Coleridge is a former parliamentary

electorate Electorate may refer to: * The people who are eligible to vote in an election, especially their number e.g. the term ''size of (the) electorate'' * The dominion of a Prince-elector in the Holy Roman Empire until 1806 * An electoral district An ...

in the

Canterbury Canterbury (, ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and UNESCO World Heritage Site, situated in the heart of the City of Canterbury local government district of Kent, England. It lies on the River Stour, Kent, River Stour. ...

region of New Zealand. The electorate existed from the 1866 election to 1887.

Population centres

This electorate is in the rural part of the Canterbury Region. In the 1871 election, polling stations were in the Bealey settlement near

Arthur's Pass Arthur's Pass, previously called Camping Flat then Bealey Flats, and for some time officially Arthurs Pass, is a township in the Southern Alps of the South Island of New Zealand, located in the Selwyn district. It is a popular base for explorin ...

and Ashburton, and one of the election meetings was held at

Hororata Hororata is a village at the northwestern edge of the Canterbury Plains in the South Island of New Zealand. It is located 15 kilometres southwest of Darfield, New Zealand, Darfield, five kilometres south of Glentunnel, and 50 kilometre ...

. The electorate is named after

Lake Coleridge Lake Coleridge ( mi, Whakamatau) is located in inland Canterbury, in New Zealand's South Island. Located to the northwest of Methven, it has a surface area of . The lake is situated in an over-deepened valley formed by a glacier over 20,000 year ...

History

The electorate was established for the 1866 general election, when the 4th Parliament was determined.

John Cracroft Wilson Sir John Cracroft Wilson (21 May 1808 – 2 March 1881), also known as Nabob Wilson, was a British-educated civil servant in India, farmer and politician in New Zealand. Early life John Cracroft Wilson was born in Onamore, India, the son of Al ...

was its first elected representative. He was elected unopposed. In the 1871 general election,

John Karslake Karslake John Karslake Karslake (died 21 June 1872) was a 19th-century Member of Parliament in the Canterbury region of New Zealand. Private life Karslake arrived in Lyttelton on the ''Gananoque'' on 9 May 1860. The ship had sailed from London. In 1861, ...

and George Hart contested the electorate. Both men had no prior political experience. Karslake and Hart received 35 and 27 votes, respectively. Karslake was thus returned. He resigned in 1872 to return to England. The resulting 1872 by-election was contested by George Hart,

William Bluett William James Geffrard Bluett (1834–23 November 1885) was a 19th-century Member of Parliament in the Canterbury region of New Zealand. He represented the Coleridge Samuel Taylor Coleridge (; 21 October 177225 July 1834) was an Engli ...

and John Jebson on 22 July 1872. Hart, Bluett and Jebson received 99, 106 and 48 votes, respectively, with Bluett thus being elected. He served until the end of the term in 1875. The 6 January 1876 election was contested by four people; the incumbent Bluett,

Cathcart Wason John Cathcart Wason (17 November 1848 – 19 April 1921), generally known as Cathcart Wason, was a Scottish farmer and politician who served as a Member of Parliament in two countries: first in New Zealand and then in Scotland. He established B ...

, William Tosswill, and John Jebson, who received 71, 167, 160 and 53 votes, respectively. Wason was thus elected, but he resigned his seat in Parliament in April 1879. George Hart was returned unopposed in the subsequent by-election on 8 May 1879.

Members of Parliament

The electorate was represented by seven

Members of Parliament A member of parliament (MP) is the representative in parliament of the people who live in their electoral district. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, this term refers only to members of the lower house since upper house members of ...

: Key

Election results

1879 election

1876 election

1872 by-election

Notes

References

* * * {{Historic electorates of New Zealand , state=collapsed Historical electorates of New Zealand 1865 establishments in New Zealand 1887 disestablishments in New Zealand Politics of Canterbury, New Zealand