1902 North-West Territories general election explained

Election Name:1902 North-West Territories general election
Country:Northwest Territories
Flag Year:1870
Type:legislative
Party Colour:no
Party Name:no
Previous Election:1898 North-West Territories general election
Previous Year:1898
Previous Mps:4th North-West Legislative Assembly
Elected Mps:members
Next Election:1905 Alberta general election
Next Year:1905 (AB)
→ 1905 Saskatchewan general election1905 (SK)
Seats For Election:35 seats in the North-West Legislative Assembly
18 seats were needed for a majority
Leader1:Frederick W. A. G. Haultain
Party1:Liberal-Conservative
Leader Since1:1897
Leaders Seat1:Macleod
Last Election1:7
Seats1:21
Popular Vote1:8,319
Percentage1:47.8%
Leader2:Donald H. McDonald
Party2:Liberal
Leader Since2:1902
Leaders Seat2:North Qu'Appelle
Last Election2:2
Seats2:7
Popular Vote2:5,067
Percentage2:29.1%
Premier
Posttitle:Premier after election
Before Election:Frederick W. A. G. Haultain
Before Party:Liberal-Conservative
After Election:Frederick W. A. G. Haultain
After Party:Liberal-Conservative

The 1902 North-West Territories general election, occurred on 21 May 1902 and was the fifth general election in the history of the North-West Territories, Canada. It was held to elect 35 Members of the Legislative Assembly of the North-West Territories.

Frederick W. A. G. Haultain and the Liberal-Conservatives continued with government. Donald H. McDonald was thrust into being the Liberal leader just days before the vote, with the surprise decision by Robert Brett to drop out of the race.

Three years after the 1902 election, the provinces of Alberta and Saskatchewan were carved out of North-West Territories in 1905, and they took most of the voting population with them. The 1902 election was the last election held in the NWT until 1951, and it elected the last assembly in the Northwest Territories (NWT) to use political parties. After 1905, the NWT government reverted to an appointed consensus model of government. Since 1951, the government of NWT has been of the elected consensus model of government.

Candidates in this election were not nominated by the party in a contested nomination as with modern elections, but rather proclaimed their support for the governing party or opposition party, or Independent. During the election race some candidates shifted their alignment. The result was a confusing mess, and the bulk of candidates proclaimed support for the already governing Liberal-Conservative party, leaving the Liberals without candidates in many districts. Lethbridge ended up being contested by two government supporting candidates.

1902 would also see the largest number of MLAs elected to the North-West Territories Legislature in the territories' history.

Election summary

PartyParty Leader
  1. of
    candidates
ElectedPopular Vote
%Liberal-ConservativeFrederick Haultain32 21 8,31947.70%LiberalDonald H. McDonald2175,06729.06%Independent116 3,38119.39%Independent Liberal11 3622.07%Independent Liberal-Conservative1align="right"-3101.78%
Total663517,439100%
Note:

Members of the Legislative Assembly elected

For complete electoral history, see individual districts

District!Member!Party
BanffArthur SiftonLiberal-ConservativeBatocheCharles FisherLiberalBattlefordJoseph Benjamin PrinceLiberal-ConservativeCanningtonEwan McDiarmidIndependent LiberalCardstonJohn William WoolfLiberalEast CalgaryJohn Jackson YoungIndependentEdmontonRichard SecordIndependentGrenfellRichard Stuart LakeLiberal-ConservativeHigh RiverRichard Alfred WallaceLiberal-ConservativeInnisfailJohn A. SimpsonLiberal-ConservativeKinistinoWilliam Frederick MeyersLiberalLacombePeter TalbotLiberal-ConservativeLethbridgeLeverett DeVeberLiberal-ConservativeMacleodFrederick HaultainLiberal-ConservativeMaple CreekHorace Albertie GreeleyLiberal-ConservativeMedicine HatWilliam FinlayLiberal-ConservativeMitchellAlexander McIntyreLiberal-ConservativeMoose JawGeorge AnnableLiberalMoosominAlexander S. SmithLiberal-ConservativeNorth Qu'AppelleDonald H. McDonaldLiberalNorth ReginaGeorge W. BrownLiberal-ConservativePrince AlbertThomas McKayLiberalSaltcoatsThomas MacNuttLiberal-ConservativeSaskatoonWilliam Henry SinclairLiberal-ConservativeSourisJohn ConnellLiberal-ConservativeSouth Qu'AppelleGeorge BulyeaLiberal-ConservativeSouth ReginaJames HawkesIndependentStrathconaAlexander RutherfordLiberal-ConservativeSt. AlbertDaniel MaloneyIndependentVictoriaJack SheraIndependentWest CalgaryRichard BennettIndependentWetaskiwinAnthony RosenrollLiberal-ConservativeWhitewoodArchibald GillisLiberal-ConservativeWolseleyWilliam ElliottLiberal-ConservativeYorktonThomas Alfred PatrickLiberal
Note:

See also

Further reading