The 1949 Newfoundland general election was held on 27 May 1949 to elect members of the 29th General Assembly of Newfoundland. It was the first general election held since

Newfoundland Newfoundland and Labrador is the easternmost province of Canada, in the country's Atlantic region. The province comprises the island of Newfoundland and the continental region of Labrador, having a total size of . As of 2025 the population ...

joined

Canadian Confederation Canadian Confederation () was the process by which three British North American provinces—the Province of Canada, Nova Scotia, and New Brunswick—were united into one federation, called the Name of Canada#Adoption of Dominion, Dominion of Ca ...

on 31 March 1949 and the first Newfoundland-wide election of any kind since the suspension of

responsible government Responsible government is a conception of a system of government that embodies the principle of parliamentary accountability, the foundation of the Westminster system of parliamentary democracy. Governments (the equivalent of the executive br ...

and the creation of the

Commission of Government The Commission of Government was a non-elected body that governed the Dominion of Newfoundland from 1934 to 1949. Established following the collapse of Newfoundland's economy during the Great Depression, it was dissolved when the dominion became ...

in 1934. The election was won by 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 ...

Joey Smallwood Joseph Roberts Smallwood (December 24, 1900 – December 17, 1991) was a Newfoundlander and Canadian politician. He was the main force who brought the Dominion of Newfoundland into Canadian Confederation in 1949, becoming the first premier of ...

was invited to form an interim administration when Newfoundland became a part of

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...

just before midnight on March 31, 1949. This interim Smallwood administration continued until the results of the May election. The election was held under the ''House of Assembly Act of 1932'', with the same 27 seats, plus a new seat for

Labrador Labrador () is a geographic and cultural region within the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador. It is the primarily continental portion of the province and constitutes 71% of the province's area but is home to only 6% of its populatio ...

, though the election in the

seat was deferred until July 25. The five seats where Progressive Conservatives won had all voted heavily against confederation in the

1948 Newfoundland referendums The Newfoundland referendums of 1948 were a series of two referendums to decide the political future of the Dominion of Newfoundland. Before the referendums, Newfoundland was in debt and went through several delegations to determine whether the ...

Results

Results by district

*Names in boldface type represent party leaders.

St. John's

, - , bgcolor=whitesmoke rowspan=2, St. John's East , , Geoffrey Carnell
6,417
24.51% , , , John G. Higgins
6,878
26.27% , rowspan=4, , rowspan=4, ''New districts'' , - , , James Fagan
6,276
23.97% , , , Frank Fogwill
6,611
25.25% , - , bgcolor=whitesmoke rowspan=2,

St. John's West St. John's West could refer to: * St. John's West (federal electoral district) * St. John's West (provincial electoral district) {{Disambiguation ...

, , , Oliver Vardy
8,411
26.55% , , Harry Mews
7,526
23.76% , - , , , James Spratt
8,363
26.40% , ,

Michael Harrington Edward Michael Harrington Jr. (February 24, 1928 – July 31, 1989) was an American democratic socialist. As a writer, he was best known as the author of '' The Other America'' (1962). Harrington was also a political activist, theorist, profess ...

7,381
23.30%

Conception Bay

, - , bgcolor=whitesmoke, Carbonear-Bay de Verde , , , Herbert Pottle
3,770
69.85% , , Clayton Puddester
1,627
30.15% , rowspan=5, , rowspan=5, ''New districts'' , - , bgcolor=whitesmoke,

Harbour Grace Harbour Grace is a town in Conception Bay on the Avalon Peninsula in the province of Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. With roots dating back to the 16th century, it is one of the oldest towns in North America. It is located about northwest of ...

, , ,

James Chalker James Ronald Chalker (October 12, 1912 – August 17, 2003) was a Canadian politician and businessperson. He represented the electoral districts of Harbour Grace and St. Barbe North in the Newfoundland and Labrador House of Assembly from 1949 ...

2,066
62.55% , , Richard Parsons
1,237
37.45% , - , bgcolor=whitesmoke rowspan=2, Harbour Main-Bell Island , , Addison Bown
2,927
21.21% , , , David Jackman
4,259
30.86% , - , , Myles Murray
2,807
20.34% , , ,

Ronald Fahey Ronald J. Fahey (1905–1952) was a labour leader and politician in Newfoundland. He represented Harbour Main-Bell Island in the Newfoundland House of Assembly The Newfoundland and Labrador House of Assembly () is the Unicameralism, unic ...

3,808
27.59% , - , bgcolor=whitesmoke, Port de Grave , , , George Makinson
2,243
64.73% , , W.R. Dawe
1,222
35.27% , -

Avalon and Burin Peninsulas

, - , bgcolor=whitesmoke, Burin , , , Phillip Forsey
3,947
90.47% , , Grace Sparkes
416
9.53% , , , rowspan=6, , rowspan=6, ''New districts'' , - , bgcolor=whitesmoke rowspan=2,

Ferryland Ferryland is a town in Newfoundland and Labrador on the Avalon Peninsula. According to the 2021 Statistics Canada census, its population is 371. Seventeenth century settlement Ferryland was originally established as a station for migratory fi ...

, rowspan=2, , rowspan=2, Augustus Greene
456
13.82% , rowspan=2, , rowspan=2, , , ,

Peter Cashin Major Peter John Cashin (March 8, 1890 – May 21, 1977) was a businessman, soldier and politician in Newfoundland. Early life Cashin, a son of Sir Michael Cashin, joined the Newfoundland Regiment during World War I and ultimately served in ...

(Independent)
2,506
75.94% , - , , John O'Brien (Independent)
338
10.24% , - , bgcolor=whitesmoke,

Placentia-St. Mary's Placentia—St. Mary's is a provinces and territories of Canada, provincial electoral district (Canada), electoral district for the Newfoundland and Labrador House of Assembly, House of Assembly of Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. As of 2011, th ...

, , Michael Sinnott
2,022
48.28% , , , Leonard Miller
2,166
51.72% , , , - , bgcolor=whitesmoke, Placentia West , , , Patrick Canning
3,100
78.28% , ,

Leo Murphy Leo Murphy may refer to: * Leo Murphy (Australian footballer), Australian rules footballer * Leo Murphy (baseball), catcher in Major League Baseball * Leo Murphy (Gaelic footballer), Northern Irish Gaelic footballer * Leo J. Murphy, merchan ...

860
21.72% , , , - , bgcolor=whitesmoke,

Trinity South The Trinity (, from 'threefold') is the Christian doctrine concerning the nature of God in Christianity, God, which defines one God existing in three, , consubstantial prosopon, divine persons: God the Father (Christianity), God the Father, ...

, , ,

Maxwell Button Charles Maxwell Button (August 5, 1913 – 1983) was a former civil servant and politician in Newfoundland. He represented Trinity South in the Newfoundland House of Assembly The Newfoundland and Labrador House of Assembly () is the Unicame ...

3,070
72.71% , , Isaac Mercer
1,152
27.29% , ,

Eastern and Central Newfoundland

, - , bgcolor=whitesmoke,

Bonavista North Bonavista North was a provincial electoral district for the House of Assembly of Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. It existed from when Newfoundland joined confederation in 1949 until 2015. As of 2011 the district had 6,956 eligible voters. Wh ...

, , ,

4,215
86.87% , , James Way
637
13.13% , rowspan=7, , rowspan=7, ''New districts'' , - , bgcolor=whitesmoke,

Bonavista South Bonavista South is a former provincial electoral district for the House of Assembly of Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. As of 2011 the district had 6,843 eligible voters. It contains the communities of: Bonavista, Spillars Cove, Birchy Cove ...

, , , Ted Russell
3,643
68.63% , , Walter Young
1,583
31.37% , - , bgcolor=whitesmoke, Fogo , , , Gordon Janes
3,121
83.83% , , Harold Earle
602
16.17% , - , bgcolor=whitesmoke, Grand Falls , , , Edward Spencer
7,014
81.56% , , Lewis Cooper
1,586
18.44% , - , bgcolor=whitesmoke, Green Bay , , , Baxter Morgan
2,901
87.12% , , Roy Manuel
429
12.88% , - , bgcolor=whitesmoke, Trinity North , , , Samuel Hefferton
3,727
78.40% , , James Mifflin
1,027
21.60% , - , bgcolor=whitesmoke,

Twillingate Twillingate is a town of 2,121 people located on the Twillingate Islands ("Toulinquet") in Notre Dame Bay, off the north eastern shore of the island of Newfoundland in the province of Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. The town is about north ...

, , , Leslie Curtis
3,100
91.36% , , Cyril Parkins
293
8.64%

Southern and Western Newfoundland

, - , bgcolor=whitesmoke, Burgeo-La Poile , , , Herman Quinton
3,225
92.65% , , Edgar Skinner
256
7.35% , , , rowspan=6, , rowspan=6, ''New districts'' , - , bgcolor=whitesmoke, Fortune and Hermitage , , , John R. Courage
4,032
92.54% , , Douglas Pinsent
325
7.46% , , , - , bgcolor=whitesmoke,

Humber The Humber is a large tidal estuary on the east coast of Northern England. It is formed at Trent Falls, Faxfleet, by the confluence of the tidal rivers River Ouse, Yorkshire, Ouse and River Trent, Trent. From there to the North Sea, it forms ...

, , , Charles Ballam
7,174
83.25% , , Pierce Fudge
1,307
15.17% , , Louis Bonnell (Independent)
136
1.58% , - , bgcolor=whitesmoke, St. Barbe , , , Reginald Sparkes
2,588
93.16% , , George Whiteley
190
6.84% , , , - , bgcolor=whitesmoke, St. George's-Port au Port , , , William Keough
4,076
81.50% , , John Dawson
925
18.50% , , , - , bgcolor=whitesmoke, White Bay , , ,

Sam Drover Samuel Drover (1911 in Hodge's Cove, Trinity Bay, Dominion of Newfoundland – June 20, 2005) was a longtime member of Newfoundland's House of Assembly and founded the Newfoundland Co-operative Commonwealth Federation (CCF), a social democr ...

4,023
90.61% , , Frederick Wells
417
9.39% , , , -

Labrador

, - , bgcolor=whitesmoke,

, , ,

Harold Horwood Harold Andrew Horwood, CM (November 2, 1923 – April 16, 2006) was a Canadian novelist, non-fiction writer and politician from Newfoundland and Labrador. He served as the member of the Newfoundland House of Assembly for Labrador from 1949 t ...

1,268
90.51% , , Samuel D. Grant
133
9.49% , , , ''New district''

Results

Results by district

St. John's

Conception Bay

Avalon and Burin Peninsulas

Eastern and Central Newfoundland

Southern and Western Newfoundland

Labrador

Notes

References

Further reading