1863 Goldfields South colonial by-election

A by-election was held for the New South Wales Legislative Assembly electorate of Goldfields South on 16 November 1863 because Bowie Wilson had been appointed Secretary for Lands in the first Martin ministry.[1] Such ministerial by-elections were usually uncontested and on this occasion, Peter Faucett (Yass), William Forster (East Sydney) and Arthur Holroyd (Parramatta) were unopposed. Of the other two contested elections, Geoffrey Eagar (West Sydney) was easily re-elected, with more than 90% of the vote, while James Martin was defeated at the Orange by-election.[2] Martin promptly regained a seat in parliament by winning the by-election for The Tumut.[2]

Frederick Cooper had been elected for Braidwood at the 1859 election, resigning in 1860,[3] to accept an appointment as a sub-commissioner of goldfields.[4] He was initially at Kiandra, however an inquiry had found he had committed errors, including illegal acts, as a result of his inexperience. Wilson, as member for Goldfields South, had been critical of the response of the then Secretary for Lands, John Robertson, in moving Cooper to Araluen rather than dismissing him.[5] Cooper resigned as sub-commissioner shortly after Wilson had been appointed Secretary for Lands.[6]

Dates
DateEvent
16 October 1863 Bowie Wilson appointed Secretary for Lands.[1]
22 October 1863 Writ of election issued by the Speaker of the Legislative Assembly.[7]
5 November 1863 Nominations at Adelong.[6]
16 November 1863 Polling day
26 November 1863 Return of writ

Polling places

Result
1863 Goldfields South by-election
Monday 16 November [8][9]
Candidate Votes %
Bowie Wilson (elected) 921 91.3
Frederick Cooper 88 8.7
Total formal votes 1,009 100.0
Informal votes 0 0.0
Turnout 1,009 17.1

Returns were only reported for 8 of the 14 polling places.[8][9]

See also

Notes
  1. Near Grenfell.
  2. Near Lambing Flat.

References
  1. "Mr John Bowie Wilson (1820-1883)". Former members of the Parliament of New South Wales. Retrieved 16 September 2020.
  2. Green, Antony. "1860-1864 by-elections". New South Wales Election Results 1856-2007. Parliament of New South Wales. Retrieved 16 September 2020.
  3. "Mr Frederick Augustus Cooper (1834-1908)". Former members of the Parliament of New South Wales. Retrieved 16 September 2020.
  4. "Appointment: Sub-Commissioners of Gold Fields". New South Wales Government Gazette. No. 148. 14 August 1860. p. 1510. Retrieved 17 June 2021 – via Trove.
  5. "Legislative Assembly: Mr Commissioner Cooper". The Sydney Morning Herald. 13 December 1862. p. 8. Retrieved 17 June 2021 – via Trove.
  6. "Nomination for the Southern Gold-Fields". The Sydney Morning Herald. 13 November 1863. p. 8. Retrieved 17 June 2021 – via Trove.
  7. "Writ of election: Goldfields South". New South Wales Government Gazette. No. 205. 22 October 1863. p. 2291. Retrieved 17 June 2021 – via Trove.
  8. Green, Antony. "1863 Goldfields South by-election". New South Wales Election Results 1856-2007. Parliament of New South Wales. Retrieved 16 September 2020.
  9. "Southern Gold-Fields election". The Sydney Morning Herald. 18 November 1863. p. 4. Retrieved 17 June 2021 – via Trove.
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