1939 Prince Edward Island general election

The 1939 Prince Edward Island general election was held in the Canadian province of Prince Edward Island on May 18, 1939.[1]

1939 Prince Edward Island general election

← 1935 May 18, 1939 (1939-05-18) 1943 →

All 30 seats in the Legislative Assembly of Prince Edward Island
16 seats needed for a majority
  First party Second party
 
Leader Thane Campbell William J. P. MacMillan
Party Liberal Conservative
Leader since 1936 1933
Leader's seat 1st Prince 5th Queens
Last election 30 seats, 57.9% 0 seats, 42.1%
Seats won 27 3
Seat change Decrease3 Increase3
Popular vote 40,201 35,600
Percentage 53.0% 47.0%
Swing Decrease4.9pp Increase4.9pp

Premier before election

Thane Campbell
Liberal

Premier after election

Thane Campbell
Liberal

The governing Liberals of Premier Thane Campbell were able to retain a strong majority in the Legislature, though not as impressive as their total sweep of all 30 seats in the previous election. Campbell became Premier in 1936 following the death of his predecessor Walter Lea. This election was the first to see a government re-elected to a second term since the 1915 election.

The Conservatives, led by former Premier William J.P. MacMillan were able to win back three districts and return an Official Opposition to Legislature. Following the lead of the federal Conservatives in 1942, the party changed its name to the "Progressive Conservatives" (or PCs), which remains the party's name today.

Party standings

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27 3
Liberal Conservative
Party Party Leader Seats Popular Vote
1935 Elected Change # % Change
  Liberal Thane Campbell 30 27 -3 40,201 53.0% -4.9%
  Conservative William J. P. MacMillan - 3 +3 35,600 47.0% +4.9%

Members elected

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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

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District Assemblyman Party Councillor Party
1st Kings     Herbert H. Acorn Liberal     Peter A. MacIsaac Liberal
2nd Kings     Harry Cox Liberal     James P. McIntyre Liberal
3rd Kings     John Mustard Liberal     Francis MacPhee Conservative
4th Kings     John A. Campbell Liberal     Montague Annear Liberal
5th Kings     William Hughes Liberal     George Saville Liberal

Queens

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District Assemblyman Party Councillor Party
1st Queens     Donald N. McKay Liberal     W. F. Alan Stewart Liberal
2nd Queens     Angus McPhee Liberal     Bradford W. LePage Liberal
3rd Queens     Russell C. Clark Liberal     Mark R. MacGuigan Liberal
4th Queens     Dougald MacKinnon Liberal     John Walter Jones Liberal
5th Queens     W. F. Alan Stewart Conservative     William J. P. MacMillan Conservative

Prince

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District Assemblyman Party Councillor Party
1st Prince     Aeneas Gallant Liberal     Thane Alexander Campbell Liberal
2nd Prince     George H. Barbour Liberal     William H. Dennis Liberal
3rd Prince     Marin Gallant Liberal     Thomas Linkletter Liberal
4th Prince     Cleveland Baker Liberal    
Horace Wright Liberal
5th Prince     Edward P. Foley Liberal     Brewer W. Robinson Liberal

Sources

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  1. ^ "Provincial General Election Results, 1939" (PDF). Elections PEI. Archived from the original (PDF) on May 25, 2015.
  2. ^ Fred Driscoll. "History and Politics of Prince Edward Island" (PDF). Canadian Parliamentary Review.