1889 East Coast by-election
13 December 1889
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| Turnout | 1,300 | |||||||||||||||
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The 1889 East Coast by-election was a by-election held on 13 December 1889 in the East Coast electorate during the 10th New Zealand Parliament.
Background
The by-election was caused by the resignation of the incumbent MP Andrew Graham on 21 October 1889.[1] Graham was in financial difficulty and was later declared bankrupt, which he ascribed to mismanagement of his business whilst he was on a trip to Scotland.[2]
Campaign
He was replaced by Alexander Creighton Arthur, a local runholder. Lawyer William Lee Rees, who contested the seat twice before unsuccessfully, again stood and came second. Rees was the Liberal Party's selected candidate.[3]
Results
The following table gives the election result:
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Independent | Alexander Creighton Arthur | 676 | 52.00 | ||
| Liberal | William Lee Rees | 624 | 48.00 | ||
| Majority | 52 | 4.00 | |||
| Turnout | 1,300 | ||||
Aftermath
Arthur served as MP for East Coast for only one year and was defeated in 1890 by William Kelly.[5] Rees did not recontest the seat in 1890 and instead stood in the City of Auckland electorate and was successful.[6]
References
- ↑ "Resignation of Mr Graham". Lyttelton Times. Vol. LXXII, no. 8930. 22 October 1889. p. 5.
- ↑ "Bankruptcy – Estate of Andrew Graham". Poverty Bay Herald. Vol. XVI, no. 5610. 4 November 1889. p. 2.
- ↑ "East Coast Election". Gisborne Standard and Cook County Gazette. Vol. III, no. 391. 14 December 1889. p. 2.
- ↑ "The East Coast Election". The Press. Vol. XLVI, no. 7425. 17 December 1889. p. 5.
- ↑ Scholefield, Guy (1925) [First ed. published 1913]. New Zealand Parliamentary Record (3rd ed.). Wellington: Govt. Printer. p. 107.
- ↑ Wilson, Jim (1985) [First ed. published 1913]. New Zealand Parliamentary Record, 1840–1984 (4th ed.). Wellington: V.R. Ward, Govt. Printer. p. 251. OCLC 154283103.

