The Conservative Party of Newfoundland was a political party in the

Dominion of Newfoundland Newfoundland was a British dominion in eastern North America, today the modern Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador. It included the island of Newfoundland, and Labrador on the continental mainland. Newfoundland was one of the orig ...

prior to

confederation A confederation (also known as a confederacy or league) is a political union of sovereign states united for purposes of common action. Usually created by a treaty, confederations of states tend to be established for dealing with critical issu ...

with

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 ...

in 1949. The party was formed by members and supporters of the establishment around 1832. In the 1840s, they opposed the proposal for responsible government which was finally granted in 1855. Since the concept was opposed generally by members of the

Anglican Anglicanism, also known as Episcopalianism in some countries, is a Western Christianity, Western Christian tradition which developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the ...

establishment, the early party was almost entirely

Protestant Protestantism is a branch of Christianity that emphasizes Justification (theology), justification of sinners Sola fide, through faith alone, the teaching that Salvation in Christianity, salvation comes by unmerited Grace in Christianity, divin ...

. As politics in Newfoundland developed along sectarian lines, the Conservatives became the Protestant party (with strong links to the Orange Order), while the Liberals were the

Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

party. Under Sir Frederick Carter, the Conservatives supported joining

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 ...

, and campaigned on the proposal in the 1869 general election. The party was badly defeated by Charles Fox Bennett's Anti-Confederation Party. The Conservatives returned to power in 1874, but never proposed joining Canada again. The Conservative party later absorbed the rival Liberals, putting an end to sectarian divisions with a 'denominational compromise'. The united party collapsed in the 1880s when members of the Orange Order abandoned the government of William Whiteway, and formed a new Reform Party under Robert Thorburn. The Reform Party won the 1885 election on a platform of 'Protestant Rights'. Whiteway founded a new Liberal Party after the collapse of the Reform Party. Members of the Orange Order formed a new Tory Party, which formed two short-lived administrations in the 1890s before disappearing. Individual Conservatives were elected as Opposition or United Opposition MHAs before being subsumed into the Newfoundland People's Party (later the Liberal-Labour-Progressive Party) formed by Edward Patrick Morris in 1907 after he resigned from the Liberal government of Sir Robert Bond. In 1924, the Liberal-Conservative-Progressive Party was formed by members of the LLP Party who were largely conservatives and discontented members of the ruling Liberal Reform Party. This new party won the 1924 general election, making its leader Walter Stanley Monroe the new prime minister. In practice, the party was essentially a Tory party. The party was defeated in 1928 under new leader Frederick C. Alderdice, but returned to power in

1932 Events January * January 4 – The British authorities in India arrest and intern Mahatma Gandhi and Vallabhbhai Patel. * January 9 – Sakuradamon Incident (1932), Sakuradamon Incident: Korean nationalist Lee Bong-chang fails in his effort ...

as the United Newfoundland Party (UNP). The UNP ruled for two years until the suspension of responsible government. When responsible government was suspended, Newfoundland's status as an independent dominion within the

British Empire The British Empire comprised the dominions, Crown colony, colonies, protectorates, League of Nations mandate, mandates, and other Dependent territory, territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom and its predecessor states. It bega ...

was brought to an end. The Government of the

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appointed a Commission of Government to govern Newfoundland, bringing an end to party politics on the island. Party politics returned to Newfoundland when it joined

in 1949. At this time, the modern Liberal and Progressive Conservative parties were formed. These new parties were unrelated to the parties that existed prior to 1934.

Leaders

* Frederick Carter 1865-1878 * William Whiteway 1878-1885 * Robert Thorburn 1885-1889 - as leader of the Reform Party * Augustus F. Goodridge 1889-1893 - as leader of the Tory Party * James Spearman Winter 1893-1900 * Walter Stanley Monroe 1924-1928 - as leader of the Liberal-Conservative Progressive Party * Frederick C. Alderdice 1928 - as leader of the Liberal-Conservative Progressive Party and United Newfoundland Party 1928-1934

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Conservative Parties In Newfoundland (Pre-Confederation) Political parties in the Dominion of Newfoundland Progressive Conservative Party of Newfoundland and Labrador

Leaders

See also

References