1951 Prince Edward Island general election

The 1951 Prince Edward Island general election was held in the Canadian province of Prince Edward Island on April 26, 1951.[1]

1951 Prince Edward Island general election

April 26, 1951 (1951-04-26)

All 30 seats in the Legislative Assembly of Prince Edward Island
16 seats needed for a majority
  First party Second party
 
PC
Leader J. Walter Jones Reginald Bell
Party Liberal Progressive Conservative
Leader since 1943 1950
Leader's seat 4th Queens 2nd Queens
Last election 24 seats, 50.3% 6 seats, 45.3%
Seats won 24 6
Seat change
Popular vote 40,847 36,921
Percentage 51.6% 46.7%
Swing 1.3pp 1.4pp

Premier before election

J. Walter Jones
Liberal

Premier after election

J. Walter Jones
Liberal

The governing Liberals of Premier J. Walter Jones held on to their majority in the Legislature over the opposition Progressive Conservatives led by Reginald Bell, who was elected leader of the party in 1950. Both parties kept the same number of seats they earned in the previous election, though eight seats did change hands.

The democratic socialist Co-operative Commonwealth Federation fell back from their previous high in 1947, losing over half of their vote. This would be the last election contested by the CCF or any third party in provincial PEI elections until the CCF's successor, the New Democratic Party, ran in by-elections in 1972.

This election featured the first female candidate for office, Hilda Ramsay, who came in third while running for the CCF as Councillor in 3rd Prince.[2]

Party Standings

24 6
Liberal PC
Party Party Leader Seats Popular Vote
1947 Elected Change # % Change
  Liberal J. Walter Jones 24 24 ±0 40,847 51.6% +1.3%
  Progressive Conservative Reginald Bell 6 6 ±0 36,921 46.7% +1.4%
  Co-operative Commonwealth - - - 1,336 1.7% -2.6%
Popular vote
Liberal
51.64%
PC
46.67%
CCF
1.69%
Seats summary
Liberal
80.00%
PC
20.00%

Members Elected

The Legislature of Prince Edward Island had two levels of membership from 1893 to 1996 - Assemblymen and Councillors. This was a holdover from when the Island had a bicameral legislature, the General Assembly and the Legislative Council.

In 1893, the Legislative Council was abolished and had its membership merged with the Assembly, though the two titles remained separate and were elected by different electoral franchises. Assembleymen were elected by all eligible voters of within a district, while Councillors were only elected by landowners within a district.[3]

Kings

District Assemblyman Party Councillor Party
1st Kings     William Acorn Liberal     Brenton St. John Liberal
2nd Kings     Harvey Douglas Liberal     Thomas R. Cullen Liberal
3rd Kings     John A. MacDonald Progressive
Conservative
    Keir Clark Liberal
4th Kings     Lorne Bonnell Liberal     Alexander Wallace Matheson Liberal
5th Kings     William Hughes Liberal     George Saville Liberal

Queens

District Assemblyman Party Councillor Party
1st Queens     Frank Myers Progressive
Conservative
    W. F. Alan Stewart Liberal
2nd Queens     George Kitson Liberal     Reginald Bell Progressive
Conservative
3rd Queens     Russell C. Clark Liberal     Eugene Cullen Liberal
4th Queens     Dougald MacKinnon Liberal     John Walter Jones Liberal
5th Queens     Earle MacDonald Liberal     William J. P. MacMillan Progressive
Conservative

Prince

District Assemblyman Party Councillor Party
1st Prince     Hubert Gaudet Progressive
Conservative
    Don Campbell Progressive
Conservative
2nd Prince     Walter Darby Liberal     Forrest Phillips Liberal
3rd Prince     J. Wilfred Arsenault Liberal     Frank MacNutt Liberal
4th Prince     J. George MacKay Liberal    
Cleveland Baker Liberal
5th Prince     Edward P. Foley Liberal     Lorne H. MacFarlane Liberal

Sources

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