1878 Nova Scotia general election

1878 Nova Scotia general election

← 1874

September 17, 1878

1882 →

← outgoing members

38 seats of the Nova Scotia House of Assembly
20 seats needed for a majority

	First party	Second party
		Lib
Leader	Simon Hugh Holmes	Philip Carteret Hill
Party	Liberal-Conservative	Liberal
Leader since	1874	1875
Leader's seat	Pictou	Halifax (Lost re-election)
Last election	11	20
Seats won	30	8
Seat change	19	12
Popular vote	52,517	47,388
Percentage	51.85%	46.78%
Swing	18.18pp	7.61pp

Premier before election

Philip Carteret Hill
Liberal

Premier after election

Simon Hugh Holmes
Liberal-Conservative

The 1878 Nova Scotia general election was held on 17 September 1878 to elect members of the 27th House of Assembly of the Province of Nova Scotia, Canada. It was won by the Liberal-Conservative Party.

Results

Results by party

↓
30	8
Liberal-Conservative	Liberal

Official results ^[1]^[2]
Party		Party leader	# of candidates	Seats				Popular vote
Party		Party leader	# of candidates	1874	Dissolution	Elected	Change	#	%	Change (pp)
	Liberal-Conservative	Simon Hugh Holmes	38	11	13	30	+19	52,517	51.85%	+18.18%
	Liberal	Philip Carteret Hill	41	20	17	8	-12	47,388	46.78%	-7.61%
	Independent/Other		3	7	7	0	-7	1,388	1.37%	-10.57%
	Vacant				1
Total valid votes								101,293	100.00%	–

Blank and invalid ballots								0	0.00%	–
Total			82	38	38	38	–	101,293	100.00%	–

Popular vote

Liberal-Conservative			51.85%
Liberal			46.78%
Independent/Other			1.37%

Seats summary

Liberal-Conservative			78.95%
Liberal			21.05%

Retiring incumbents

Independent/Other

Liberal

Liberal-Conservative

Nominated candidates

1878 Nova Scotia Provincial Election^[3]

Legend
bold denotes party leader
† denotes an incumbent who is not running for re-election or was defeated in nomination contest

Valley

Electoral district	Candidates						Incumbent
Electoral district	Liberal		Liberal-Conservative		Independent/Other		Incumbent
Annapolis		O. M. Taylor 1,235 24.49%		William Botsford Troop 1,350 26.77%				William Botsford Troop
Annapolis		E. Bent 1,163 23.06%		Caleb Shaffner 1,295 25.68%				Avard Longley†
Digby		Urbine Doucette 738 20.20%		Benjamin Van Blarcom 833 22.80%		Colin Campbell 725 19.85%		Colin Campbell
		John S. McNeill 527 14.43%		Benjamin Van Blarcom 833 22.80%		Colin Campbell 725 19.85%		Colin Campbell
		Henri M. Robicheau 830 22.72%						Henri M. Robicheau
Hants		Thomas Barlow Smith 1,507 25.58%		F. S. Creelman 1,465 24.87%				William Henry Allison†
Hants		William Dawson Laurence 1,298 22.03%		Nathaniel Spence 1,621 27.52%				Alfred Putnam†
Kings		G. W. Fisher 1,414 24.87%		William C. Bill 1,601 28.16%				Douglas Benjamin Woodworth†
Kings		E. A. Forsyth 1,143 20.11%		James S. MacDonald 1,527 26.86%				John B. North†

South Shore

Electoral district	Candidates						Incumbent
Electoral district	Liberal		Liberal-Conservative		Independent/Other		Incumbent
Lunenburg		James Daniel Eisenhauer 1,263 21.98%		Charles A. Smith 1,719 29.91%				James Daniel Eisenhauer
Lunenburg		F. B. Wade 1,286 22.38%		Edward James 1,479 25.74%				Charles Henry Davison†
Queens		Samuel Freeman 531 21.33%		Leander Ford 607 24.38%				Samuel Freeman
		Jason M. Mack 503 20.20%		James C. Bartling 534 21.45%				Jason M. Mack
		Albert M. Hemeon 315 12.65%		James C. Bartling 534 21.45%				Jason M. Mack
Shelburne		William F. MacCoy 892 22.92%		Nathaniel Whitworth White 1,140 29.29%				Nathaniel Whitworth White
Shelburne		M. Nickerson 871 22.38%		Nehemiah McGray 989 25.41%				Thomas Johnston†
Yarmouth		Albert Gayton 1,086 29.22%				W. V. Brown 470 12.65%		Albert Gayton
		Joseph Robbins Kinney^[4] 1,000 26.91%		Bowman Corning 669 18.%				John Lovitt†
		A. S. Lent 491 13.21%		Bowman Corning 669 18.%				John Lovitt†

Fundy-Northeast

Electoral district	Candidates						Incumbent
Electoral district	Liberal		Liberal-Conservative		Independent/Other		Incumbent
Colchester		C. N. Cummings 1,402 21.77%		William Albert Patterson 1,846 28.66%				William Albert Patterson
Colchester		Fred Tupper 1,308 20.31%		William Blair 1,885 29.27%				Vacant
Cumberland		William Oxley 1,657 25.78%		Charles James Townshend 1,792 27.88%				Hiram Black†
Cumberland		C. Lewis 1,311 20.40%		Edward Vickery 1,667 25.94%				Edward Vickery

Halifax

Electoral district	Candidates						Incumbent
Electoral district	Liberal		Liberal-Conservative		Independent/Other		Incumbent
Halifax		Philip Carteret Hill 2,866 15.76%		Charles James MacDonald 3,375 18.55%				Philip Carteret Hill
		Donald Archibald 2,722 14.96%		William D. Harrington 3,353 18.43%				Donald Archibald
		Michael Joseph Power 2,739 15.06%		John Pugh 3,135 17.23%				Edward Farrell†

Central Nova

Electoral district	Candidates						Incumbent
Electoral district	Liberal		Liberal-Conservative		Independent/Other		Incumbent
Antigonish				John Sparrow David Thompson Acclamation				John Sparrow David Thompson
Antigonish		Angus McGillivray Acclamation						Daniel MacDonald†
Guysborough		D. C. Fraser 596 19.22%		Joseph William Hadley 803 25.89%				Charles M. Franchville†
		Otto Schwartz Weeks 502 16.19%		Alexander N. McDonald 698 22.51%				Otto Schwartz Weeks
		H. R. Cunningham 502 16.19%		Alexander N. McDonald 698 22.51%				Otto Schwartz Weeks
Pictou		George Murray 2,349 15.85%		Simon Hugh Holmes 2,752 18.57%				Simon Hugh Holmes
		John D. McLeod 2,250 15.18%		Adam Carr Bell 2,694 18.18%				Hugh J. Cameron†
		Robert McNeil 2,183 14.73%		Alexander MacKay 2,592 17.49%				Alexander MacKay

Cape Breton

Electoral district	Candidates						Incumbent
Electoral district	Liberal		Liberal-Conservative		Independent/Other		Incumbent
Cape Breton		Alonzo J. White 930 16.82%		Hector Francis McDougall 1,027 18.57%				Alonzo J. White
				J. H. Hearn 716 12.95%
				Joseph McVarish 371 6.71%
		D. McKenzie 614 11.10%		Ebenezer Tilton Moseley 1,523 27.54%				Ebenezer Tilton Moseley
		D. McKenzie 614 11.10%		Michael McKinnon 349 6.31%				Ebenezer Tilton Moseley
Inverness		Duncan J. Campbell 1,650 27.36%		D. Gillies 1,393 23.10%				Duncan J. Campbell
Inverness		John McKinnon 1,440 23.88%		Alexander Campbell 1,548 25.67%				John J. McKinnon†
Richmond		Isidore LeBlanc 599 26.11%		Edward Gagnon 551 24.02%				Charles Boudroit†
Richmond		Joseph Matheson 501 21.84%		Alexander McCuish 643 28.03%				Murdoch McRae†
Victoria		William F. McCurdy 594 25.36%		J. S. McLean 368 15.71%		William Kidston 193 8.24%		David McCurdy†
Victoria		John Ross 580 24.77%		John Angus Morrison 607 25.92%				John A. Fraser†

References

^ "Nova Scotia Provincial Elections 1867-2016" (PDF). Elections Nova Scotia. Retrieved December 18, 2021.
^ "Electoral Districts- History". Nova Scotia Legislature. Retrieved December 18, 2021.
^ "Electoral Districts- History". Nova Scotia Legislature. Retrieved December 18, 2021.
^ Listed and elected as an Independent candidate, however, he sat in the House as a Liberal

v t e Elections and referendums in Nova Scotia
General elections	1867 1871 1874 1878 1882 1886 1890 1894 1897 1901 1906 1911 1916 1920 1925 1928 1933 1937 1941 1945 1949 1953 1956 1960 1963 1967 1970 1974 1978 1981 1984 1988 1993 1998 1999 2003 2006 2009 2013 2017 2021 2024
Municipal elections	1980 1984 1988 1992 1996 2000 2004 2008 2012 2016 2020 2024
Referendums	1929 2004
See also: List of Nova Scotia by-elections