General elections were held in the Bahamas in September 1729, the first elections in the territory.

Background

In August 1729, new Governor Woodes Rogers was instructed by King George II to create a 24-member General Assembly for the Bahamas. Rogers issued a proclamation on 8 September, ordering eligible voters to meet at polling places during the next two weeks.Dwight C. Hart (2004) ''The Bahamian parliament, 1729-2004: Commemorating the 275th anniversary'' Jones Publications, p4 The reforms had been planned by the previous Governor George Phenney and authorised in July 1728.

Electoral system

The General Assembly had 24 members elected from five constituencies; eight representatives were elected in

Nassau Nassau may refer to: Places Bahamas *Nassau, Bahamas, capital city of the Bahamas, on the island of New Providence Canada *Nassau District, renamed Home District, regional division in Upper Canada from 1788 to 1792 *Nassau Street (Winnipeg), ...

, whilst Eastern District, Western District, Eleuthera and

Harbour Island A harbor (American English), harbour (British English; see spelling differences), or haven is a sheltered body of water where ships, boats, and barges can be docked. The term ''harbor'' is often used interchangeably with ''port'', which is a ...

all had four representatives. Voting was restricted to around 250 white men aged over 21, and the elections took place between 12 and 20 September. In Nassau the elections were held at the house of Samuel Lawford, in the Eastern District they took place at Samuel Frith's house, and in Western District they took place at the house of John Watkins.

Results

Aftermath

The General Assembly met for the first time on 29 September at the house of Samuel Lawford.

John Colebrooke John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Seco ...

was elected as its first speaker. It was dissolved on 7 December 1730 by the Governor after it voted against continuing to pay his £200 salary and also voted out the Speaker, who was sympathetic to the Governor.Harcourt Gladstone Malcolm (1921) ''A history of the Bahamas House of assembly written and presented to the House by Mr. Speaker'', Nassau Guardian, p47

References

{{Bahamian elections 1729 in politics

1729 Events January–March * January 8 – Frederick, the eldest son of King George II of Great Britain is made Prince of Wales at the age of 21, a few months after he comes to Britain for the first time after growing up in Hanover ...

1729 in the British Empire 1729 in the Caribbean 18th century in the Bahamas