Prince Edward Island general election, 1912

Prince Edward Island general election, 1912

January 3, 1912 (1912-01-03)

All 30 seats in the Legislative Assembly of Prince Edward Island 16 seats needed for a majority   First party Second party   Leader John A. Mathieson H. James Palmer Party Conservative Liberal Leader since 1903 1911 Leader's seat 5th Kings did not run Last election 13 seats, 48.4% 17 seats, 51.6% Seats won 28 2 Seat change +15 -15 Popular vote 15,963 10,994 Percentage 59.2% 40.8% Swing +10.8pp -10.8pp

Premier before election John A. Mathieson Conservative Premier-designate John A. Mathieson Conservative

The 37th Prince Edward Island general election was held in the Canadian province of Prince Edward Island on January 3, 1912.^[1]

The election was won by the governing Conservatives, led by incumbent Premier John A. Mathieson, nearly sweeping the island's 30 districts and granting the Conservatives their first clear general election victory since the 1886 election.

Mathieson was designated Premier in December 1911 at the behest of the Lieutenant Governor, following the defeat of his predecessor, Liberal Premier H. James Palmer in a by-election, one that ultimately shifted the balance of power in the Legislature from a bare Liberal majority to a situation in the Conservative's favour.

H. James Palmer, having no seat in the Legislature and ultimately having lost the confidence of the Legislature, resigned from politics and did not run in this election. It is therefore unknown if Palmer led the Liberals in this election, though his biography at the PEI Legislative Documents Online archive makes reference to the "Palmer-led Liberals." There is no other listed leader for the Liberals during the election; Assemblyman John Richards led the Liberals as Leader of the Opposition in the 37th Legislature.

Party Standings

Members Elected

The Legislature of Prince Edward Island had two levels of membership from 1893 to 1996 - Assemblymen and Councillors. This was a holdover from when the Island had a bicameral legislature, the General Assembly and the Legislative Council.

In 1893, the Legislative Council was abolished and had its membership merged with the Assembly, though the two titles remained separate and were elected by different electoral franchises. Assembleymen were elected by all eligible voters of within a district, while Councillors were only elected by landowners within a district.^[2]

Kings

Prince

Queens

Sources

1. ↑ "Provincial General Election Results, 1912" (PDF). Elections PEI. 
2. ↑ Fred Driscoll. "History and Politics of Prince Edward Island" (PDF). Canadian Parliamentary Review. 

Elections and referendums in Prince Edward Island
General elections	1873 1876 1879 1882 1886 1890 1893 1897 1900 1904 1908 1912 1915 1919 1923 1927 1931 1935 1939 1943 1947 1951 1955 1959 1962 1966 1970 1974 1978 1979 1982 1986 1989 1993 1996 2000 2003 2007 2011 2015 next
Referendums	1878 1893 1898 1901 1913 1923 1929 1940 1948 1954 (May) 1954 (Nov) 1988 2005 2016
See also: List of Prince Edward Island by-elections