The 1878 Newfoundland general election was held on November 9, 1878 to elect the members of the 13th General Assembly of Newfoundland in the Newfoundland Colony. The Conservative Party led by William Whiteway formed the government. Whiteway, who had succeeded Frederick Carter earlier in the year, ran on a platform promoting the development of a trans-insular railway. As Anti-Confederate leader Charles Fox Bennett had retired, the opposition to the government became disorganized, and it was loosely led by James Conroy and Robert Pinsent.
|- |bgcolor=whitesmoke rowspan=3|St. John's East |rowspan=3 | |rowspan=3|Robert Parsons Jr.<br>1,014<br>24.36% || |Michael O'Mara<br>1,114<br>26.77% || |Robert Kent |- || |Robert Kent<br>1,109<br>26.65% || |Robert Parsons Sr.â |- | |John Dearin<br>925<br>22.22% || |John Dearin |- |bgcolor=whitesmoke rowspan=3|St. John's West | | || |Lewis Tessier<br>Won by acclamation || |Lewis Tessier |- | | || |Patrick Scott<br>Won by acclamation || |Maurice Fenelon |- | | || |Maurice Fenelon<br>Won by acclamation || |Patrick Scott
|- |bgcolor=whitesmoke|Bay de Verde || |Alfred Penney<br>Won by acclamation | | || |James Rogersonâ¡<br><small>(ran in Burin)</small> |- |bgcolor=whitesmoke|Carbonear || |John Rorke<br>Majority of over 200 votes | |Francis Taylor || |John Rorke |- |bgcolor=whitesmoke rowspan=2|Harbour Grace || |Ambrose Shea<br>777<br>33.40% |rowspan=2 | |rowspan=2|Charles Dawe<br>823<br>35.38% || |Ambrose Shea |- | |Joseph Godden<br>726<br>31.21% || |Joseph Godden |- |bgcolor=whitesmoke rowspan=2|Harbour Main |rowspan=2| |rowspan=2|Charles Furey || |Joseph Little || |Joseph Little |- || |Patrick Nowlan || |Patrick Nowlan |- |bgcolor=whitesmoke rowspan=2|Port de Grave || |Nathan Norman<br>Majority of 153 votes |rowspan=2| |rowspan=2| |rowspan=2 | |rowspan=2|Nathaniel Rabbitts |- | |Nathaniel Rabbitts
|- |bgcolor=whitesmoke rowspan=2|Ferryland |rowspan=2| |rowspan=2|Richard Raftus<br>336<br>21.98% || |James Conroy<br>602<br>39.37% || |Richard Raftus |- || |Daniel Greene<br>591<br>38.65% || |James Conroy |- |bgcolor=whitesmoke rowspan=3|Placentia and St. Mary's || |William Donnelly<br>Won by acclamation | | || |Charles Bennettâ |- || |James Collins<br>Won by acclamation | | || |James Collins |- || |Michael Dwyer<br>Won by acclamation | | || |Michael Dwyer
|- |bgcolor=whitesmoke rowspan=3|Bonavista Bay || |Francis Winton<br>1,129<br>33.06% |rowspan=3 | |rowspan=3|James Saint (Wesleyan Conservative)<br>629<br>18.42% || |John Warren |- || |George Skelton<br>1,071<br>31.36% || |Charles Bowringâ |- | |John Warren<br>586<br>17.16% || |A. J. W. McNeillyâ¡<br><small>(ran in Twillingate and Fogo)</small> |- |bgcolor=whitesmoke rowspan=3|Trinity Bay || |William Whiteway<br>Won by acclamation | | || |William Whiteway |- || |James Watson<br>Won by acclamation | | || |John Steerâ |- || |John Rendell<br>Won by acclamation | | || |James Watson |- |bgcolor=whitesmoke rowspan=3|Twillingate and Fogo || |A. J. W. McNeilly<br>Won by acclamation | | || |Frederick Carterâ |- || |Stanley Carter<br>Won by acclamation | | || |Charles Duderâ |- || |Richard Rice<br>Won by acclamation | | || |William KelligrewâÂÂ
|- |bgcolor=whitesmoke|Burgeo and LaPoile || |Alexander Mackay<br>Won by acclamation | | || |Prescott Emersonâ |- |bgcolor=whitesmoke rowspan=2|Burin || |James Winter<br>497<br>26.79% | |Robert Pinsent<br>438<br>23.61% || |Charles Ayreâ |- || |James Rogerson<br>488<br>26.31% | |George Bishop<br>432<br>23.29% || |James Winter |- |bgcolor=whitesmoke|Fortune Bay || |James Fraser<br>~ 560<br>~ 80.00% | |William Wood<br>~ 140<br>~ 20.00% || |Robert AlexanderâÂÂ