1856 Tasmanian colonial election
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The 1856 Tasmanian colonial elections took place from 8 to 22 September 1856 (for the House of Assembly) and 6 to 17 October 1856 (for the Legislative Council). The elections were the first to be held under the Electoral Act 1856, which established responsible government in Tasmania (until 1 January 1856 called Van Diemen's Land) and created a bicameral parliament consisting of the 30-member Tasmanian House of Assembly and the 15-member Tasmanian Legislative Council.
Members were elected using first-past-the-post voting. Following the election, William Champ became the first Premier of Tasmania on 1 November 1856, but his government lasted only 117 days.
Results
[edit]House of Assembly
[edit]Elections for members of the House of Assembly took place between 8 and 22 September 1856. Members were elected from single-member 24 single-member divisions, while Hobart Town returned 5 members and Launceston returned 3 members. 16 members were elected unopposed, while the other members were elected using first-past-the-post voting.
Electoral district | Seats | Date | Elected[1] |
---|---|---|---|
Launceston | 3 | 8 September | John Rogers, Adye Douglas, William Champ |
Clarence | 1 | 15 September | Edward Abbott |
Hobart Town | 5 | 15 September | Thomas Chapman, Maxwell Miller, Francis Smith, Robert Nutt, James Dunn |
Queenborough | 1 | 15 September | Duncan McPherson |
Campbell Town | 1 | 16 September | William Race Allison |
Cumberland | 1 | 16 September | Thomas Gellibrand |
Glenorchy | 1 | 16 September | Robert Officer (unopposed) |
Norfolk Plains | 1 | 16 September | John Gregson (unopposed) |
Sorell | 1 | 16 September | Askin Morrison (unopposed) |
Fingal | 1 | 17 September | Frederick von Steiglitz (unopposed) |
Kingborough | 1 | 17 September | Alfred Nicholas |
Oatlands | 1 | 17 September | Henry Anstey (unopposed) |
Ringwood | 1 | 17 September | William Weston (unopposed) |
Brighton | 1 | 18 September | Henry Butler (unopposed) |
Franklin | 1 | 18 September | William Crooke (unopposed) |
George Town | 1 | 18 September | Charles Henty (unopposed) |
Glamorgan | 1 | 18 September | Charles Meredith (unopposed) |
Morven | 1 | 18 September | Frederick Innes (unopposed) |
New Norfolk | 1 | 19 September | Michael Fenton (unopposed) |
Richmond | 1 | 19 September | Thomas Gregson |
Selby | 1 | 19 September | Ronald Gunn (unopposed) |
Westbury | 1 | 19 September | Thomas Field (unopposed) |
Deloraine | 1 | 20 September | Adolphus Rooke (unopposed) |
Devon | 1 | 22 September | James Gibson (unopposed) |
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ Bennett, Scott (1988). Tasmanian Electoral Statistics, 1851–1982. Sydney: University of New South Wales. ISBN 0949776149.