The members of the 1st General Assembly of Newfoundland were elected in the
Newfoundland general election held in November 1832, the first general election for the colony. The general assembly sat from January 1, 1833
[ until 1836.
John Bingley Garland was chosen as speaker. Thomas Bennett replaced Garland as speaker in 1834.
The first session of the general assembly met in a tavern and lodging house in St. John's operated by a ]Mary Travers
Mary Allin Travers (November 9, 1936 – September 16, 2009) was an American singer-songwriter who was known for being in the famous 1960s folk trio Peter, Paul and Mary, along with Peter Yarrow and Paul Stookey. Travers grew up amid the burg ...
; the elected assembly met on the ground floor and the appointed Board of Council met on the upper floor. A different location, the Old Court House, was used for the second and subsequent sessions.
In 1833, the assembly passed a Revenue Bill which would provide much-needed funds to support the operation of the colony. The bill was subsequently rejected by the Legislative Council. The governor and British Government intervened in support of the legislation, which was submitted again and this time approved by the council.[
Sir ]Thomas John Cochrane
Admiral of the Fleet (Royal Navy), Admiral of the Fleet Sir Thomas John Cochrane (5 February 1789 – 19 October 1872) was a Royal Navy officer. After serving as a junior officer during the French Revolutionary Wars, he captured the HMS Favourit ...
, although he had been opposed to the concept of representative government in the colony, became its first civil governor and was responsible for the implementation of the new system of government. The governor's support was required on any new legislation and he had the power to prorogue
Prorogation in the Westminster system of government is the action of proroguing, or interrupting, a parliament, or the discontinuance of meetings for a given period of time, without a dissolution of parliament. The term is also used for the period ...
the assembly. Cochrane was removed from office in 1834 and replaced by Sir Henry Prescott
Admiral Sir Henry Prescott (4 May 1783 – 18 November 1874) was an officer of the British Royal Navy who served during the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars, and was later the Governor of the Newfoundland Colony.
Biography
Family ba ...
.Henry John Boulton
Henry John Boulton, (1790 – June 18, 1870) was a lawyer and political figure in Upper Canada and the Province of Canada, as well as Chief Justice of Newfoundland.
Boulton began his legal career under the tutelage of John Beverly Robin ...
because the writs for the election did not bear the required Great Seal. A new election was called for the following year.
Members of the Assembly
The following members were elected to the assembly in 1832:
By-elections
By-elections were held to replace members for various reasons:
Notes:
References
{{Newfoundland and Labrador politics
Newfoundland
Newfoundland and Labrador (; french: Terre-Neuve-et-Labrador; frequently abbreviated as NL) is the easternmost province of Canada, in the country's Atlantic region. The province comprises the island of Newfoundland and the continental region ...
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