1951 Prince Edward Island general election

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Prince Edward Island general election, 1951

← 1947 April 26, 1951 (1951-04-26) 1955 →

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 ±0 ±0
Popular vote 40,847 36,921
Percentage 51.6% 46.7%
Swing +1.3pp +1.4pp

Premier before election

J. Walter Jones
Liberal

Premier-designate

J. Walter Jones
Liberal

The 47th Prince Edward Island general election was held in the Canadian province of Prince Edward Island on April 26, 1951.[1]

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

Template:Canadian politics/party colours/Liberal/row

Liberal J. Walter Jones 24 24 ±0 40,847 51.6% +1.3%

Template:Canadian politics/party colours/PC/row

Progressive Conservative Reginald Bell 6 6 ±0 36,921 46.7% +1.4%
  Co-operative Commonwealth - - - 1,336 1.7% -2.6%

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 Template:Canadian politics/party colours/Liberal |     William Acorn Liberal Template:Canadian politics/party colours/Liberal |     Brenton St. John Liberal
2nd Kings Template:Canadian politics/party colours/Liberal |     Harvey Douglas Liberal Template:Canadian politics/party colours/Liberal |     Thomas R. Cullen Liberal
3rd Kings Template:Canadian politics/party colours/PC |     John A. MacDonald Progressive
Conservative
Template:Canadian politics/party colours/Liberal |     Keir Clark Liberal
4th Kings Template:Canadian politics/party colours/Liberal |     Lorne Bonnell Liberal Template:Canadian politics/party colours/Liberal |     Alexander Wallace Matheson Liberal
5th Kings Template:Canadian politics/party colours/Liberal |     William Hughes Liberal Template:Canadian politics/party colours/Liberal |     George Saville Liberal

Queens

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

Prince

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

Sources

  1. ^ "Provincial General Election Results, 1951" (PDF). Elections PEI.
  2. ^ "Women in Politics". Elections PEI.
  3. ^ Fred Driscoll. "History and Politics of Prince Edward Island" (PDF). Canadian Parliamentary Review.