1861 Upper Hunter colonial by-election

A by-election was held for the New South Wales Legislative Assembly electorate of Upper Hunter on 15 April 1861 because of the resignation of John Robertson.[1] Roberston had resigned as Premier on 9 January 1861 to concentrate on the passage of the Robertson Land Acts, which would open up the free selection of Crown land. The bills were passed by the Legislative Assembly on 26 March 1861,[2] and Robertson resigned to be appointed to the Legislative Council to ensure their passage into law.[3]

Dates

Date	Event
9 January 1861	John Robertson resigned as Premier.[1]
26 March 1861	Robertson Land Acts passed by the Legislative Assembly.[2]
28 March 1861	John Robertson resigned as member for Upper Hunter.[1] Writ of election issued by the Speaker of the Legislative Assembly.[4]
11 April 1861	Nominations
15 April 1861	Polling day
20 April 1861	Return of writ

Results

1861 Upper Hunter by-election
Monday 15 April [5]

Candidate		Votes	%
Thomas Dangar (elected)		163	35.8
William Gordon		104	22.9
Alexander Johnston		108	23.7
Donald McIntyre		80	17.6
Total formal votes		455	100.0
Informal votes		0	0.0
Turnout		455	34.1

Aftermath

The Robertson Lands Acts became law on 18 October 1861.[6][7] John Robertson resigned from the Legislative Council on 30 December 1861,[1] and returned to the Legislative Assembly on 7 January 1862, unopposed at the 1862 Shoalhaven by-election.[8]

See also

• Electoral results for the district of Upper Hunter
• List of New South Wales state by-elections

References

1. "Sir John Robertson (1816–1891)". Former members of the Parliament of New South Wales. Retrieved 18 April 2019.
2. "Legislative Assembly". The Sydney Morning Herald. 27 March 1861. p. 5. Retrieved 28 November 2019 – via Trove.
3. Nairn, Bede. "Robertson, Sir John (1816–1891)". Australian Dictionary of Biography. Canberra: National Centre of Biography, Australian National University. ISBN 978-0-522-84459-7. ISSN 1833-7538. OCLC 70677943. Retrieved 10 October 2019.
4. "Writ of election: Upper Hunter". New South Wales Government Gazette. No. 139. 27 May 1861. p. 1193. Retrieved 16 October 2019 – via Trove.
5. Green, Antony. "1861 Upper Hunter by-election". New South Wales Election Results 1856-2007. Parliament of New South Wales. Retrieved 28 November 2019.
6. "Crown Lands Alienation Act of 1861" (PDF). Government of New South Wales. 18 October 1861. Retrieved 28 August 2016 – via AustLII.
7. "Crown Lands Occupation Act of 1861" (PDF). Government of New South Wales. 18 October 1861. Retrieved 28 August 2016 – via AustLII.
8. Green, Antony. "1862 Shoalhaven by-election". New South Wales Election Results 1856-2007. Parliament of New South Wales. Retrieved 28 November 2019.