1912 Wellington City mayoral election
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Turnout | 10,333 (34.40%) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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The 1912 Wellington City mayoral election was part of the New Zealand local elections held that same year. In 1911, elections were held for the Mayor of Wellington plus other local government positions. Thomas Wilford, the incumbent Mayor, resigned due to ill health and did not contest the ensuing election. David McLaren was elected to office as the new Mayor of Wellington, beating three other contenders and becoming the city's first Labour Mayor. The polling was conducted using the standard first-past-the-post electoral method.
Background
Thomas Wilford had been Mayor of Wellington since his election in
Results
The following table gives the election results:
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
United Labour | David McLaren | 4,235 | 40.98 | ||
Independent | Augustus Biss | 2,634 | 25.49 | ||
Citizens League
|
John Smith | 1,907 | 18.45 | ||
Independent | Robert Wright | 1,557 | 15.06 | ||
Majority | 1,601 | 15.49 | |||
Turnout | 10,333 | 34.40 |
Outcome
As a result of his victory, McLaren became the first Labour mayor of a major city in New Zealand.[5] Due to McLaren's win at the polls for mayor his seat on the city council was declared vacant. A by-election was held for it a month later where his colleague in the labour movement, Edward Tregear, was successful in winning.[6]
Notes
- The Evening Post. Vol. LXXIX, no. 99. 28 April 1910. p. 8. Retrieved 11 May 2016.
- ^ Butterworth, Susan. "Wilford, Thomas Mason - Biography". Dictionary of New Zealand Biography. Ministry for Culture and Heritage. Retrieved 17 December 2011.
- ^ Taylor, Kerry. "McLaren, David - Biography". Dictionary of New Zealand Biography. Ministry for Culture and Heritage. Retrieved 17 December 2011.
- ^ "The Mayoral Elections". Taranaki Daily News. Vol. LIV, no. 254. 26 April 1912. p. 5. Retrieved 23 May 2016.
- ^ Gustafson 1980, p. 42.
- ^ Howe, K.R. "Tregear, Edward". Dictionary of New Zealand Biography. Ministry for Culture and Heritage. Retrieved 10 June 2016.
References
- ISBN 0-19-647986-X.