The 1956 Nova Scotia general election was held on 30 October 1956 to elect members of the 46th House of Assembly of the Province of

Nova Scotia Nova Scotia ( ; ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is one of the three Maritime provinces and one of the four Atlantic provinces. Nova Scotia is Latin for "New Scotland". Most of the population are native Eng ...

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

. It was won by the Progressive Conservatives led by

Robert Stanfield Robert Lorne Stanfield (April 11, 1914 – December 16, 2003) was a Canadian politician who served as the 17th premier of Nova Scotia from 1956 to 1967 and the leader of the Official Opposition and leader of the federal Progressive Conservative ...

. This was the first election the Liberals had fought after the death of their longtime charismatic leader,

Angus L. Macdonald Angus Lewis Macdonald (August 10, 1890 – April 13, 1954), popularly known as 'Angus L.', was a Canadian lawyer, law professor and politician from Nova Scotia. He served as the Liberal premier of Nova Scotia from 1933 to 1940, when he became ...

. Public Health Minister

Harold Connolly Harold Joseph Connolly (8 September 1901 – 17 May 1980) was a Canadian journalist, newspaper editor, and politician who served as the 15th premier of Nova Scotia in 1954. Connolly was born in Sydney, Nova Scotia, the son of Richard Joseph ...

became interim leader and premier following Macdonald's death in 1954, but was defeated at a leadership convention by Education Minister Henry Hicks. The convention exposed a sharp religious divide in the Liberal Party; Hicks was a Protestant and Connolly was a Catholic. Hicks was unable to heal the breach, and the Liberals were narrowly defeated, ending 23 years of Liberal rule.

Results

Results by party

Retiring incumbents

;Liberal * Arthur W. MacKenzie,

Guysborough Guysborough (population: 397) is an unincorporated Canadian community in Guysborough County, Nova Scotia. Located on the western shore of Chedabucto Bay, fronting Guysborough Harbour, it is the administrative seat of the Guysborough municipa ...

* James Edward Rutledge,

Halifax Centre Halifax Centre was a provincial electoral district in Nova Scotia, Canada, that elected one member of the Nova Scotia House of Assembly The Nova Scotia House of Assembly (french: Assemblée législative de la Nouvelle-Écosse; gd, Taigh Seanaid ...

Nominated candidates

Legend
bold denotes party leader
† denotes an incumbent who is not running for re-election or was defeated in nomination contest

Valley

, - , bgcolor=whitesmoke,

Annapolis East Annapolis East was a provincial electoral district in Nova Scotia, Canada, that elected one member of the Nova Scotia House of Assembly and existed from 1956 to 1993. It was created by a division of the former district of Annapolis County into Annap ...

, , , Henry Hicks
2,830
54.68% , , Harry L. Ritcey
2,277
43.99% , , Murray Alton Bent
69
1.33% , , , , , Henry Hicks
''

Annapolis Annapolis ( ) is the capital city of the U.S. state of Maryland and the county seat of, and only incorporated city in, Anne Arundel County. Situated on the Chesapeake Bay at the mouth of the Severn River, south of Baltimore and about east o ...

'' , - , bgcolor=whitesmoke,

Annapolis West Annapolis West was a provincial electoral district in Nova Scotia, Canada, that elected one member of the Nova Scotia House of Assembly. It existed from 1956 to 1993. Prior to 1956, it was a part of the district of Annapolis County. It was aboli ...

, , ,

Peter M. Nicholson Peter Murray Nicholson (March 31, 1919 – August 17, 1986) was a political figure in Nova Scotia, Canada. He represented Annapolis West in the Nova Scotia House of Assembly from 1956 to 1978 as a Liberal member. A graduduate of Dalhousie Univ ...

2,523
53.84% , , Leigh Minard Marshall
2,163
46.16% , , , , , , , ''New riding'' , - , bgcolor=whitesmoke,

Clare Clare may refer to: Places Antarctica * Clare Range, a mountain range in Victoria Land Australia * Clare, South Australia, a town in the Clare Valley * Clare Valley, South Australia Canada * Clare (electoral district), an electoral district * Cl ...

, , , Pierre E. Belliveau
2,046
52.60% , , J. Fred Gaudet
1,844
47.40% , , , , , , , Pierre E. Belliveau , - , bgcolor=whitesmoke, Digby , ,

Victor Cardoza Victor George Cardoza (May 25, 1916 – December 15, 1987) was a journalist and political figure in Nova Scotia, Canada. He represented Digby in the Nova Scotia House of Assembly from 1953 to 1956 and from 1960 to 1963 as a Liberal member. He wa ...

2,559
48.65% , , ,

Malcolm Stewart Leonard Malcolm Stewart Leonard (March 4, 1911 – November 11, 1962) was a lawyer and political figure in Nova Scotia, Canada. He represented Digby in the Nova Scotia House of Assembly from 1956 to 1960 as a Progressive Conservative member. Early ...

2,701
51.35% , , , , , , ,

, - , bgcolor=whitesmoke,

Hants West Hants West is a provincial electoral district in Nova Scotia, Canada, that elects one member of the Nova Scotia House of Assembly. The district has existed since 1949. Prior to that it, along with Hants East, were a part of the district of Hants ...

, ,

Gerald Regan Gerald Augustine Paul Regan (February 13, 1928 – November 26, 2019) was a Canadian politician (as federal MP and later as Nova Scotia MLA), who served as the 19th premier of Nova Scotia from 1970 to 1978. Early life and education Regan was ...

3,300
47.69% , , ,

George Henry Wilson George Henry Wilson (December 12, 1893 – October 17, 1988) was a Canadian politician. He represented the electoral district of Hants West in the Nova Scotia House of Assembly from 1950 to 1963. He was a member of the Progressive Conservative P ...

3,405
49.21% , , Ralph Loomer
214
3.09% , , , , ,

, - , bgcolor=whitesmoke,

Kings North Kings North is a provincial electoral district in Nova Scotia, Canada, that elects one member of the Nova Scotia House of Assembly. The electoral district was formed through redistribution in 1956. It was previously part of the district of Ki ...

, , , Eric Balcom
3,054
50.37% , , George Arthur Boggs
3,009
49.63% , , , , , , , George Arthur Boggs
''

Kings Kings or King's may refer to: *Monarchs: The sovereign heads of states and/or nations, with the male being kings *One of several works known as the "Book of Kings": **The Books of Kings part of the Bible, divided into two parts **The ''Shahnameh'' ...

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Kings South Kings South is a provincial electoral district in Nova Scotia, Canada, that elects one member of the Nova Scotia House of Assembly. It includes the town of Wolfville, the village of New Minas, the community of Coldbrook, and Glooscap First Nati ...

, , MacIntosh MacLeod
1,594
40.23% , , ,

Edward Haliburton Edward Douglas Haliburton (March 28, 1898 – March 12, 1990) was a Canadian politician. He represented the electoral districts of Kings County and Kings South in the Nova Scotia House of Assembly from 1953 to 1970. He was a member of the Progre ...

2,368
59.77% , , , , , , ,

'' , - , bgcolor=whitesmoke,

Kings West Kings West is a provincial electoral district in Nova Scotia, Canada, that elects one member of the Nova Scotia House of Assembly. It includes the towns of Berwick and Kingston, and the village of Greenwood. Geography The electoral district ...

, , C.D. McLean
2,985
49.97% , , ,

Hiram Thomas Hiram Thomas (March 31, 1889 – March 24, 1974) was a Canadian politician. He represented the electoral district of Kings West in the Nova Scotia House of Assembly from 1956 to 1960. He was a member of the Progressive Conservative Party of Nova ...

2,988
50.03% , , , , , , , ''New riding''

South Shore

, - , bgcolor=whitesmoke,

Lunenburg Centre Lunenburg is a provincial electoral district in Nova Scotia, Canada, that elects one member of the Nova Scotia House of Assembly. From 1867 to 1956, the district included all of Lunenburg County.

, , Harold Uhlman
3,843
49.03% , , , George O. Lohnes
3,995
50.97% , , , , , , , ''New riding'' , - , bgcolor=whitesmoke,

Lunenburg East Chester—St. Margaret's is a provincial electoral district in Nova Scotia, Canada, that elects one member of the Nova Scotia House of Assembly. It is located on the South Shore. The constituency was created in 1956 as a division of Lunenbur ...

, , Kirk S. Hennigar
1,579
45.56% , , , R. Clifford Levy
1,887
54.44% , , , , , , , R. Clifford Levy
'' Lunenburg'' , - , bgcolor=whitesmoke,

Lunenburg West Lunenburg West is a provincial electoral district in Nova Scotia, Canada, that elects one member of the Nova Scotia House of Assembly. It was created in 1956 from the riding of Lunenburg County. The riding includes the town of Bridgewater, La ...

, , Frederick E.L. Fowke
2,500
49.34% , , , Harley J. Spence
2,567
50.66% , , , , , , , Harley J. Spence
'' Lunenburg'' , - , bgcolor=whitesmoke,

Queens Queens is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Queens County, in the U.S. state of New York. Located on Long Island, it is the largest New York City borough by area. It is bordered by the borough of Brooklyn at the western tip of Long ...

, ,

Merrill D. Rawding Merrill Denzil Rawding (May 8, 1905 – June 13, 2004) was a Canadian politician. He represented the electoral district of Queens in the Nova Scotia House of Assembly from 1945 to 1953. He was a member of the Nova Scotia Liberal Party. Born in 1 ...

2,974
49.23% , , , W. S. Kennedy Jones
3,067
50.77% , , , , , , , W. S. Kennedy Jones , - , bgcolor=whitesmoke, Shelburne , ,

Wilfred Dauphinee Wilfred Tennyson Dauphinee (August 14, 1910 – July 11, 2007Acadia Bullet ...

3,086
48.05% , , , James McKay Harding
3,337
51.95% , , , , , , ,

Wilfred Dauphinee Wilfred Tennyson Dauphinee (August 14, 1910 – July 11, 2007Acadia Bullet ...

, - , rowspan=2 bgcolor=whitesmoke,

Yarmouth Yarmouth may refer to: Places Canada *Yarmouth County, Nova Scotia **Yarmouth, Nova Scotia **Municipality of the District of Yarmouth **Yarmouth (provincial electoral district) **Yarmouth (electoral district) * Yarmouth Township, Ontario *New ...

, , , Eric Spinney
4,876
26.68% , , William Heartz Brown
4,007
21.93% , , , , , , , William Heartz Brown , - , , , Willard O'Brien
5,438
29.76% , , Raymond Z. Bourque
3,953
21.63% , , , , , , , Raymond Z. Bourque

Fundy-Northeast

, - , rowspan=2 bgcolor=whitesmoke,

Colchester Colchester ( ) is a city in Essex, in the East of England. It had a population of 122,000 in 2011. The demonym is Colcestrian. Colchester occupies the site of Camulodunum, the first major city in Roman Britain and its first capital. Colches ...

, , Hector Hill
6,733
22.13% , , ,

8,476
27.86% , , Arnold Lynds
251
0.83% , , , , ,

, - , , Margaret Norrie
6,664
21.91% , , ,

George Isaac Smith George Isaac Smith MBE (April 6, 1909 – December 19, 1982) was a Canadian lawyer and politician who served as the 18th premier of Nova Scotia from 1967 to 1970. He was a Canadian senator from 1975 until his death. G.I. Smith is noted for ...

8,057
26.48% , , William Wright
240
0.79% , , , , ,

, - , bgcolor=whitesmoke,

Cumberland Centre : ''For the Census Designated Place in Maine, see Cumberland Center, Maine.'' Cumberland Centre was a provincial electoral district in Nova Scotia, Canada, that elected one member of the Nova Scotia House of Assembly. It existed from 1949 to 1993. ...

, , Ralph F. Gilroy
1,803
39.70% , , ,

Stephen T. Pyke Stephen Thomas Pyke (1916-1985) was a political figure in Nova Scotia, Canada. He represented Cumberland Centre in the Nova Scotia House of Assembly as a Progressive Conservative member from 1953 to 1968. He was born in Springhill, Nova Scotia ...

2,738
60.30% , , , , , , ,

, - , bgcolor=whitesmoke,

Cumberland East Cumberland East was a provincial electoral district in Nova Scotia, Canada, that elected one member of the Nova Scotia House of Assembly. It existed from 1949 to 1993. It was formed in 1949 when Cumberland County was divided into three new distri ...

, , Walter Tremaine Purdy
4,303
49.41% , , ,

James A. Langille James Arnold Langille (February 18, 1909 – April 10, 1979) was a Canadian politician. He represented the electoral district of Cumberland East in the Nova Scotia House of Assembly from 1953 to 1970. He was a member of the Progressive Conservat ...

4,406
50.59% , , , , , , ,

, - , bgcolor=whitesmoke,

Cumberland West Cumberland West was a provincial electoral district in Nova Scotia, Canada, that elected one member to the Nova Scotia House of Assembly. It was formed in 1949 when Cumberland County was divided into three new districts, the other two being Cumbe ...

, , , Allison T. Smith
2,618
54.82% , , William Harmon Wasson
2,158
45.18% , , , , , , , Allison T. Smith , - , bgcolor=whitesmoke,

Hants East Hants East is a provincial electoral district in Nova Scotia, Canada, that elects one member of the Nova Scotia House of Assembly. Its Member of the Legislative Assembly since 2013 has been Margaret Miller of the Nova Scotia Liberal Party. The ...

, , Arthur W. MacKenzie
2,342
48.91% , , , Ernest M. Ettinger
2,392
49.96% , , Malcolm F. Wheadon
130
1.13% , , , , , Vacant

Halifax/Dartmouth/Eastern Shore

, - , bgcolor=whitesmoke,

, , , Gordon S. Cowan
5,642
52.91% , , David Milsom
5,022
47.09% , , , , , , , James Edward Rutledge† , - , bgcolor=whitesmoke, Halifax County-Dartmouth , , ,

Geoffrey W. Stevens Geoffrey W. Stevens (January 16, 1891 – February 7, 1963) was a Canadian politician. He represented the electoral districts of Halifax East and Halifax County Dartmouth in the Nova Scotia House of Assembly from 1933 to 1960. He was a member o ...

7,276
49.69% , , C.J. Creighton
6,811
46.51% , , Gerald Yetman
557
3.80% , , , , , ''New riding'' , - , bgcolor=whitesmoke, Halifax East , , , Duncan MacMillan
3,015
57.84% , , Reid Denton Sangster
2,198
42.16% , , , , , , ,

, - , bgcolor=whitesmoke,

Halifax North Halifax North was a provincial electoral district (Canada), electoral district in Nova Scotia, Canada, that elected one member of the Nova Scotia House of Assembly. It was formed in 1933 when Halifax (provincial electoral district), Halifax County w ...

, , , John E. Ahern
8,773
53.10% , , John A. O'Malley
7,748
46.90% , , , , , , , Vacant , - , bgcolor=whitesmoke,

Halifax Northwest Halifax Cobequid was a provincial electoral district in Nova Scotia, Canada, that elected one member of the Nova Scotia House of Assembly. It was formed in 1956 as Halifax Northwest from part of the former district of Halifax West. In 1966, the dis ...

, , ,

Ronald Manning Fielding Ronald Manning Fielding (October 7, 1896 – March 1, 1972) was a Canadian politician. He represented the electoral districts of Halifax West and Halifax Northwest in the Nova Scotia House of Assembly from 1941 to 1960. He was a member of the No ...

3,763
50.40% , , S.E. Haverstock
3,573
47.86% , , L.C. Wilson
130
1.74% , , , , , ''New riding'' , - , bgcolor=whitesmoke, Halifax South , , Edward F. Cragg
5,171
46.08% , , ,

Richard Donahoe Richard Alphonsus Donahoe, Q.C., K.S.G. (September 27, 1909 – April 25, 2000) was a Canadian lawyer and politician. Born in Halifax, Nova Scotia, the son of James Donahoe and Rebecca Duggan, he was educated at Dalhousie University and set ...

6,051
53.92% , , , , , , ,

, - , bgcolor=whitesmoke,

Halifax West Halifax West (french: Halifax-Ouest) is a federal electoral district in Nova Scotia, Canada, that has been represented in the House of Commons of Canada since 1979. Its population in 2021 was 111,944. Demographics ''From the 2016 census'' E ...

, , , Charles H. Reardon
6,119
51.02% , , William J. Dalton
5,875
48.98% , , , , , , ,

Central Nova

, - , bgcolor=whitesmoke,

Antigonish , settlement_type = Town , image_skyline = File:St Ninian's Cathedral Antigonish Spring.jpg , image_caption = St. Ninian's Cathedral , image_flag = Flag of Antigonish.pn ...

, , Colin H. Chisholm
2,669
48.06% , , , William F. MacKinnon
2,884
51.94% , , , , , , , Colin H. Chisholm , - , bgcolor=whitesmoke,

, , , Alexander W. Cameron
3,177
51.34% , , R.S. Kaiser
3,011
48.66% , , , , , , , Arthur W. MacKenzie† , - , bgcolor=whitesmoke,

Pictou Centre Pictou Centre is a provincial electoral district in Nova Scotia, Canada, that elects one member of the Nova Scotia House of Assembly. Members of the Legislative Assembly This riding has elected the following Members of the Legislative Assembly: ...

, , A.T. Logan
5,303
48.46% , , ,

Donald R. MacLeod Donald Ross MacLeod (December 30, 1902 – October 20, 1976) was a Canadian politician. He represented the electoral district of Pictou Centre in the Nova Scotia House of Assembly from 1956 to 1970. He was a member of the Progressive Conservati ...

5,639
51.54% , , , , , , , Vacant , - , bgcolor=whitesmoke,

Pictou East Pictou East is a provincial electoral district in Nova Scotia, Canada, that elects one member of the Nova Scotia House of Assembly. Its Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) since the 2013 election is Tim Houston of the Progressive Conservativ ...

, , John W. MacDonald
2,749
49.95% , , , William A. MacLeod
2,754
50.05% , , , , , , , John W. MacDonald , - , bgcolor=whitesmoke,

Pictou West Pictou West is a provincial electoral district in Nova Scotia, Canada, that elects one member of the Nova Scotia House of Assembly. Its Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) since 2013 has been Karla MacFarlane of the Progressive Conservative A ...

, ,

Stewart W. Proudfoot Stewart William Proudfoot (July 31, 1908 – June 26, 1986) was a Canadian politician. He represented the electoral district of Pictou West in the Nova Scotia House of Assembly from 1949 to 1956. He was a member of the Nova Scotia Liberal Party. ...

2,556
49.15% , , , Harvey Veniot
2,644
50.85% , , , , , , ,

Cape Breton

, - , bgcolor=whitesmoke,

Cape Breton Centre Cape Breton Centre-Whitney Pier, formerly Cape Breton Centre is a provincial electoral district (Canada), electoral district in Cape Breton Regional Municipality, Cape Breton, Nova Scotia, Canada, that elects one member of the Nova Scotia House of ...

, , James P. McNeil
2,569
37.75% , , Charles P. Miller
1,289
18.94% , , ,

Michael James MacDonald Michael James MacDonald (August 8, 1909''Canadian Parliamentary Guide, 1956'', PG Normandin – July 3, 1997) was a union leader, coal miner, volunteer firefighter and politician in Nova Scotia. Born and raised in Cape Breton Regional Munici ...

2,948
43.31% , , , , ,

, - , bgcolor=whitesmoke, Cape Breton East , , C. Roy MacDonald
3,058
29.85% , , , Layton Fergusson
4,324
42.20% , , Russell Cunningham
2,864
27.95% , , , , , Russell Cunningham , - , bgcolor=whitesmoke,

Cape Breton North Northside-Westmount is a provincial electoral district in Nova Scotia, Canada, that elects one member of the Nova Scotia House of Assembly. In 1933, the County of Cape Breton was divided into five electoral districts, one of which was Cape Bre ...

, ,

Alexander O'Handley Alexander O'Handley (May 16, 1899 – January 8, 1974) was a teacher, lawyer and political figure in Nova Scotia, Canada. He represented Cape Breton East from 1925 to 1928 as a Conservative member and Cape Breton North from 1941 to 1956 as a ...

4,465
42.31% , , ,

John Michael Macdonald John Michael Macdonald (May 3, 1906 – June 20, 1997) was a Canadian politician. Early life Born in North Sydney, Nova Scotia, the son of Joseph Macdonald and Theresa MacDonald,

6,088
57.69% , , , , , , ,

, - , bgcolor=whitesmoke,

Cape Breton Nova Cape Breton Nova is a former provincial electoral district in Nova Scotia, Canada which existed between 1956 and 2013. It elected one member to the Nova Scotia House of Assembly. In its last configuration, the district included the northern parts ...

, , Gus Brown
1,682
25.68% , , ,

Percy Gaum Percy (Pinky) Gaum (October 19, 1915 – June 22, 1994) was a Canadian politician. He represented the electoral district of Cape Breton Nova in the Nova Scotia House of Assembly from 1956 to 1970. He was a member of the Nova Scotia Progressive C ...

2,582
39.41% , , John A. Chisholm
1,475
22.52% , , Charles O'Connell
812
12.40% , , , ''New riding'' , - , bgcolor=whitesmoke, Cape Breton South , ,

John Smith MacIvor John Smith MacIvor (March 27, 1913 – June 12, 1957) was a lawyer and political figure in Nova Scotia, Canada. He represented Cape Breton South (provincial electoral district), Cape Breton South in the Nova Scotia House of Assembly from 1945 ...

4,450
41.66% , , , Donald C. MacNeil
5,101
47.76% , , Albert Martin
1,130
10.58% , , , , ,

, - , bgcolor=whitesmoke,

Cape Breton West Cape Breton East (formerly Sydney River-Mira-Louisbourg) is a provincial electoral district in Nova Scotia, Canada, that elects one member of the Nova Scotia House of Assembly. The riding is represented by Brian Comer of the Progressive Conser ...

, , Malcolm A. Patterson
4,104
48.03% , , ,

Edward Manson Edward Alexander Manson (October 6, 1906 – February 17, 1989) was a Canadian politician. He represented the electoral district of Cape Breton West in the Nova Scotia House of Assembly from 1956 to 1970. He was a member of the Nova Scotia Prog ...

4,440
51.97% , , , , , , , Malcolm A. Patterson , - , rowspan=2 bgcolor=whitesmoke,

Inverness Inverness (; from the gd, Inbhir Nis , meaning "Mouth of the River Ness"; sco, Innerness) is a city in the Scottish Highlands. It is the administrative centre for The Highland Council and is regarded as the capital of the Highlands. Histori ...

, , , Joseph Clyde Nunn
4,415
27.80% , , Archie Neil Chisholm
3,673
23.13% , , , , , , , Joseph Clyde Nunn , - , , ,

Roderick MacLean Roderick Edward Maclean ( – 8 June 1921) was a Scotsman who attempted to assassinate Queen Victoria on 2 March 1882, at Windsor, England, with a pistol. This was the last of eight attempts by separate people to kill or assault Victoria over a ...

4,252
26.78% , , A.L. Davis
3,539
22.29% , , , , , , ,

, - , bgcolor=whitesmoke,

Richmond Richmond most often refers to: * Richmond, Virginia, the capital of Virginia, United States * Richmond, London, a part of London * Richmond, North Yorkshire, a town in England * Richmond, British Columbia, a city in Canada * Richmond, California, ...

, , ,

Earl Wallace Urquhart Earl Wallace Urquhart (February 22, 1921 – August 17, 1971) was a Canadian politician and lawyer. Early life Urquhart was born in West Bay, Inverness County, Nova Scotia, Canada. Urquhart served in the Canadian Infantry Corps and the Ro ...

2,636
53.82% , , William C. Boudreau
2,262
46.18% , , , , , , ,

, - , bgcolor=whitesmoke,

Victoria Victoria most commonly refers to: * Victoria (Australia), a state of the Commonwealth of Australia * Victoria, British Columbia, provincial capital of British Columbia, Canada * Victoria (mythology), Roman goddess of Victory * Victoria, Seychelle ...

, , , Carleton L. MacMillan
2,162
56.08% , , Leonard Walter Jones
1,693
43.92% , , , , , , , Carleton L. MacMillan

References

{{NS Elections

1956 Events January * January 1 – The Anglo-Egyptian Sudan, Anglo-Egyptian Condominium ends in Sudan. * January 8 – Operation Auca: Five U.S. evangelical Christian Missionary, missionaries, Nate Saint, Roger Youderian, Ed McCully, Jim ...

1956 in Nova Scotia October 1956 events in Canada