The 1926 Eden by-election was a

by-election A by-election, also known as a special election in the United States and the Philippines, or a bypoll in India, is an election used to fill an office that has become vacant between general elections. A vacancy may arise as a result of an incumben ...

for the Eden electorate during the

22nd New Zealand Parliament The 22nd New Zealand Parliament was a term of the New Zealand Parliament. Its composition was determined by the 1925 election, and it sat until the 1928 election. Historical context The 22nd Parliament saw the Reform Party's Gordon Coates co ...

. The seat became vacant after the appointment of the sitting member, James Parr of the Reform Party as High Commissioner to London. Parr resigned on 26 March. Labour won the by-election and became the official opposition in Parliament.

Background

The by-election was held on 15 April 1926. Three candidates contested the seat.

James Gunson Sir James Henry Gunson (26 October 1877 – 12 May 1963) was a New Zealand businessman and Mayor of Auckland City from 1915 to 1925. He was knighted in 1924. W Gunson & Co Born and educated in Auckland, in his mid-twenties he took over W Gunso ...

the ''official'' Reform candidate had been

Mayor of Auckland The mayor of Auckland is the elected head of local government in the Auckland Region of New Zealand's North Island; one of 67 Mayors in New Zealand, mayors in the country. The principle city of the region (and its namesake) is Auckland. The may ...

from 1915 to 1925.

Ellen Melville Eliza Ellen Melville (13 May 1882 – 27 July 1946) was a New Zealand lawyer and politician. She was New Zealand's second female lawyer, and the first woman elected to a city council in New Zealand. She sat on the Auckland City Council for 33 ye ...

stood as an "Independent" Reform candidate, claiming interference by the

party organiser A party organizer or local party organizer is a position in some political parties in charge of the establishing a party organization in a certain locality. Herbert Ames wrote in his 1911 article "Organization of Political Parties in Canada" :"Pr ...

Albert Davy prevented her being selected as the official candidate. The Reform Party vote was split allowing the Labour candidate,

Rex Mason Henry Greathead Rex Mason (3 June 1885 – 2 April 1975) was a New Zealand politician. He served as Attorney General, Minister of Justice, Minister of Education, and Minister of Native Affairs, and had a significant influence on the directio ...

, to win. The

Liberal Party The Liberal Party is any of many political parties around the world. The meaning of ''liberal'' varies around the world, ranging from liberal conservatism on the right to social liberalism on the left. For example, while the political systems ...

was "so weak .... that they could not field a candidate. Labour's candidate in Eden from the previous general election,

was successful in winning the party nomination. The three others who vied for the candidacy were

Frank Langstone Frank Langstone (10 December 1881 – 15 June 1969) was a New Zealand Member of Parliament, Cabinet Minister and High Commissioner to ''Canada'' . Biography Early life Langstone was born in Bulls probably on 10 December 1881. He was the four ...

(former MP for Waimarino),

Tom Bloodworth Thomas Bloodworth (10 February 1882 – 11 May 1974) was a New Zealand politician. He was a Member of the Legislative Council and its last Chairman of Committees. Political career Born in Maxey, Northamptonshire in 1882, Bloodworth was a mem ...

(an

Auckland City Council Auckland City Council was the local government authority for Auckland City, New Zealand, from 1989 to 1 November 2010, when it and Auckland's six other city and district councils were amalgamated to form the Auckland Council. It was an elec ...

lor) and Jim Purtell (secretary of the Auckland Glassworkers' Union). Gunson was expected to "romp home" in the by-election; Reform had 55 seats. But with the Liberals having 11 seats plus two Liberal-leaning independents and Labour 12, Labour realised their chance to be the official Opposition and "threw their all" into their contest; helped by Melville standing as Independent Reform. "Never before or since have people in the sprawling electorate stretching from

Eden Park Eden Park is a sports venue in Auckland, New Zealand. It is located three kilometres southwest of the Auckland CBD, on the boundary between the suburbs of Mount Eden and Kingsland. The main stadium has a nominal capacity of 50,000, and is s ...

, through Mount Albert, Pt Chevalier, New Lynn, Te Atatu, Massey and Hobsonville been wooed as assiduously as they were in March and April 1926" with party leaders Coates and Holland spending days in the electorate. As a result of Labour's candidate

winning the by-election, Labour became the second largest party in Parliament and

Harry Holland Henry Edmund Holland (10 June 1868 – 8 October 1933) was an Australian-born newspaper owner, politician and unionist who relocated to New Zealand. He was the second leader of the New Zealand Labour Party. Early life Holland was born at G ...

became

Leader of the Opposition The Leader of the Opposition is a title traditionally held by the leader of the Opposition (parliamentary), largest political party not in government, typical in countries utilizing the parliamentary system form of government. The leader of the ...

on 16 June 1926.

Result

The following table gives the election results:

Results by locality

Following table showcasts the detailed results by locality for the ballot:

Notes

References

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Eden By-Election, 1926 Eden 1926 1926 elections in New Zealand Politics of the Auckland Region 1920s in Auckland