1867 Ontario general election

The 1867 Ontario general election was the first general election held in the newly created province of Ontario, Canada. Previously, the territory was known as Canada West, a part of the Province of Canada. The election was held on September 3, 1867, to elect the 82 members of the 1st Legislative Assembly (MLAs).^[1] The dates of the election in 1867 varied from August 20 to September 26.

1867 Ontario general election

September 3, 1867 1871 →
← outgoing members
82 seats in the 1st Legislative Assembly of Ontario 42 seats were needed for a majority
Turnout	73.86%[1]
First party Second party   Leader John Sandfield Macdonald Archibald McKellar Party Conservative Liberal Leader's seat Cornwall Bothwell Seats won 41 41 Popular vote 80,111 77,689 Percentage 50.28% 48.76%
Premier after election John Sandfield Macdonald Conservative

The Conservative Party, led by John Sandfield Macdonald, and the Ontario Liberal Party, led by Archibald McKellar, each won 41 seats. A coalition government was formed under the leadership of Macdonald.

Votes were recorded orally. Voter eligibility was only 13% of the population.^[2]

MPPs were elected through first past the post voting, each in a separate single-member district. This system would be in use across Ontario until 1886.

Results

^[1]

Elections to the 1st Parliament of Ontario (1867)

Political party		Party leader	Candidates	Seats	Votes
					#	%
	Conservative	John Sandfield Macdonald	78	41	80,111	50.28%
	Liberal	Archibald McKellar	80	41	77,689	48.76%
	Independent		15	–	1,523	0.96%
Total			173	82	159,323	100.00%
Registered electors					215,722
Acclamations			█ Conservative		2
			█ Liberal		4
Other candidates receiving nil votes[a 1]			█ Independent		1

1. one in Lanark South

Seats summary Conservative   50.00% Liberal   50.00%

Synopsis of results

Results by riding - 1867 Ontario general election^[1]

Riding	Winning party						Turnout	Votes
Name[a 1]	Party		Votes	Share	Margin #	Margin %		Con	Lib	Ind	Total
Addington		Con	1,554	73.72%	1,003	47.58%	75.94%	1,554	551	3	2,108
Algoma		Con	351	67.89%	224	43.33%	60.19%	351	127	39	517
Bothwell		Lib	1,242	51.45%	70	2.90%	83.16%	1,172	1,242	–	2,414
Brant North		Lib	706	53.16%	84	6.33%	72.69%	622	706	–	1,328
Brant South		Con	1,268	54.37%	204	8.75%	71.45%	1,268	1,064	–	2,332
Brockville and Elizabethtown		Con	630	51.05%	26	2.11%	75.38%	630	604	–	1,234
Bruce North		Lib	acclaimed
Bruce South		Lib	1,726	50.10%	7	0.20%	84.83%	1,719	1,726	–	3,445
Cardwell		Con	1,151	52.37%	104	4.73%	84.96%	1,151	1,047	–	2,198
Carleton		Lib	987	47.29%	48	2.30%	88.13%	939	987	161	2,087
Cornwall		Con	479	64.73%	218	29.46%	72.27%	479	261	–	740
Dundas		Lib	1,162	53.57%	155	7.15%	79.42%	1,007	1,162	–	2,169
Durham East		Con	1,208	95.19%	1,147	90.39%	43.88%	1,208	61	–	1,269
Durham West		Lib	1,473	68.80%	805	37.60%	77.43%	668	1,473	–	2,141
Elgin East		Con	1,431	50.44%	25	0.88%	75.47%	1,431	1,406	–	2,837
Elgin West		Con	909	52.27%	79	4.54%	85.16%	909	830	–	1,739
Essex		Con	1,566	53.69%	215	7.37%	75.41%	1,566	1,351	–	2,917
Frontenac		Con	1,186	62.49%	476	25.08%	73.91%	1,186	710	2	1,898
Glengarry		Con	1,149	56.71%	272	13.43%	82.59%	1,149	877	–	2,026
Grenville South		Con	849	53.46%	110	6.93%	80.90%	849	739	–	1,588
Grey North		Con	1,430	55.17%	268	10.34%	74.63%	1,430	1,162	–	2,592
Grey South		Con	1,675	53.23%	203	6.45%	80.86%	1,675	1,472	–	3,147
Haldimand		Lib	1,377	56.43%	314	12.87%	78.36%	1,063	1,377	–	2,440
Halton		Lib	1,556	56.62%	364	13.25%	76.70%	1,192	1,556	–	2,748
Hamilton		Lib	1,193	53.88%	172	7.77%	58.23%	1,021	1,193	–	2,214
Hastings East		Con	908	57.65%	241	15.30%	75.21%	908	667	–	1,575
Hastings North		Con	970	63.73%	418	27.46%	69.31%	970	552	–	1,522
Hastings West		Con	940	72.92%	591	45.85%	54.50%	940	349	–	1,289
Huron North		Con	2,030	50.80%	64	1.60%	72.48%	2,030	1,966	–	3,996
Huron South		Lib	1,558	50.16%	10	0.32%	82.00%	1,548	1,558	–	3,106
Kent		Lib	1,486	51.14%	66	2.27%	77.99%	1,420	1,486	–	2,906
Kingston		Con	705	84.63%	577	69.27%	37.14%	705	128	–	833
Lambton		Lib	2,107	65.80%	1,012	31.61%	75.41%	1,095	2,107	–	3,202
Lanark North		Lib	acclaimed
Lanark South		Con	1,294	62.00%	503	24.10%	70.53%	1,294	791	2	2,087
Leeds North and Grenville North		Lib	962	56.19%	212	12.38%	78.28%	750	962	–	1,712
Leeds South		Con	1,380	50.13%	7	0.25%	83.96%	1,380	1,373	–	2,753
Lennox		Con	1,222	53.29%	396	17.27%	66.35%	1,222	826	245	2,293
Lincoln		Con	acclaimed
London		Con	948	61.00%	342	22.01%	56.00%	948	606	–	1,554
Middlesex East		Lib	1,821	50.42%	30	0.83%	86.62%	1,791	1,821	–	3,612
Middlesex North		Lib	1,084	43.69%	38	1.53%	84.79%	1,046	1,084	351	2,481
Middlesex West		Con	1,100	52.08%	88	4.17%	87.45%	1,100	1,012	–	2,112
Monck		Con	1,118	56.10%	243	12.19%	78.59%	1,118	875	–	1,993
Niagara		Con	302	54.32%	48	8.63%	76.48%	302	254	–	556
Norfolk North		Con	987	50.05%	2	0.10%	83.84%	987	985	–	1,972
Norfolk South		Lib	975	50.47%	18	0.93%	78.06%	957	975	–	1,932
Northumberland East		Lib	1,492	64.56%	675	29.21%	66.97%	817	1,492	2	2,311
Northumberland West		Lib	acclaimed
Ontario North		Lib	1,694	58.70%	502	17.39%	79.26%	1,192	1,694	–	2,886
Ontario South		Lib	1,367	56.35%	308	12.70%	83.60%	1,059	1,367	–	2,426
Ottawa		Lib	810	68.76%	442	37.52%	41.49%	368	810	–	1,178
Oxford North		Lib	1,187	55.36%	230	10.73%	58.34%	957	1,187	–	2,144
Oxford South		Lib	1,399	54.52%	232	9.04%	74.64%	1,167	1,399	–	2,566
Peel		Con	1,118	51.05%	46	2.10%	82.11%	1,118	1,072	–	2,190
Perth North		Con	1,568	57.58%	413	15.17%	72.81%	1,568	1,155	–	2,723
Perth South		Lib	1,552	56.56%	360	13.12%	80.16%	1,192	1,552	–	2,744
Peterborough East		Con	996	62.52%	399	25.05%	80.82%	996	597	–	1,593
Peterborough West		Con	670	50.68%	18	1.36%	78.50%	670	652	–	1,322
Prescott		Lib	838	50.67%	22	1.33%	82.78%	816	838	–	1,654
Prince Edward		Lib	1,605	58.66%	474	17.32%	76.53%	1,131	1,605	–	2,736
Renfrew North		Con	802	71.74%	487	43.56%	80.26%	802	315	1	1,118
Renfrew South		Lib	543	63.96%	237	27.92%	71.17%	306	543	–	849
Russell		Con	1,287	65.33%	818	41.52%	68.95%	1,287	469	214	1,970
Simcoe North		Lib	1,431	52.40%	131	4.80%	81.91%	1,300	1,431	–	2,731
Simcoe South		Con	acclaimed
Stormont		Con	793	55.65%	161	11.30%	81.15%	793	632	–	1,425
Toronto East		Con	1,178	56.28%	264	12.61%	49.80%	1,178	914	1	2,093
Toronto West		Con	1,439	57.26%	365	14.52%	52.94%	1,439	1,074	–	2,513
Victoria North		Lib	676	62.42%	269	24.84%	79.87%	407	676	–	1,083
Victoria South		Lib	acclaimed
Waterloo North		Lib	908	50.67%	24	1.34%	71.68%	884	908	–	1,792
Waterloo South		Lib	1,309	57.59%	345	15.18%	81.59%	964	1,309	–	2,273
Welland		Lib	1,298	54.22%	202	8.44%	68.52%	1,096	1,298	–	2,394
Wellington Centre		Con	1,106	44.36%	58	2.33%	79.24%	1,106	1,048	339	2,493
Wellington North		Lib	1,434	51.29%	72	2.58%	81.04%	1,362	1,434	–	2,796
Wellington South		Lib	940	58.42%	271	16.84%	74.56%	669	940	–	1,609
Wentworth North		Lib	1,139	50.44%	20	0.89%	79.93%	1,119	1,139	–	2,258
Wentworth South		Lib	1,002	50.07%	3	0.15%	83.24%	999	1,002	–	2,001
York East		Lib	1,193	58.25%	338	16.50%	72.37%	855	1,193	–	2,048
York North		Lib	1,369	54.20%	212	8.39%	73.90%	1,157	1,369	–	2,526
York West		Con	587	46.44%	73	5.78%	56.71%	587	514	163	1,264

1. order is as given in EO reports

  = elected by acclamation

  = turnout is above provincial average

  = was a member of the Legislative Assembly of the Province of Canada

  = was a member of the Legislative Council of the Province of Canada

  = multiple candidates

MLAs elected by region and riding

Party designations are as follows:

  Liberal

  Conservative

Northern Ontario   Algoma: Frederick William Cumberland Ottawa Valley   Carleton: Robert Lyon   Lanark North: Daniel Galbraith   Lanark South: William McNairn Shaw   Ottawa: Richard William Scott   Prescott: James P. Boyd   Renfrew North: John Supple   Renfrew South: John Lorn McDougall   Russell: William Craig Saint Lawrence Valley   Brockville and Elizabethtown: William Fitzsimmons   Cornwall: John Sandfield MacDonald[a 1]   Dundas: Simon S. Cook   Glengarry: James Craig   Grenville South: Mcneil Clarke   Kingston: Maxwell W. Strange   Leeds North and Grenville North: Henry Dolphus Smith   Leeds South: Benjamin Tett   Stormont: William Colquhoun Central Ontario   Addington: Edmund John Glyn Hooper   Durham East: Arthur Trefusis Heneage Williams   Durham West: John McLeod   Frontenac: Henry Smith   Hastings East: Henry Corby   Hastings North: George Henry Boulter   Hastings West: Ketchum Graham   Lennox: John Stevenson   Northumberland East: John Eyre   Northumberland West: Alexander Fraser   Peterborough East: George Read   Peterborough West: John Carnegie   Prince Edward: Absalom Greeley   Victoria North: Alexander Peter Cockburn   Victoria South: Thomas Matchett

Georgian Bay   Bruce North: Donald Sinclair   Grey North: Thomas Scott   Simcoe North: William Lount   Simcoe South: Thomas Roberts Ferguson Wentworth/Halton/Niagara   Halton: William Barber   Hamilton: James Miller Williams   Lincoln: John Charles Rykert   Monck: George Secord   Niagara: Donald Robertson   Welland: William Beatty   Wentworth North: Robert Christie   Wentworth South: William Sexton Midwestern Ontario   Brant North: Hugh Finlayson   Brant South: Edmund Burke Wood[a 1]   Bruce South: Edward Blake[a 1]   Grey South: Abram William Lauder   Haldimand: Jacob Baxter   Huron North: William Torrance Hays   Huron South: Robert Gibbons   Norfolk North: James Wilson   Norfolk South: Simpson McCall   Oxford North: George Perry   Oxford South: Adam Oliver   Perth North: Andrew Monteith   Perth South: James Trow   Waterloo North: Moses Springer   Waterloo South: Isaac Clemens   Wellington Centre: Alexander David Ferrier   Wellington North: Robert McKim   Wellington South: Peter Gow

Southwestern Ontario   Bothwell: Archibald McKellar   Elgin East: Daniel Luton   Elgin West: Nicol McColl   Essex: Solomon Wigle   Kent: John Smith   Lambton: Timothy Blair Pardee   London: John Carling[a 1]   Middlesex East: James Evans   Middlesex North: James Sinclair Smith   Middlesex West: Nathaniel Currie Peel/York/Ontario   Cardwell: Thomas Swinarton   Ontario North: Thomas Paxton   Ontario South: William McGill   Peel: John Coyne   Toronto East: Matthew Crooks Cameron   Toronto West: John Wallis   York East: Hugh Powell Crosby   York North: John McMurrich   York West: Thomas Grahame

1. also an MP in the House of Commons of Canada

See also

• List of Ontario political parties
• Politics of Ontario
• List of elections in the Province of Canada