Thames (New Zealand electorate)

Thames is a former New Zealand electorate, in the Thames-Coromandel District. It existed from 1871 to 1946.

Geography

The electorate is based on the town of Thames. At times, it covered the Coromandel Peninsula.

History

The electorate existed from 1871 to 1946. At times, it was a multi-member electorate. It was represented by ten Members of Parliament.^[1]

Charles O'Neill was the first representative, elected in the 1871 general election. He represented the electorate until the end of the term in December 1875.^[2]

Thames was then converted into a two-member electorate. George Grey stood for both the City of Auckland West and the Thames electorates in the 1875 general election. In the two-member Auckland electorate, only Grey and Patrick Dignan were put forward as candidates, and were thus declared elected on 22 December 1875.^[3] The Thames electorate was contested by six candidates, including Julius Vogel (who was Premier in 1875), William Rowe and Charles Featherstone Mitchell. On election day (6 January 1876), Grey attracted the highest number of votes and unexpectedly, Rowe beat Vogel to second place (Vogel also stood in a second electorate – Wanganui, where he was returned). Hence Grey and Rowe were declared elected for Thames.^[4] A protest against Grey's election was lodged with the returning officer the following day, stating that Grey had not been eligible to stand for election in Thames, as he had already been elected in Auckland West. This petition was filed to the House of Representatives at the end of January.^[5]

With this controversy going on for several months, but being unresolved, Grey advised in mid June 1876 in a series of telegrams that he had chosen to represent Auckland West.^[6] On 8 July, the report of the committee inquiring into Sir George Grey's election for the Thames was read to the House. It was found that his election to the Thames electorate was in accordance with the law, but that he had to make a decision which electorate he would represent.^[7] On 15 July 1876, Grey announced that he would represent Thames, and he moved that a by-election be held in Auckland West for the seat that he would vacate there.^[8]

Rowe retired at the end of the term. The 1879 general election was contested by John Sheehan and George Grey, and they were thus declared elected unopposed.^[9]

In 1881, the electorate reverted to be represented by only one member. In the 1881 general election, Grey successfully contested Auckland East.^[10] Sheehan was confirmed as the representative for Thames.^[11]

In the 1884 general election, Sheehan (unsuccessfully) contested Napier. William Fraser was elected for Thames. Fraser was confirmed again in the 1887 general election.^[12]

Edmund Taylor^[13] and Alfred Cadman contested the Thames electorate in the 1890 general election. Cadman was successful with a 104 votes majority.^[14] He resigned his seat on 11 July 1893.^[15]

The resulting 31 July 1893 by-election was unanimously won by James McGowan, and he represented the electorate for many years until his resignation on 6 January 1909, as he was appointed to the Legislative Council.^[16]

Taylor, who was unsuccessful in 1890 against Cadman, won the resulting 4 February 1909 by-election. The second ballot electoral system was in place at the time, and required for this by-election. He held the electorate until the end of the parliamentary term in 1911.^[17]

Thomas William Rhodes defeated Taylor in the 1911 general election.^[18] Rhodes represented the electorate until his retirement in 1928.^[19]

In 1919 Mrs Aileen Cooke in Thames was one of three women who stood at short notice when women were able to stand as candidates for election to parliament.

Albert Samuel was first elected in the 1928 general election. He was re-elected in 1931 and retired in 1935.^[20]

Jim Thorn was the last representative of Thames. He was first elected in the 1935 general election. His parliamentary career finished in 1946.^[21] In the following year, he became High Commissioner to Canada. The Thames electorate was abolished in 1946.^[22]

Members of Parliament

Thames was represented by ten Members of Parliament.^[1]

Key

Independent Liberal Reform Labour

single-member electorate (1st time)

From 1871 to 1875, Thames was represented by one Member of Parliament.

Election	Winner
1871 election		Charles O'Neill

multi-member electorate

From 1876 to 1881, Thames was a two-member electorate. It was represented by three Members of Parliament:

Election	Winner
1876 election		William Rowe	George Grey
1879 election		John Sheehan

single-member electorate (2nd time)

From 1881 to 1946, Thames was a single member electorate again. Sheehan continued his representation, and six other members followed him:

Election	Winner
1881 election		John Sheehan
1884 election		William Fraser
1887 election
1890 election		Alfred Cadman
1893 by-election		James McGowan
1893 election
1896 election
1899 election
1902 election
1905 election
1908 election
1909 by-election		Edmund Taylor
1911 election		Thomas William Rhodes
1914 election

1919 election
1922 election
1925 election
1928 election		Albert Samuel
1931 election
1935 election		Jim Thorn
1938 election
1943 election
(Electorate abolished 1946)

Election results

1943 election

1943 general election: Thames^[23]^[24]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Jim Thorn	5,534	49.74	−9.61
	National	William Alexander Clark	4,599	41.33	+1.54
	Democratic Labour	Balfour Dawson	458	4.11
	People's Movement	Reginald Day	312	2.80
Informal votes			140	1.25	+0.40
Majority			935	8.40	−11.15
Turnout			11,125	94.74	+1.96
Registered electors			11,742

1938 election

1938 general election: Thames^[25]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Jim Thorn	6,965	59.35	+4.65
	National	William Alexander Clark	4,670	39.79
Informal votes			100	0.85	+0.12
Majority			2,295	19.55	+7.99
Turnout			11,735	92.78	+0.12
Registered electors			12,648

1935 election

1935 general election: Thames^[26]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Jim Thorn	5,969	54.70
	Reform	Albert Samuel	4,707	43.13	−9.47
	Democrat	Patrick Keegan	236	2.16
Informal votes			80	0.73	−0.46
Majority			1,262	11.56
Turnout			10,912	92.66	+8.17
Registered electors			11,776

1931 election

1931 general election: Thames^[27]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Reform	Albert Samuel	4,702	52.60
	Labour	John Sommerville Montgomerie^[28]	4,238	47.40
Majority			464	5.19
Informal votes			108	1.19
Turnout			9,048	84.49
Registered electors			10,709

1928 election

1928 general election: Thames^[29]^[30]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Reform	Albert Samuel	4,202	44.60
	Labour	John Sommerville Montgomerie	2,900	30.78
	United	Ernest McGregor	2,319	24.62
Majority			1,302	13.82
Informal votes			86	0.90
Turnout			9,507	88.68
Registered electors			10,720

1909 by-election

1909 Thames by-election: Second ballot^[31]^[32]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Liberal	Edmund Taylor	2,241	55.79
	Liberal	William Henry Lucas	1,776	44.21
Turnout			4,017

1909 Thames by-election: First ballot^[33]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Liberal	Edmund Taylor	1,305	34.44
	Liberal	William Henry Lucas	853	22.51
	Conservative	Ernest Deeble	573	15.12
	Liberal	Thomas William Rhodes	565	14.91
	Conservative	Frederick Henry Haselden	493	13.01
Turnout			3,789

1899 election

1899 general election: Thames^[34]^[35]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	James McGowan	2,573	54.99	+0.93
	Liberal	Henry Greenslade	1,389	29.69
	Independent	Edmund Taylor	717	15.32	−30.61
Majority			1,184	25.30	+17.18
Informal votes			71	1.49	+0.30
Turnout			4,750	76.17	−1.87
Registered electors			6,236

1896 election

1896 general election: Thames^[36]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Liberal	James McGowan	2,149	54.06
	Independent Liberal	Edmund Taylor	1,826	45.94
Majority			323	8.13
Informal votes			48	1.19
Registered electors			5,155
Turnout			4,023	78.04

1890 election

1890 general election: Thames^[37]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Liberal	Alfred Cadman	982	52.79
	Liberal–Labour	Edmund Taylor	878	47.20
Majority			104	5.59
Turnout			1,860	75.60
Registered electors			2,460

1876 election

1876 general election, Thames^[38]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Independent	Sir George Grey	984	67.53
	Independent	William Rowe	862	59.16
	Independent	Sir Julius Vogel	685	47.01
	Independent	C F Mitchell	330	22.64
	Independent	C O'Neil	26	1.78
	Independent	C Cornes	20	1.37
	Independent	S Stephenson	7	0.48
Majority			177	12.14
Turnout			1,457

References

^ ^a ^b Scholefield 1950, p. 164.
^ Scholefield 1950, p. 130.
^ "(By Telegraph). Auckland. Dec. 22". Vol. XXIII, no. 1159. North Otago Times. 23 December 1875. p. 2. Retrieved 11 April 2010.
^ "THE ELECTIONS". Vol. XXXII, no. 5708. Daily Southern Cross. 8 January 1876. p. 3. Retrieved 13 April 2010.
^ "The Thames election : petition against sir George Grey's election". Vol. XXXII, no. 5724. Daily Southern Cross. 1 February 1876. p. 3. Retrieved 13 April 2010.
^ "Sir George Grey and the seats for the Thames and City West". Vol. XXXII, no. 5205. Daily Southern Cross. 17 June 1876. p. 3. Retrieved 13 April 2010.
^ "New Zealand Parliament". Vol. XXIV, no. 2427. Taranaki Herald. 12 July 1876. p. 3. Retrieved 13 April 2010.
^ "Parliamentary". Vol. IV, no. 401. Bay Of Plenty Times. 15 July 1876. Retrieved 13 April 2010.
^ "Thames election". Bay Of Plenty Times. Vol. VIII, no. 777. 4 September 1879. p. 3. Retrieved 7 January 2011.
^ Scholefield 1950, p. 110.
^ Scholefield 1950, p. 138.
^ Scholefield 1925, p. 107.
^ "The Thames Election". Thames Star. Vol. XXII, no. 6749. 5 December 1890. p. 2. Retrieved 8 January 2011.
^ "Election After-thoughts". Observer. Vol. X, no. 624. 13 December 1890. p. 3. Retrieved 8 January 2011.
^ Scholefield 1950, p. 99.
^ Scholefield 1925, pp. 80, 122.
^ Scholefield 1925, p. 143.
^ "Thames News : The Thames Election". Thames Star. Vol. XLVI, no. 10128. 9 December 1911. p. 2. Retrieved 8 January 2011.
^ Scholefield 1925, p. 135.
^ Scholefield 1925, p. 137.
^ Scholefield 1925, p. 144.
^ Scholefield 1925, p. 164.
^ "The General Election, 1943". National Library. 1944. p. 11. Retrieved 28 March 2014.
^ "Electoral". The New Zealand Herald. Vol. 80, no. 24764. 11 December 1943. p. 6. Retrieved 16 May 2017.
^ "The General Election, 1938". National Library. 1939. pp. 1–6. Retrieved 8 February 2012.
^ The General Election, 1935. National Library. 1936. pp. 1–35. Retrieved 3 August 2013.
^ The General Election, 1931. Government Printer. 1932. p. 5. Retrieved 2 November 2014.
^ "Reform Triumph". The Northern Advocate. 18 June 1925. p. 5. Retrieved 15 December 2014.
^ Skinner, W. A. G. (1929). The General Election, 1928. Government Printer. p. 5. Retrieved 27 February 2020.
^ "Public notices". Waihi Daily Telegraph. Vol. XXV, no. 7769. 1 November 1928. p. 3. Retrieved 27 February 2020.
^ "The Thames Election". Thames Star. Vol. XLV, no. 10633. 5 February 1909. p. 2. Retrieved 23 March 2016.
^ "Thames By-Election". The Press. Vol. LXV, no. 13342. 6 February 1909. p. 9. Retrieved 23 March 2016.
^ "Success of Government Candidate". Thames Star. Vol. XLV, no. 10627. 29 January 1909. p. 2. Retrieved 23 March 2016.
^ "The General Election, 1899". Wellington: Appendix to the Journals of the House of Representatives. 19 June 1900. p. 1. Retrieved 12 February 2014.
^ "Electoral District of Thames". Thames Advertiser. Vol. XXIX, no. 9510. 13 December 1899. p. 3. Retrieved 20 February 2014.
^ "Electoral District of Thames". Thames Advertiser. Vol. XXVIII, no. 8607. 10 December 1896. p. 3. Retrieved 9 January 2014.
^ "The General Election, 1890". National Library. 1891. Retrieved 25 February 2012.
^ "Declaration of the Poll at Thames". The New Zealand Herald. Vol. XIII, no. 4419. 12 January 1876. p. 3. Retrieved 19 November 2016.

Bibliography

Scholefield, Guy (1925) [First ed. published 1913]. New Zealand Parliamentary Record (2nd ed.). Wellington: Govt. Printer.
Scholefield, Guy (1950) [First ed. published 1913]. New Zealand Parliamentary Record, 1840–1949 (3rd ed.). Wellington: Govt. Printer.
Wilson, James Oakley (1985) [First ed. published 1913]. New Zealand Parliamentary Record, 1840–1984 (4th ed.). Wellington: V.R. Ward, Govt. Printer. OCLC 154283103.

[FOOTNOTEScholefield1950164-1] Scholefield 1950, p. 164.

[FOOTNOTEScholefield1950130-2] Scholefield 1950, p. 130.

[Akld_West_results_Dec_1875-3] "(By Telegraph). Auckland. Dec. 22". Vol. XXIII, no. 1159. North Otago Times. 23 December 1875. p. 2. Retrieved 11 April 2010.

[1876_Thames_detailed_results-4] "THE ELECTIONS". Vol. XXXII, no. 5708. Daily Southern Cross. 8 January 1876. p. 3. Retrieved 13 April 2010.

[Petition_against_Grey_in_Thames-5] "The Thames election : petition against sir George Grey's election". Vol. XXXII, no. 5724. Daily Southern Cross. 1 February 1876. p. 3. Retrieved 13 April 2010.

[6] "Sir George Grey and the seats for the Thames and City West". Vol. XXXII, no. 5205. Daily Southern Cross. 17 June 1876. p. 3. Retrieved 13 April 2010.

[7] "New Zealand Parliament". Vol. XXIV, no. 2427. Taranaki Herald. 12 July 1876. p. 3. Retrieved 13 April 2010.

[Grey's_decision_to_represent_Thames-8] "Parliamentary". Vol. IV, no. 401. Bay Of Plenty Times. 15 July 1876. Retrieved 13 April 2010.

[9] "Thames election". Bay Of Plenty Times. Vol. VIII, no. 777. 4 September 1879. p. 3. Retrieved 7 January 2011.

[FOOTNOTEScholefield1950110-10] Scholefield 1950, p. 110.

[FOOTNOTEScholefield1950138-11] Scholefield 1950, p. 138.

[FOOTNOTEScholefield1925107-12] Scholefield 1925, p. 107.

[13] "The Thames Election". Thames Star. Vol. XXII, no. 6749. 5 December 1890. p. 2. Retrieved 8 January 2011.

[14] "Election After-thoughts". Observer. Vol. X, no. 624. 13 December 1890. p. 3. Retrieved 8 January 2011.

[FOOTNOTEScholefield195099-15] Scholefield 1950, p. 99.

[FOOTNOTEScholefield192580,_122-16] Scholefield 1925, pp. 80, 122.

[FOOTNOTEScholefield1925143-17] Scholefield 1925, p. 143.

[18] "Thames News : The Thames Election". Thames Star. Vol. XLVI, no. 10128. 9 December 1911. p. 2. Retrieved 8 January 2011.

[FOOTNOTEScholefield1925135-19] Scholefield 1925, p. 135.

[FOOTNOTEScholefield1925137-20] Scholefield 1925, p. 137.

[FOOTNOTEScholefield1925144-21] Scholefield 1925, p. 144.

[FOOTNOTEScholefield1925164-22] Scholefield 1925, p. 164.

[23] "The General Election, 1943". National Library. 1944. p. 11. Retrieved 28 March 2014.

[24] "Electoral". The New Zealand Herald. Vol. 80, no. 24764. 11 December 1943. p. 6. Retrieved 16 May 2017.

[25] "The General Election, 1938". National Library. 1939. pp. 1–6. Retrieved 8 February 2012.

[The_General_Election_1935-26] The General Election, 1935. National Library. 1936. pp. 1–35. Retrieved 3 August 2013.

[1931_election-27] The General Election, 1931. Government Printer. 1932. p. 5. Retrieved 2 November 2014.

[28] "Reform Triumph". The Northern Advocate. 18 June 1925. p. 5. Retrieved 15 December 2014.

[1928_election-29] Skinner, W. A. G. (1929). The General Election, 1928. Government Printer. p. 5. Retrieved 27 February 2020.

[30] "Public notices". Waihi Daily Telegraph. Vol. XXV, no. 7769. 1 November 1928. p. 3. Retrieved 27 February 2020.

[Thames_1909_second_ballot-31] "The Thames Election". Thames Star. Vol. XLV, no. 10633. 5 February 1909. p. 2. Retrieved 23 March 2016.

[32] "Thames By-Election". The Press. Vol. LXV, no. 13342. 6 February 1909. p. 9. Retrieved 23 March 2016.

[Thames_1909_first_ballot-33] "Success of Government Candidate". Thames Star. Vol. XLV, no. 10627. 29 January 1909. p. 2. Retrieved 23 March 2016.

[34] "The General Election, 1899". Wellington: Appendix to the Journals of the House of Representatives. 19 June 1900. p. 1. Retrieved 12 February 2014.

[35] "Electoral District of Thames". Thames Advertiser. Vol. XXIX, no. 9510. 13 December 1899. p. 3. Retrieved 20 February 2014.

[1896_election-36] "Electoral District of Thames". Thames Advertiser. Vol. XXVIII, no. 8607. 10 December 1896. p. 3. Retrieved 9 January 2014.

[General_Election,_1890-37] "The General Election, 1890". National Library. 1891. Retrieved 25 February 2012.

[38] "Declaration of the Poll at Thames". The New Zealand Herald. Vol. XIII, no. 4419. 12 January 1876. p. 3. Retrieved 19 November 2016.

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