamation |NL Conservative (historical) background| |Robert Brown† |- |} Avalon Peninsula NL Liberal (historical) |- |bgcolor=whitesmoke rowspan=2|Ferryland |NL Liberal (historical) background| |Thomas GlenWon by acclamation |NL Liberal (historical) background| |Thomas Glen |- |NL Liberal (historical) background| |Edward SheaWon by acclamation |NL Liberal (historical) background| |Edward Shea |- |bgcolor=whitesmoke rowspan=3|Placentia and St. Mary's |NL Liberal (historical) background| |George HogsettWon by acclamation |NL Liberal (historical) background| |George Hogsett |- |NL Liberal (historical) background| |John EnglishWon by acclamation |NL Liberal (historical) background| |Michael Kelly† |- |NL Liberal (historical) background| |John DelaneyWon by acclamation |NL Liberal (historical) background| |John Delaney |} Eastern and Central Newfoundland NL Liberal (historical) Conservative (historical) |- |bgcolor=whitesmoke rowspan=3|Bonavista Bay | | |NL Conservative (historical) background| |Stephen MarchWon by acclamation |NL Conservative (historical) background| |Robert Carter‡(ran in Fortune Bay) |- | | |NL Conservative (historical) background| |John WarrenWon by acclamation |NL Conservative (historical) background| |John Warren |- | | |NL Conservative (historical) background| |Matthew WalbankWon by acclamation |NL Conservative (historical) background| |Matthew Walbank |- |bgcolor=whitesmoke rowspan=3|Trinity BayReturn for Trinity https://collections.mun.ca/digital/collection/nfldexpress/id/5728/rec/5 15 June 2025 Newfoundland Express 19 November 1859 |rowspan=3| |rowspan=3|F. Taylor1406.33% |NL Conservative (historical) background| |Stephen Rendell71032.08% |NL Conservative (historical) background| |Stephen March‡(ran in Bonavista Bay) |- |NL Conservative (historical) background| |John Winter70831.99% |NL Conservative (historical) background| |John Winter |- |NL Conservative (historical) background| |Frederick Carter65529.60% |NL Conservative (historical) background| |Frederick Carter |- |bgcolor=whitesmoke rowspan=2|Twillingate and Fogo | | |NL Conservative (historical) background| |William WhitewayWon by acclamation |NL Conservative (historical) background| |William Whiteway |- | | |NL Conservative (historical) background| |Thomas KnightWon by acclamation |NL Conservative (historical) background| |Thomas Knight |} Southern Newfoundland NL Liberal (historical) Conservative (historical) |- |bgcolor=whitesmoke|Burgeo and LaPoile | | |NL Conservative (historical) background| |James SeatonWon by acclamation |NL Conservative (historical) background| |Robert Henry Prowse† |- |bgcolor=whitesmoke rowspan=2|BurinIn the matter of the Election for the District of Burin https://collections.mun.ca/digital/collection/nfldexpress/id/5713/rec/2 15 June 2025 Newfoundland Express 12 November 1859 |NL Liberal (historical) background| |Ambrose Shea40426.08% | |Edward Evans37424.14% |NL Liberal (historical) background| |Patrick Morris† |- |NL Liberal (historical) background| |James Rogerson40125.89% | |Hugh Hoyles37023.89% |NL Liberal (historical) background| |Clement Benning† |- |bgcolor=whitesmoke|Fortune Bay | | |NL Conservative (historical) background| |Robert CarterWon by acclamation |NL Conservative (historical) background| |Hugh Hoyles‡(ran in Burin) |} Notes References Further reading Riggs Bert 1981 General Election #7: November 7, 1859 https://collections.mun.ca/digital/collection/cns_enl/id/80 Encyclopedia of Newfoundland and Labrador, volume 1 St. John's Harry Cuff Publications Ltd. 15 June 2025 1859 Category:1859 elections in North America Category:1859 elections in Canada Category:Pre-Confederation Newfoundland Category:1859 in North America Category:1859 in the British Empire Category:19th century in Newfoundland