1959 Hamilton by-election

The Hamilton by-election 1959 was a by-election held in the electorate in Hamilton in the Waikato during the term of the 32nd New Zealand Parliament, on 2 May 1959.

Background

The by-election was caused by the death of incumbent MP Hilda Ross of the National Party on 6 March 1959. The by-election was won by Lance Adams-Schneider, also of the National Party.

Candidates

Labour<br /> There were two candidates for the Labour Party nomination:

• Iris Martin, matron of Wellington Hospital and daughter of former Labour cabinet minister Lee Martin
• Ben Waters, a member of Labour's national executive and candidate for in , and

Labour chose Waters as its candidate. Waters had recently been appointed a trustee of the Waikato Savings Bank. Contesting the seat three times prior, he slightly increased Labour share of the vote from 41.63 to 43.16 percent.

National<br /> There were seven candidates for the National Party nomination:

• Lance Adams-Schneider, a member of the Taumarunui Borough Council and candidate for in
• Dorothy Blomfield, a member of the Hamilton City Council
• Victor Allan de Lacey, a Hamilton businessman and a member of several National Party executive committees
• Ron Griffiths, a member of the Hamilton City Council and former chairman of the Hamilton National Party
• Francis Dewsbury Pinfold, the chairman of the Hamilton Fire Board and former Mayor of Hamilton
• Deena Sergel, a war widow and candidate for in 1957
• Geoffrey Taylor, an Auckland businessman and candidate for in 1957

The local National Party members selected Adams-Schneider as candidate for the seat.

Social Credit<br /> Frederick Charles Roberts, a Hamilton businessman, stood as the candidate for the Social Credit Party. In 1957 he stood for Social Credit in the electorate.

Results

The following table gives the election results:

Notes

References