Prince Edward Island general election, 1959

Prince Edward Island general election, 1959

September 1, 1959 (1959-09-01)

All 30 seats in the Legislative Assembly of Prince Edward Island 16 seats needed for a majority   First party Second party   PC Leader Walter R. Shaw Alex W. Matheson Party Progressive Conservative Liberal Leader since 1957 1953 Leader's seat 1st Queens 4th Kings Last election 3 seats, 45.0% 27 seats, 55.0% Seats won 22 8 Seat change +19 -19 Popular vote 43,845 42,214 Percentage 50.9% 49.1% Swing +5.9pp -5.9pp

Premier before election Alex W. Matheson Liberal Premier-designate Walter R. Shaw Progressive Conservative

The 49th Prince Edward Island general election was held in the Canadian province of Prince Edward Island on September 1, 1959.^[1]

The governing Liberals of Premier Alex W. Matheson were defeated by the Progressive Conservatives led by Walter R. Shaw, who gained a massive number of districts across the Island to earn a majority government, despite a close result in the popular vote.

The defeat of the Matheson-led Liberals marked the end of the longest serving government in Island history. The Liberals had governed for 24 straight years since their initial victory in the 1935 general election, a feat that would not be rivaled by any other provincial government on the Island.

Party Standings

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.^[2]

Kings

Queens

Prince

Sources

1. ↑ "Provincial General Election Results, 1959" (PDF). Elections PEI. 
2. ↑ Fred Driscoll. "History and Politics of Prince Edward Island" (PDF). Canadian Parliamentary Review. 

Elections and referendums in Prince Edward Island
General elections	1873 1876 1879 1882 1886 1890 1893 1897 1900 1904 1908 1912 1915 1919 1923 1927 1931 1935 1939 1943 1947 1951 1955 1959 1962 1966 1970 1974 1978 1979 1982 1986 1989 1993 1996 2000 2003 2007 2011 2015 next
Referendums	1878 1893 1898 1901 1913 1923 1929 1940 1948 1954 (May) 1954 (Nov) 1988 2005 2016
See also: List of Prince Edward Island by-elections