Summary
The 1856 Tasmanian colonial elections took place from 8 to 22 September 1856 (for the House of Assembly) and 6 to 17 October 1856 (for the Legislative Council). The elections were the first to be held under the Electoral Act 1856, which established responsible government in Tasmania (until 1 January 1856 called Van Diemen's Land) and created a bicameral parliament consisting of the 30-member Tasmanian House of Assembly and the 15-member Tasmanian Legislative Council.
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Members were elected using first-past-the-post voting. Following the election, William Champ became the first Premier of Tasmania on 1 November 1856, but his government lasted only 117 days.
Results edit
House of Assembly edit
Elections for members of the House of Assembly took place between 8 and 22 September 1856. Members were elected from single-member 24 single-member divisions, while Hobart Town returned 5 members and Launceston returned 3 members. 16 members were elected unopposed, while the other members were elected using first-past-the-post voting.
| Electoral district | Seats | Date | Elected[1] |
|---|---|---|---|
| Launceston | 3 | 8 September | John Rogers, Adye Douglas, William Champ |
| Clarence | 1 | 15 September | Edward Abbott |
| Hobart Town | 5 | 15 September | Thomas Chapman, Maxwell Miller, Francis Smith, Robert Nutt, James Dunn |
| Queenborough | 1 | 15 September | Duncan McPherson |
| Campbell Town | 1 | 16 September | William Race Allison |
| Cumberland | 1 | 16 September | Thomas Gellibrand |
| Glenorchy | 1 | 16 September | Robert Officer (unopposed) |
| Norfolk Plains | 1 | 16 September | John Gregson (unopposed) |
| Sorell | 1 | 16 September | Askin Morrison (unopposed) |
| Fingal | 1 | 17 September | Frederick von Steiglitz (unopposed) |
| Kingborough | 1 | 17 September | Alfred Nicholas |
| Oatlands | 1 | 17 September | Henry Anstey (unopposed) |
| Ringwood | 1 | 17 September | William Weston (unopposed) |
| Brighton | 1 | 18 September | Henry Butler (unopposed) |
| Franklin | 1 | 18 September | William Crooke (unopposed) |
| George Town | 1 | 18 September | Charles Henty (unopposed) |
| Glamorgan | 1 | 18 September | Charles Meredith (unopposed) |
| Morven | 1 | 18 September | Frederick Innes (unopposed) |
| New Norfolk | 1 | 19 September | Michael Fenton (unopposed) |
| Richmond | 1 | 19 September | Thomas Gregson |
| Selby | 1 | 19 September | Ronald Gunn (unopposed) |
| Westbury | 1 | 19 September | Thomas Field (unopposed) |
| Deloraine | 1 | 20 September | Adolphus Rooke (unopposed) |
| Devon | 1 | 22 September | James Gibson (unopposed) |