1959 Hamilton by-election

1959 Hamilton by-election
← 1957 general 2 May 1959 (1959-05-02) 1960 general →
Turnout13,555 (78.40%)
 
Candidate Lance Adams-Schneider Ben Waters
Party National Labour
Popular vote 7,832 4,844
Percentage 57.89 35.81
Member before election

Hilda Ross
National

Elected Member

Lance Adams-Schneider
National

The Hamilton by-election 1959 was a by-election held in the Hamilton electorate in Hamilton in the Waikato during the term of the 32nd New Zealand Parliament, on 2 May 1959.

Background

The by-election was caused by the death of incumbent MP Hilda Ross of the National Party on 6 March 1959.[1] The by-election was won by Lance Adams-Schneider, also of the National Party.[2]

Candidates

Labour

There were two candidates for the Labour Party nomination:[3]

Labour chose Waters as its candidate. Waters had recently been appointed a trustee of the Waikato Savings Bank.[4] Contesting the seat three times prior, he slightly increased Labour share of the vote from 41.63 to 43.16 percent.[5]

National

There were seven candidates for the National Party nomination:[6]

  • Lance Adams-Schneider, a member of the Taumarunui Borough Council and candidate for Hutt in 1957
  • Dorothy Blomfield, a member of the Hamilton City Council
  • Victor Allan de Lacey, a Hamilton businessman and a member of several National Party executive committees
  • A. R. Griffiths, a member of the Hamilton City Council and former chairman of the Hamilton National Party
  • Francis Dewsbury Pinfold, the chairman of the Hamilton Fire Board and former Mayor of Hamilton
  • Deena Sergel, a war widow and candidate for Riccarton in 1957
  • Geoffrey Taylor, an Auckland businessman and candidate for Mount Albert in 1957

The local National Party members selected Adams-Schneider as candidate for the seat.[7]

Social Credit

Frederick Charles Roberts, a Hamilton businessman, stood as the candidate for the Social Credit Party. In 1957 he stood for Social Credit in the Raglan electorate.[8]

Results

The following table gives the election results:

1959 Hamilton by-election[5]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
National Lance Adams-Schneider 7,832 57.89
Labour Ben Waters 4,844 35.81 −7.35
Social Credit Frederick Charles Roberts 852 6.30
Majority 2,988 22.09
Informal votes 27 0.20
Turnout 13,555 78.40 −13.87
Registered electors 17,289
National hold Swing

Notes

  1. ^ Wilson 1985, p. 231.
  2. ^ Wilson 1985, p. 179.
  3. ^ "Two Labour Nominees". The Press. Vol. XCVIII, no. 28860. 3 April 1959. p. 12.
  4. ^ "Candidate for Hamilton – Labour Chooses Mr E. A. Waters". The Press. Vol. XCVIII, no. 28862. 6 April 1959. p. 8.
  5. ^ a b Norton 1988, p. 233.
  6. ^ "Seven Seeking National Nomination At Hamilton". The Press. Vol. XCVIII, no. 28855. 28 March 1959. p. 14.
  7. ^ "By-election at Hamilton – National Party Candidate". The Press. Vol. XCVIII, no. 28864. 8 April 1959. p. 14.
  8. ^ "Social Credit Candidate For Hamilton". The Press. Vol. XCVIII, no. 28850. 21 March 1959. p. 7.

References

  • Norton, Clifford (1988). New Zealand parliamentary election results, 1946–1987. Wellington: Victoria University of Wellington Department of Political Science. ISBN 0-475-11200-8.
  • Wilson, James Oakley (1985) [First published in 1913]. New Zealand Parliamentary Record, 1840–1984 (4th ed.). Wellington: V.R. Ward, Govt. Printer. OCLC 154283103.


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