1875 Rangitikei by-election

The 1875 Rangitikei by-election was a by-election held on 24 April 1875 during the 5th New Zealand Parliament in the Rangitikei electorate on the West Coast of the North Island.

1875 Rangitikei by-election

← 1871 general 24 April 1875 (1875-04-24) 1876 general →
Turnout	244
Candidate John Ballance William Hogg Watt Party Independent Independent Popular vote 112 105
Member before election William Fox Independent Elected Member John Ballance Independent

The by-election was held because of the resignation of sitting member of parliament and previous Premier William Fox on 11 March 1875^[1] in order to pay an extended visit to England.^[2]

This election saw John Ballance narrowly win the seat by just seven votes over his main opponent, William Hogg Watt who had represented the Rangitikei electorate from 1866 to 1868 when he resigned.^[3] Conservative George Hutchison also ran. He was the son of William Hutchison a former mayor of Wellington and Member of Parliament, though performed poorly.

Results

The following table gives the election results:

1875 Rangitikei by-election^[4]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Independent	John Ballance	112	45.90
	Independent	William Hogg Watt	105	43.03
	Independent	George Hutchison	27	11.06
Majority			7	2.86
Turnout			244

See also

• Rangitikei by-election (disambiguation), other by-elections for the Rangitikei electorate

Notes

1. Wilson 1985, p. 197
2. McIvor 1989, p. 52.
3. Wilson 1985, pp. 181, 244.
4. McIvor 1989, p. 53.

References

• McIvor, Timothy (1989). The Rainmaker: A biography of John Ballance journalist and politician 1839–1893. Auckland: Heinemann Reed. ISBN 0-7900-0024-5.
• Wilson, James Oakley (1985) [First published in 1913]. New Zealand Parliamentary Record, 1840–1984 (4th ed.). Wellington: V.R. Ward, Govt. Printer. OCLC 154283103.