Lorne (electoral district)
Northwest Territories electoral district | |
---|---|
Defunct territorial electoral district | |
Legislature | Legislative Assembly of the Northwest Territories |
District created | 1881 |
District abolished | 1888 |
First contested | 1881 |
Last contested | 1885 |
Lorne was an electoral district that existed in the District of Saskatchewan, North-West Territories from 1880 until 1888. The district was one of the first three electoral districts in the Territories. It was created by statutory proclamation in 1880. Of the three electoral districts proclaimed, it was the only one to actually have an election held in it.
Under the North-West Territories Act 1880 the district was mandated at its inception to return a single member to the North-West Territories Legislature under the
The electoral district ceased to exist following electoral redistribution before the
Overview
The electoral district was one of three proclaimed by
The electoral district was created with the provision to cover an area of 1,000 square miles (2,600 km2) and have a population of 1000 electors. The major population centres in the electoral district at the time of creation were Prince Albert, and Fort Carlton.[1] The land around the district boomed due to a high rate of settlement in that period. The cause of this was due to the possibility of the Canadian Pacific transcontinental railway line being built through the area.
The North-West Territories political system used at this time was run by an early form of
Members of the Legislative Assembly (MLAs)
Name | Elected | Left office | |
---|---|---|---|
Lawrence Clarke | 1881 | 1883 | |
Day Hort MacDowall | 1883 | 1885 | |
Owen Hughes | 1885 | 1888 |
Election results
1881
The 1881 by-election held on March 23, 1881 was a pivotal milestone towards
March 23, 1881 by-election | |||
[4] | Name | Vote | % |
---|---|---|---|
Lawrence Clarke | 250 | 63.61% | |
Henry Stewart Moore | 143 | 36.39% | |
Total votes | 393 | 100% |
The election was conducted by voice vote, a qualified elector would tell the returning officer at a polling station who he was going to vote for and the results would be tallied. Under the terms of the Act eligible electors were males who had reached the age of majority, which was 21 years of age at that time. The act specified that electors must be bona fide males who were not aliens or unenfranchised Indians. Electors must also have resided in the territory for at least 12 months to the day of the writ being dropped.[5]
The election commenced when
Clarke held a big advantage in the campaign as he was supported by the
1883
Nearing the end of his term in office Clarke decided not to run for re-election in 1883. He was losing too much support due to his ties with the Hudson's Bay Company. The electorate suspected him of working under the influence of his office to locate important government offices on the land owned by the company.[6] Two completely new candidates ran in the 1883 election, Captain Day Hort MacDowall and Dr. Andrew Everett Porter.
June 5, 1883 by-election | |||
[4] | Name | Vote | % |
---|---|---|---|
Day Hort MacDowall | 279 | 69.92% | |
Andrew Porter | 120 | 30.08% | |
Total votes | 399 | 100% |
Andrew Porter was famous for being the first registered private practicing medical doctor in the history of the Northwest Territories. He originally settled in Prince Albert in 1878. MacDowall campaigned by appealing to the concerns of the Métis who comprised the largest demographic in the district. He promised them that he would go to the Federal Government with their demands for better representation. He also helped win support by donating $1,100 out of pocket towards the construction of a new church for the community of Batoche.[8] MacDowall's campaign efforts and donation proved to be very popular.
MacDowall's appeal for representation translated into a landslide victory on election day. On June 5, 1883 he defeated Andrew Porter capturing nearly 70% of the popular vote. His win was the largest majority of the three elections held in the electoral district.[4]
The official results for the race showed MacDowall won big in most of the polls, winning four out of five. Porter's support was concentrated in The Ridge where he won his only poll. MacDowall swept the south end of the district winning a shut out in the Métis communities of
1885
The 1885 election in this district was held on September 17, 1885 as part of the 1885 North-West Territories election. This was the first major election held in the North-West Territories. The election grouped together a number of old districts that had been coming up for renewal on their three-year cycle and by-elections in new districts that were created by a population boom of settlers moving into the territory.
1885 North-West Territories election | |||
[4] | Name | Vote | % |
---|---|---|---|
Owen Hughes | 141 | 51.46% | |
Andrew Porter | 133 | 48.54% | |
Total votes | 274 | 100% |
Incumbent MacDowall, had played a major role in subduing the
On election day, despite increasing his popular share of the vote over the 1883 election even with lower turnout, Porter was defeated by Hughes. The race was very tight and hotly contested nearly ending in a tie vote. Hughes captured the electoral district by a margin of eight votes winning just over 51% of the popular vote.[4]
See also
- Lorne (electoral district) Manitoba provincial electoral district
- Mount Lorne (electoral district) Yukon territorial electoral district
References
- ^ a b Ordinances of the Northwest Territories 1881. P. G. Laurie, Printer to the Government of the Northwest Territories. 1882. p. 6.
- ^ Gordon W. Smith. "The Transfer of Arctic Territories from Great Britain to Canada in 1880" (PDF). University of Calgary. p. 63. Retrieved 2007-10-06.
- ^ "Consensus Government". The Legislative Assembly of the Northwest Territories. Archived from the original on 2007-12-25. Retrieved 2007-11-08.
- ^ a b c d e f g h "North-West Territories: Council and Legislative Assembly, 1876-1905" (PDF). Saskatchewan Archives. p. 27. Archived from the original (PDF) on September 28, 2007. Retrieved 2007-09-30.
- ^ Ordinances of the Northwest Territories 1881. P. G. Laurie, Printer to the Government of the Northwest Territories. 1882. p. 53.
- ^ a b c "Lawrence Clarke Biography". Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 2007-10-06.
- ^ "Chapitre un Les débuts" (in French). Assemblée communautaire fransaskoise. Archived from the original on March 10, 2009. Retrieved 2007-10-06.
- ^ a b "Why did the 1885 Resistance Happen?" (PDF). Virtual Museum of Canada. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2007-10-25. Retrieved 2007-10-07.
- ^ "North-West Council election". Vol. IX No. 298. Manitoba Daily Free Press. June 20, 1883. p. 15.
- ^ "Chief Fergus Hort Day Macdowall of Garthland". Kyle Family Society. Archived from the original on 2013-04-15. Retrieved 2007-10-07.
- ^ "Day Hort MacDowall Federal Political Experience". Parliament of Canada. Archived from the original on 2011-06-04. Retrieved 2007-10-07.
- ^ McCook, James (February 24, 1973). Heroes And Outlaws - Gabriel Dumont: A Rebel Who Won Deepest Respect. Saskatoon Star Phoenix.
53°12′N 105°45′W / 53.200°N 105.750°W