The 1945 Hamilton by-election was a
by-election
A by-election, also known as a special election in the United States and the Philippines, a bye-election in Ireland, a bypoll in India, or a Zimni election (Urdu: ضمنی انتخاب, supplementary election) in Pakistan, is an election used to f ...
held during the
27th New Zealand Parliament in the
Waikato
Waikato () is a local government region of the upper North Island of New Zealand. It covers the Waikato District, Waipa District, Matamata-Piako District, South Waikato District and Hamilton City, as well as Hauraki, Coromandel Peninsul ...
electorate of
Hamilton Hamilton may refer to:
People
* Hamilton (name), a common British surname and occasional given name, usually of Scottish origin, including a list of persons with the surname
** The Duke of Hamilton, the premier peer of Scotland
** Lord Hamilt ...
. The by-election occurred following the death of MP
Frank Findlay and was won by
Hilda Ross, both of the
National Party.
Background
Findlay, who was first elected to represent Hamilton in 1943, died on 31 March 1945. This triggered the Hamilton by-election, which was contested by four candidates.
Hilda Ross contested the election for the National Party. She had served as a member of the Hospital Board and
Council in Hamilton for several years and was at the time of the election the Deputy-Mayor. Former Hamilton MP
Charles Barrell was selected as the Labour Party's nominee. He had been MP for Hamilton between 1935 and 1943, before losing his seat to Findlay. Leader of the Democratic Labour Party (DLP),
John A. Lee was his party's candidate. Lee had lost his seat of in 1943 following his split with the Labour Party in 1940 and contested the Hamilton seat in an attempt to re-enter Parliament, where the DLP no longer had any presence. The fourth person to put their name forward was independent candidate Douglas Seymour.
The by-election was held soon after
VE Day
Victory in Europe Day is the day celebrating the formal acceptance by the Allies of World War II of Germany's unconditional surrender of its armed forces on Tuesday, 8 May 1945, marking the official end of World War II in Europe in the Easter ...
(which
Walter Nash
Sir Walter Nash (12 February 1882 – 4 June 1968) was a New Zealand politician who served as the 27th prime minister of New Zealand in the Second Labour Government from 1957 to 1960. He is noted for his long period of political service, havin ...
decided should be celebrated on 9 not 8 May), and a "badly-timed" gazette notice calling up more 18-year-olds for unspecified military service. The National Party proposed that New Zealand troops should be withdrawn from Italy and New Zealand's role in the Pacific restricted to food supply. The Australian High Commissioner
Thomas d'Alton
Thomas George De Largie d'Alton (8 December 1895 – 7 May 1968) was an Australian politician and diplomat. He was born in Warracknabeal in Victoria. In 1931 d'Alton was elected to the Tasmanian House of Assembly as a Labor member for Darw ...
was not the only one to see the irony that Labour wanted to keep New Zealand troops overseas (to have a say in the peace) while National wanted to withdraw them. The government candidate lost by an increased margin.
Previous election
Table footnotes:
Results
The following table gives the election results:
Ross won the election, and would win every subsequent general election until 1959, when she died in office. Her death caused the
1959 Hamilton by-election.
See also
*
List of New Zealand by-elections
By-elections in New Zealand occur to fill vacant seats in the House of Representatives. The death, resignation, or expulsion of a sitting electorate MP can cause a by-election. (Note that list MPs do not have geographic districts for the purpos ...
Notes
References
*
*
*
{{1939–1995 New Zealand by-elections
1945 elections in New Zealand
Hamil
Politics of Hamilton, New Zealand
May 1945 events in New Zealand