Northwest Territories general election, 1902

The Northwest Territories general election of 1902, occurred on 21 May 1902 and was the fifth general election in the history of the Northwest Territories

Northwest Territories

The Northwest Territories is a federal territory of Canada.Located in northern Canada, the territory borders Canada's two other territories, Yukon to the west and Nunavut to the east, and three provinces: British Columbia to the southwest, and Alberta and Saskatchewan to the south...

, Canada

Canada

Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...

. It was held to elect Members of the Legislative Assembly of the Northwest Territories. This was the last election held until 1951, and was the last in the Northwest Territories to have political parties.

Frederick W. A. G. Haultain

Frederick W. A. G. Haultain

Sir Frederick William Alpin Gordon Haultain was a lawyer and a long serving Canadian politician and judge. His career in provincial and territorial legislatures stretched into four decades...

and the Liberal-Conservatives

Northwest Territories Liberal-Conservative Party

The Northwest Territories Liberal-Conservative Party also known formally as the Liberal-Conservative Association prior to 1903 and the Territorial Conservative Association after 1903, was a short lived political party in the Northwest Territories, Canada. from 1897-1905...

continued with government. Donald H. McDonald

Donald H. McDonald

Donald Hogarth McDonald was a Canadian politician.Born in 1867 in Qu'Appelle, Saskatchewan, Donald was first elected to the North-West Territories Legislature in a 1896 by-election, he was re-elected for 2 more terms until 1905....

was thrust into being the Liberal

Northwest Territories Liberal Party

The Northwest Territories Liberal Party was a short-lived branch of the Liberal Party of Canada in the Northwest Territories.The party existed between 1898 and 1905. In 1905, the provinces of Alberta and Saskatchewan were created from the heavily populated areas of the Northwest Territories...

leader just days before the vote, with the surprise decision by Robert Brett

Robert Brett

Robert George Brett was a politician and physician in the North-West Territories and later Alberta, Canada....

to drop out of the race.

In 1905, the provinces of Alberta

Alberta

Alberta is a province of Canada. It had an estimated population of 3.7 million in 2010 making it the most populous of Canada's three prairie provinces...

and Saskatchewan

Saskatchewan

Saskatchewan is a prairie province in Canada, which has an area of . Saskatchewan is bordered on the west by Alberta, on the north by the Northwest Territories, on the east by Manitoba, and on the south by the U.S. states of Montana and North Dakota....

were created out of NWT territory, and they took most of the voting population with them. The government of NWT reverted back to an appointed consensus model of government.

Candidates in this election were not nominated by the party in a contested nomination as with modern elections, but rather proclaimed their support for the governing party or opposition party, or Independent. During the election race some candidates shifted their alignment. The result was a confusing mess, and the bulk of candidates proclaimed support for the already governing Liberal-Conservative party, leaving the Liberals without candidates in many districts. Lethbridge ended up being contested by two government supporting candidates.

1902 would also see the largest number of MLAs elected to the Northwest Territories Legislature in the territories history.

Election Summary

Party		Party Leader	# of candidates	Elected	Popular Vote
Party		Party Leader	# of candidates	Elected	#	%	Liberal-Conservative Northwest Territories Liberal-Conservative Party The Northwest Territories Liberal-Conservative Party also known formally as the Liberal-Conservative Association prior to 1903 and the Territorial Conservative Association after 1903, was a short lived political party in the Northwest Territories, Canada. from 1897-1905...	Frederick Haultain Frederick W. A. G. Haultain Sir Frederick William Alpin Gordon Haultain was a lawyer and a long serving Canadian politician and judge. His career in provincial and territorial legislatures stretched into four decades...	32	21	8,319	47.70%	Liberal Northwest Territories Liberal Party The Northwest Territories Liberal Party was a short-lived branch of the Liberal Party of Canada in the Northwest Territories.The party existed between 1898 and 1905. In 1905, the provinces of Alberta and Saskatchewan were created from the heavily populated areas of the Northwest Territories...	Donald H. McDonald Donald H. McDonald Donald Hogarth McDonald was a Canadian politician.Born in 1867 in Qu'Appelle, Saskatchewan, Donald was first elected to the North-West Territories Legislature in a 1896 by-election, he was re-elected for 2 more terms until 1905....	21	7	5,067	29.06%	Independent		11	6	3,381	19.39%	Independent Liberal		1	1	362	2.07%	Independent Liberal-Conservative		1	-	310	1.78%
Total			66	35	17,439	100%

Note:

Sources are conflicted about the affiliation of some candidates, vote counts and total number of candidates are accurate, standings and votes by party may change upon further research.

Members of the Legislative Assembly elected

For complete electoral history, see individual districts

5th North-West Legislative Assembly 5th North-West Legislative Assembly The 5th North-West Legislative Assembly lasted from 1902 until dissolution in 1905. This would be the largest membership of any Assembly to date in the Northwest Territories and the only one that truly had political parties, it would also be the last one to be fully elected and have a speaker until...
	District	Member	Party	Banff	Arthur Sifton Arthur Lewis Sifton Arthur Lewis Watkins Sifton, PC, KC was a Canadian politician who served as the second Premier of Alberta from 1910 until 1917 and as a minister in the Government of Canada thereafter. Born in Ontario, he grew up there and in Winnipeg, where he became a lawyer...	Liberal-Conservative Northwest Territories Liberal-Conservative Party The Northwest Territories Liberal-Conservative Party also known formally as the Liberal-Conservative Association prior to 1903 and the Territorial Conservative Association after 1903, was a short lived political party in the Northwest Territories, Canada. from 1897-1905...	Batoche Batoche (N.W.T. electoral district) Batoche was a territorial electoral district in the Northwest Territories that existed from 1888 to 1905.- Members of the Legislative Assembly :-1888 election:-1891 election:...	Charles Fisher	Liberal Northwest Territories Liberal Party The Northwest Territories Liberal Party was a short-lived branch of the Liberal Party of Canada in the Northwest Territories.The party existed between 1898 and 1905. In 1905, the provinces of Alberta and Saskatchewan were created from the heavily populated areas of the Northwest Territories...	Battleford Battleford (N.W.T. electoral district) Battleford was a territorial electoral district mandated to return a single member to the Legislative Assembly of the Northwest Territories. The electoral district came into existence with the passage of the North-West Representation Act in 1888 and was abolished in 1905 when Alberta and...	Joseph Benjamin Prince Joseph Benjamin Prince Joseph Benjamin Prince was a farmer, rancher and political figure in Saskatchewan, Canada. He represented Battleford in the Legislative Assembly of the Northwest Territories from 1898 to 1905 as an Independent...	Liberal-Conservative Northwest Territories Liberal-Conservative Party The Northwest Territories Liberal-Conservative Party also known formally as the Liberal-Conservative Association prior to 1903 and the Territorial Conservative Association after 1903, was a short lived political party in the Northwest Territories, Canada. from 1897-1905...	Cannington	Ewan McDiarmid	Independent Liberal	Cardston	John William Woolf John William Woolf John William Woolf was an American-born Canadian politician who served in the Legislative Assembly of the Northwest Territories and the Legislative Assembly of Alberta. Born in Utah to polygamous parents, he moved with them to Cardston, Alberta as a young man...	Liberal Northwest Territories Liberal Party The Northwest Territories Liberal Party was a short-lived branch of the Liberal Party of Canada in the Northwest Territories.The party existed between 1898 and 1905. In 1905, the provinces of Alberta and Saskatchewan were created from the heavily populated areas of the Northwest Territories...	East Calgary East Calgary (N.W.T. electoral district) East Calgary was an electoral district in the Northwest Territories from 1894 - 1905, the district was created when Calgary was split into East and West Calgary.The two ridings would later be merged to form the new Calgary Alberta provincial electoral district...	John Jackson Young	Independent	Edmonton Edmonton (N.W.T. electoral district) Edmonton was a territorial electoral district for the Legislative Assembly of Northwest Territories, Canada.The riding was created by royal proclamation in 1883 and abolished in 1905. In 1888 the riding returned the top two candidates after it was merged with the St. Albert electoral district. The...	Richard Secord Richard Secord (Alberta politician) Richard Secord was a politician in western Canada, a member of the Legislative Assembly of the Northwest Territories, a municipal councillor in Edmonton, and a candidate for the Canadian House of Commons.-Early life:...	Independent	Grenfell	Richard Stuart Lake Richard Stuart Lake Richard Stuart Lake was a long serving territorial provincial and federal level politician from Saskatchewan, Canada.-Territorial politics:...	Liberal-Conservative Northwest Territories Liberal-Conservative Party The Northwest Territories Liberal-Conservative Party also known formally as the Liberal-Conservative Association prior to 1903 and the Territorial Conservative Association after 1903, was a short lived political party in the Northwest Territories, Canada. from 1897-1905...	High River High River (N.W.T. electoral district) High River was a single member territorial electoral district in Northwest Territories Canada that elected members to the Legislative Assembly of the Northwest Territories from 1894 until 1905.-Electoral history:...	Richard Alfred Wallace Richard Alfred Wallace Richard Alfred Wallace was a Canadian teacher, cook, farmer and politician on the municipal and territorial level....	Liberal-Conservative Northwest Territories Liberal-Conservative Party The Northwest Territories Liberal-Conservative Party also known formally as the Liberal-Conservative Association prior to 1903 and the Territorial Conservative Association after 1903, was a short lived political party in the Northwest Territories, Canada. from 1897-1905...	Innisfail Innisfail (N.W.T. electoral district) Innisfail was an electoral district in the Northwest Territories from 1902 to 1905.The district was named after the town of Innisfail, Alberta, after Alberta was created in 1905 the district was carried over and existed until 1993.-Election results 1902:...	John A. Simpson John A. Simpson John Adrian Simpson was a Canadian politician and businessman. Born in Peel County, Ontario, he came west in 1890 and eventually settled in Innisfail, where he opened a lumberyard...	Liberal-Conservative Northwest Territories Liberal-Conservative Party The Northwest Territories Liberal-Conservative Party also known formally as the Liberal-Conservative Association prior to 1903 and the Territorial Conservative Association after 1903, was a short lived political party in the Northwest Territories, Canada. from 1897-1905...	Kinistino Kinistino (N.W.T. electoral district) Kinistino was a former territorial electoral district in Northwest Territories, Canada. The electoral district was mandated to return a single member to the Legislative Assembly of the Northwest Territories from its creation in 1888 until it was abolished when Alberta and Saskatchewan were created...	William Frederick Meyers	Liberal Northwest Territories Liberal Party The Northwest Territories Liberal Party was a short-lived branch of the Liberal Party of Canada in the Northwest Territories.The party existed between 1898 and 1905. In 1905, the provinces of Alberta and Saskatchewan were created from the heavily populated areas of the Northwest Territories...	Lacombe	Peter Talbot Peter Talbot (politician) Peter Talbot was a Canadian parliamentarian.Born in Eramosa, Canada West , he moved to Fort Macleod, Alberta, in 1890 to teach school. In 1892, he moved to Lacombe, Alberta, to homestead and raise cattle.In 1902 he was elected to the Legislative Assembly of Northwest Territories and served until...	Liberal-Conservative Northwest Territories Liberal-Conservative Party The Northwest Territories Liberal-Conservative Party also known formally as the Liberal-Conservative Association prior to 1903 and the Territorial Conservative Association after 1903, was a short lived political party in the Northwest Territories, Canada. from 1897-1905...	Lethbridge	Leverett DeVeber Leverett DeVeber Leverett George DeVeber was a Canadian politician who served as Member of the Legislative Assemblies of Alberta and the Northwest Territories, minister in the government of Alberta, and member of the Senate of Canada...	Liberal-Conservative Northwest Territories Liberal-Conservative Party The Northwest Territories Liberal-Conservative Party also known formally as the Liberal-Conservative Association prior to 1903 and the Territorial Conservative Association after 1903, was a short lived political party in the Northwest Territories, Canada. from 1897-1905...	Macleod Macleod (N.W.T. electoral district) Macelod was a territorial electoral district for the Legislative Assembly of Northwest Territories, Canada.The riding was created by royal proclamation in 1885 and abolished in 1905 when the provinces of Alberta and Saskatchewan were created....	Frederick Haultain Frederick W. A. G. Haultain Sir Frederick William Alpin Gordon Haultain was a lawyer and a long serving Canadian politician and judge. His career in provincial and territorial legislatures stretched into four decades...	Liberal-Conservative Northwest Territories Liberal-Conservative Party The Northwest Territories Liberal-Conservative Party also known formally as the Liberal-Conservative Association prior to 1903 and the Territorial Conservative Association after 1903, was a short lived political party in the Northwest Territories, Canada. from 1897-1905...	Maple Creek	Horace Albertie Greeley	Liberal-Conservative Northwest Territories Liberal-Conservative Party The Northwest Territories Liberal-Conservative Party also known formally as the Liberal-Conservative Association prior to 1903 and the Territorial Conservative Association after 1903, was a short lived political party in the Northwest Territories, Canada. from 1897-1905...	Medicine Hat Medicine Hat (N.W.T. electoral district) Medicine Hat was a former territorial electoral district in Northwest Territories, Canada. The electoral district was created with the passage of the North-West Representation Act of 1888. The primary population center and the districts name sake was the city of Medicine Hat...	William Finlay William Finlay William Thomas Finlay was a politician and cabinet minister in Alberta and Northwest Territories, Canada-Early life:...	Liberal-Conservative Northwest Territories Liberal-Conservative Party The Northwest Territories Liberal-Conservative Party also known formally as the Liberal-Conservative Association prior to 1903 and the Territorial Conservative Association after 1903, was a short lived political party in the Northwest Territories, Canada. from 1897-1905...	Mitchell	Alexander McIntyre	Liberal-Conservative Northwest Territories Liberal-Conservative Party The Northwest Territories Liberal-Conservative Party also known formally as the Liberal-Conservative Association prior to 1903 and the Territorial Conservative Association after 1903, was a short lived political party in the Northwest Territories, Canada. from 1897-1905...	Moose Jaw Moose Jaw (N.W.T. electoral district) Moose Jaw was a territorial electoral district for the Legislative Assembly of Northwest Territories, Canada.The riding was created by royal proclamation in 1883 and abolished in 1905 when Alberta and Saskatchewan were created....	George Annable	Liberal Northwest Territories Liberal Party The Northwest Territories Liberal Party was a short-lived branch of the Liberal Party of Canada in the Northwest Territories.The party existed between 1898 and 1905. In 1905, the provinces of Alberta and Saskatchewan were created from the heavily populated areas of the Northwest Territories...	Moosomin Moosomin (N.W.T. electoral district) Moosomin was a territorial electoral district in Northwest Territories, Canada that came into existence by Royal Proclamation in 1885 and was abolished when Alberta and Saskatchewan were created in 1905.-History:...	Alexander S. Smith	Liberal-Conservative Northwest Territories Liberal-Conservative Party The Northwest Territories Liberal-Conservative Party also known formally as the Liberal-Conservative Association prior to 1903 and the Territorial Conservative Association after 1903, was a short lived political party in the Northwest Territories, Canada. from 1897-1905...	North Qu'Appelle	Donald H. McDonald Donald H. McDonald Donald Hogarth McDonald was a Canadian politician.Born in 1867 in Qu'Appelle, Saskatchewan, Donald was first elected to the North-West Territories Legislature in a 1896 by-election, he was re-elected for 2 more terms until 1905....	Liberal Northwest Territories Liberal Party The Northwest Territories Liberal Party was a short-lived branch of the Liberal Party of Canada in the Northwest Territories.The party existed between 1898 and 1905. In 1905, the provinces of Alberta and Saskatchewan were created from the heavily populated areas of the Northwest Territories...	North Regina	George W. Brown George W. Brown George William Brown was a Canadian politician and the second Lieutenant Governor of Saskatchewan from 1910 to 1915....	Liberal-Conservative Northwest Territories Liberal-Conservative Party The Northwest Territories Liberal-Conservative Party also known formally as the Liberal-Conservative Association prior to 1903 and the Territorial Conservative Association after 1903, was a short lived political party in the Northwest Territories, Canada. from 1897-1905...	Prince Albert	Thomas McKay Thomas McKay (N.W.T. politician) Thomas McKay was a farmer and political figure in Saskatchewan, Canada. He represented Prince Albert in the Legislative Assembly of the Northwest Territories from 1891 to 1894 and from 1898 to 1905. McKay was the brother-in-law of Lawrence Clarke, and like Clarke was connected to the Conservative...	Liberal Northwest Territories Liberal Party The Northwest Territories Liberal Party was a short-lived branch of the Liberal Party of Canada in the Northwest Territories.The party existed between 1898 and 1905. In 1905, the provinces of Alberta and Saskatchewan were created from the heavily populated areas of the Northwest Territories...	Saltcoats	Thomas MacNutt Thomas MacNutt Thomas MacNutt was a Canadian politician who held national as well as province-wide office, as a former member of the Canadian House of Commons and the Legislative Assembly of Saskatchewan. He won a number of significant recognized awards and honours in his career...	Liberal-Conservative Northwest Territories Liberal-Conservative Party The Northwest Territories Liberal-Conservative Party also known formally as the Liberal-Conservative Association prior to 1903 and the Territorial Conservative Association after 1903, was a short lived political party in the Northwest Territories, Canada. from 1897-1905...	Saskatoon	William Sinclair	Liberal-Conservative Northwest Territories Liberal-Conservative Party The Northwest Territories Liberal-Conservative Party also known formally as the Liberal-Conservative Association prior to 1903 and the Territorial Conservative Association after 1903, was a short lived political party in the Northwest Territories, Canada. from 1897-1905...	Souris	John Connell John Connell John Connell was a contemporary American artist. His works included sculpture, painting, drawing, and writing....	Liberal-Conservative Northwest Territories Liberal-Conservative Party The Northwest Territories Liberal-Conservative Party also known formally as the Liberal-Conservative Association prior to 1903 and the Territorial Conservative Association after 1903, was a short lived political party in the Northwest Territories, Canada. from 1897-1905...	South Qu'Appelle	George Bulyea George H. V. Bulyea George Hedley Vicars Bulyea was a Canadian politician and the first Lieutenant-Governor of Alberta. As the youngest ever Lieutenant-Governor, at age 46, he was appointed by Governor General Lord Earl Grey on advice of The Right Honourable Prime Minister of Canada Sir Wilfrid Laurier on September...	Liberal-Conservative Northwest Territories Liberal-Conservative Party The Northwest Territories Liberal-Conservative Party also known formally as the Liberal-Conservative Association prior to 1903 and the Territorial Conservative Association after 1903, was a short lived political party in the Northwest Territories, Canada. from 1897-1905...	South Regina	James Hawkes	Independent	Strathcona Strathcona (N.W.T. electoral district) Strathcona was a territorial electoral district in the Northwest Territories from 1902 - 1905, after 1905 Alberta split from the territories, the Strathcona district continues to exist to present day.-Election Results 1902:-See also:...	Alexander Rutherford	Liberal-Conservative Northwest Territories Liberal-Conservative Party The Northwest Territories Liberal-Conservative Party also known formally as the Liberal-Conservative Association prior to 1903 and the Territorial Conservative Association after 1903, was a short lived political party in the Northwest Territories, Canada. from 1897-1905...	St. Albert St. Albert (N.W.T. electoral district) St. Albert was a territorial electoral district that existed twice in the Northwest Territories, Canada. The first district existed from 1885 until 1888. The district was recreated in 1891 and was abolished in 1905.-History:...	Daniel Maloney Daniel Maloney Daniel Maloney was a politician from Northwest Territories, Canada.Maloney first ran for election to the Legislative Assembly of the Northwest Territories in the 1888 Northwest Territories general election in the Edmonton electoral district...	Independent	Victoria Victoria (N.W.T. electoral district) Victoria was a former single member territorial electoral district that was mandated to return a member to the Legislative Assembly of the Northwest Territories from 1894 until the district was abolished in 1905.- Members of the Legislative Assembly :...	John Shera	Independent	West Calgary West Calgary (N.W.T. electoral district) West Calgary was a single member electoral district that was mandated to return members to the Legislative Assembly of the Northwest Territories, Canada, from 1894 until it was abolished in 1905.-History:...	Richard Bennett R. B. Bennett Richard Bedford Bennett, 1st Viscount Bennett, PC, KC was a Canadian lawyer, businessman, politician, and philanthropist. He served as the 11th Prime Minister of Canada from August 7, 1930, to October 23, 1935, during the worst of the Great Depression years... ^*	Independent	Wetaskiwin Wetaskiwin (N.W.T. electoral district) Wetaskiwin was a territorial electoral district in the Northwest Territories from 1898 - 1905,At the time of its creation it included the city of Wetaskiwin, Alberta and surrounding rural region...	Anthony Rosenroll Anthony Rosenroll Anthony Sigwart de Rosenroll was a politician and businessman in the Canadian province of Alberta. Born in Italy to a family of noble Swiss heritage, he spent his early adulthood in Australia and New Zealand before settling in Canada in 1895...	Liberal-Conservative Northwest Territories Liberal-Conservative Party The Northwest Territories Liberal-Conservative Party also known formally as the Liberal-Conservative Association prior to 1903 and the Territorial Conservative Association after 1903, was a short lived political party in the Northwest Territories, Canada. from 1897-1905...	Whitewood Whitewood (N.W.T. electoral district) Whitewood, was a territorial electoral district in the Northwest Territories of Canada from 1887 to 1905. The district was created from the former district of Broadview, prior to the 1888 general election....	Archibald Gillis	Liberal-Conservative Northwest Territories Liberal-Conservative Party The Northwest Territories Liberal-Conservative Party also known formally as the Liberal-Conservative Association prior to 1903 and the Territorial Conservative Association after 1903, was a short lived political party in the Northwest Territories, Canada. from 1897-1905...	Wolseley	William Elliott	Liberal-Conservative Northwest Territories Liberal-Conservative Party The Northwest Territories Liberal-Conservative Party also known formally as the Liberal-Conservative Association prior to 1903 and the Territorial Conservative Association after 1903, was a short lived political party in the Northwest Territories, Canada. from 1897-1905...	Yorkton Yorkton (N.W.T. electoral district) Yorkton was a territorial electoral district in the Northwest Territories from 1894 - 1905,After 1905 when Saskatchewan split from the territories, the district of Yorkton continues to exist to present day....	Thomas Patrick	Liberal Northwest Territories Liberal Party The Northwest Territories Liberal Party was a short-lived branch of the Liberal Party of Canada in the Northwest Territories.The party existed between 1898 and 1905. In 1905, the provinces of Alberta and Saskatchewan were created from the heavily populated areas of the Northwest Territories...

Note:
^* Sources are conflicted on Richard Bennett as to whether he was a Liberal or Independent

Election Summary

Members of the Legislative Assembly elected

See also