1886 Wollombi colonial by-election explained

A by-election was held for the New South Wales Legislative Assembly electorate of Wollombi on 17 December 1886 because of the resignation of Lyall Scott due to ill health.

Dates

Date	Event
22 November 1886	Lyall Scott resigned.^[1]
25 November 1886	Writ of election issued by the Speaker of the Legislative Assembly.^[2]
11 December 1886	Nominations
17 December 1886	Polling day
28 December 1887	Return of writ

Candidates

• Richard Stevenson was a retired journalist who had previously stood unsuccessfully for Grafton and The Clarence.^[3]
• Walter Vivian was an estate agent from Manly who had contested Wollombi in 1885, defeated by a margin of 335 votes (35.5%).^[4]

This was at the emergence of political parties in New South Wales, and both candidates declared their support for free trade.

Result

Lyall Scott resigned.

See also

• Electoral results for the district of Wollombi
• List of New South Wales state by-elections

Notes and References

1. Mr Lyall Scott (1835-1887) . 691 . Yes . 16 June 2019.
2. News: Writ of election: Wollombi . . 686 . 2 December 1886 . 2021-05-14 . 8261 . Trove.
3. Index to Candidates: Stein to Sylvester . CandidateIndexes . CandidateIndex53 . 2021-05-17.
4. 1885 . Wollombi . 21 April 2020.