The 1877 Victorian colonial election was held on 11 May 1877 to elect the 9th
Parliament of Victoria. It was the first election in Victoria in which all electorates voted on the same day. All 86 seats in 55 electorates in the
Legislative Assembly were up for election, though four seats were uncontested.
There were 31 single-member, 20 two-member and 5 three-member electorates.
[
The conservative (or free trade) government of Sir ]James McCulloch
Sir James McCulloch, (18 March 1819 – 31 January 1893), British colonial politician, was the fifth Premier of Victoria.
Early life
McCulloch was born in Glasgow, Lanarkshire, Scotland. He was the son of George McCulloch, a quarry maste ...
was heavily defeated by the liberal (or protectionist) opposition led by Graham Berry
Sir Graham Berry, (28 August 1822 – 25 January 1904),
Australian colonial politician, was the 11th Premier of Victoria. He was one of the most radical and colourful figures in the politics of colonial Victoria, and made the most determined e ...
, who formed a new government on May 21.[
]
Results
Aftermath
After McCulloch's crushing defeat he retired from politics without returning to parliament. He resigned from the seat of Warrnambool in May 1878.[Geoffrey Bartlett (1974)]
Sir James McCulloch (1819–1893)
''Australian Dictionary of Biography'' website, National Centre of Biography, Australian National University; accessed 10 December 2023. After McCulloch's retirement, James Service emerged as the leader of the numerically depleted Opposition. Service's politics were more of a pragmatic and constitutionalist nature.[Geoffrey Serle (1976)]
James Service (1823–1899)
''Australian Dictionary of Biography'' website, National Centre of Biography, Australian National University; accessed 11 December 2023.
This term of government was dominated by Berry's struggle with the Legislative Council after that body rejected an appropriations bill in December 1877. On 8 January 1878 ('Black Wednesday') Berry responded by dismissing large numbers of public servants and judges in an effort to discredit the council.[ A compromise was reached in April, which left the council's powers intact. Berry left for Britain in December 1878 in an effort to persuade the Colonial Office to reform the Legislative Council. However, his efforts at constitutional reform were inconclusive and he returned to Melbourne after six months to face divisions in his party as well as a general ]economic depression
An economic depression is a period of carried long-term economical downturn that is result of lowered economic activity in one major or more national economies. Economic depression maybe related to one specific country were there is some economic ...
(dubbed the 'Berry Blight') for which his opponents held him responsible.[Geoffrey Bartlett (1969)]
Sir Graham Berry (1822–1904)
''Australian Dictionary of Biography'' website, National Centre of Biography, Australian National University; accessed 10 December 2023.History of the Berry Ministry
''The Argus'' (Melbourne), 12 February 1880, page 9.
See also
* Members of the Victorian Legislative Assembly, 1877–1880
This is a list of members of the Victorian Legislative Assembly, from the elections of 11 May 1877. Victoria was a British self-governing colony in Australia at the time.
There was an electoral redistribution which came into effect in 1877, fourt ...
References
{{Victorian elections
Elections in Victoria (state)