Edmonton (territorial electoral district)

Former territorial electoral district in the North-West Territories, Canada

Edmonton Northwest Territories electoral district

Defunct territorial electoral district
Legislature| Legislative Assembly of the Northwest Territories
District created| 1883
District abolished| 1905
First contested| 1883 by-election
Last contested| 1902 general election

Edmonton was a territorial electoral district for the Legislative Assembly of the North-West Territories, Canada.

## History

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The riding was created by royal proclamation in 1883, the second district to elect a representative to the North-West Legislative Assembly, and the first within the Alberta provisional district.

In 1885 the riding of St. Albert was split off from Edmonton's northwestern area, but in 1888 two ridings were combined again, with Edmonton briefly becoming a two-member district. St. Albert was re-established in 1891, and Edmonton again elected only one member. Strathcona was also split off from Edmonton's southern part in 1902.

When Alberta became a province in 1905, the district continued on as Edmonton (Alberta).

## Members of the Legislative Assembly (MLAs)

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Members of the Legislative Assembly for Edmonton  Assembly  | Years  | Seat 1  | Seat 2

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|
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Member[1] | Party  | Member  | Party
1st Council | 1883–1885  |  | Frank Oliver | Independent  | —
18851888  | Herbert Wilson
1st | 1888–1891  |  | Frank Oliver  | Independent
2nd | 1891-1894  | Frank Oliver  | —
3rd | 1894-1896
1896  |  | Vacant
1896–1898  |  | Matthew McCauley | Independent
4th | 1898–1902
5th | 1902–1905  | Richard Secord
See Edmonton (Alberta) 1905-1909

Edmonton elected its first representative in the North-West Assembly, Edmonton Bulletin founder Frank Oliver, in a by-election in 1883. Although the Legislative Council was not dissolved, elections were held in most of the North-West Territories in 1885, and Oliver was defeated by local physician and businessman Herbert Charles Wilson, who became speaker of the Assembly.

The first general election of the territory was held in 1888, after the dissolution of the Legislative Council. This was the only election in which Edmonton was a double-member district, and both Wilson and Oliver were elected. Wilson retired from politics when the Assembly was dissolved in 1891.

As Edmonton was now a single-member district again, Oliver remained MLA for another five years, with no challengers in the 1891 or 1894 elections. He resigned to run for the House of Commons seat for Alberta, which he successfully captured.

The resulting by-election was a close race between former Edmonton mayor Matthew McCauley and the future premier of Alberta Alexander Rutherford, which McCauley won. Both men contested the seat again in the general election of 1898, but McCauley triumphed a second time.

In 1902, however, McCauley was defeated by former alderman Richard Secord. While MLA, Secord challenged Frank Oliver for his House of Commons seat in the 1904 federal election, but was defeated. He did not seek re-election when Alberta was created in 1905 (although both Rutherford and McCauley went on to become MLAs in the new province).

## Election results

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### Elections in the 1880s

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North-West Territories territorial by-election, May 29, 1883

Party  | Candidate  | Votes | %
| Independent | Frank Oliver | 155 | 58.94%
| Independent | Francis Lamoureux | 94 | 35.74%
| Independent | Stewart D. Mulkins | 14 | 5.32%
Total votes  | 263

Source(s)

"North-West Territories: Council and Legislative Assembly, 1876-1905" (PDF). Saskatchewan Archives. Archived from the original (PDF) on 28 September 2007. Retrieved 30 September 2007.

1885 North-West Territories general election

Party  | Candidate  | Votes | %
| Independent | Herbert Charles Wilson | 120 | 51.95%
| Independent | Frank Oliver | 111 | 48.05%
Total votes  | 231

Source(s)

"North-West Territories: Council and Legislative Assembly, 1876-1905" (PDF). Saskatchewan Archives. Archived from the original (PDF) on 28 September 2007. Retrieved 30 September 2007.

1888 North-West Territories general election

Party  | Candidate  | Votes | % | Elected
| Independent | Herbert Charles Wilson | 395 | 32.54% | Y
| Independent | Frank Oliver | 350 | 28.83% | Y
| Independent | Samuel Cunningham | 319 | 26.28% |
| Independent | Daniel Maloney | 150 | 12.35% |
Total votes  | 1,214

Source(s)

"North-West Territories: Council and Legislative Assembly, 1876-1905" (PDF). Saskatchewan Archives. Archived from the original (PDF) on 28 September 2007. Retrieved 30 September 2007.

### Elections in the 1890s

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1891 North-West Territories general election

Party  | Candidate  | Votes
| Independent | Frank Oliver | Acclaimed

Source(s)

"North-West Territories: Council and Legislative Assembly, 1876-1905" (PDF). Saskatchewan Archives. Archived from the original (PDF) on 28 September 2007. Retrieved 30 September 2007.

1894 North-West Territories general election

Party  | Candidate  | Votes
| Independent | Frank Oliver | Acclaimed

Source(s)

"North-West Territories: Council and Legislative Assembly, 1876-1905" (PDF). Saskatchewan Archives. Archived from the original (PDF) on 28 September 2007. Retrieved 30 September 2007.

North-West Territories territorial by-election, August 4, 1896

Party  | Candidate  | Votes | %
| Independent | Matthew McCauley | 567 | 58.64%
| Independent | Alexander Cameron Rutherford | 400 | 41.36%
Total votes  | 967

Source(s)

"North-West Territories: Council and Legislative Assembly, 1876-1905" (PDF). Saskatchewan Archives. Archived from the original (PDF) on 28 September 2007. Retrieved 30 September 2007.

1898 North-West Territories general election

Party  | Candidate  | Votes | %
| Independent | Matthew McCauley | 582 | 48.83%
| Independent | Alexander Cameron Rutherford | 498 | 41.77%
| Independent | Harry Havelock Robertson | 112 | 9.40%
Total votes  | 1,192

Source(s)

"North-West Territories: Council and Legislative Assembly, 1876-1905" (PDF). Saskatchewan Archives. Archived from the original (PDF) on 28 September 2007. Retrieved 30 September 2007.

### 1902 election

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1902 North-West Territories general election

Party  | Candidate  | Votes | %
| Independent | Richard Secord | 527 | 47.96%
| Independent | Matthew McCauley | 519 | 46.97%
| Independent | Don Brox | 59 | 5.07%
Total votes  | 1,105

Source(s)

"North-West Territories: Council and Legislative Assembly, 1876-1905" (PDF). Saskatchewan Archives. Archived from the original (PDF) on 28 September 2007. Retrieved 30 September 2007.

## See also

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* List of Northwest Territories territorial electoral districts
* Canadian provincial electoral districts
* Edmonton Alberta provincial electoral district
* Edmonton federal electoral district

## References

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1. ^ "North-West Territories: Council and Legislative Assembly, 1876-1905" (PDF). Saskatchewan Archives. Archived from the original (PDF) on 28 September 2007. Retrieved 30 September 2007.

## External links

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* The Legislative Assembly of Northwest Territories

* v
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Territorial electoral districts of the North-West Assembly, 1881–1905

Alberta|

* Banff
* Calgary
* Cardston
* East Calgary
* Edmonton
* High River
* Innisfail
* Lacombe
* Lethbridge
* Macleod
* Red Deer
* St. Albert
* Strathcona
* Victoria
* West Calgary
* Wetaskiwin

Assiniboia|

* Broadview
* Cannington
* Grenfell
* Maple Creek
* Medicine Hat
* Mitchell
* Moose Jaw
* Moose Mountain
* Moosomin
* North Qu'Appelle
* North Regina
* Qu'Appelle
* Regina
* Saltcoats
* Souris
* South Qu'Appelle
* South Regina
* Wallace
* Whitewood
* Wolseley
* Yorkton

Saskatchewan|

* Batoche
* Battleford
* Cumberland
* Kinistino
* Lorne
* Prince Albert
* Prince Albert East
* Prince Albert West

* See also: History of the Northwest Territories
* Temporary North-West Council
* List of Northwest Territories Legislative Assemblies
* List of Northwest Territories general elections

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