1938 Auckland City mayoral election

The 1938 Auckland City mayoral election was part of the New Zealand local elections held that same year. In 1938, elections were held for the Mayor of Auckland plus other local government positions including twenty-one city councillors. The polling was conducted using the standard first-past-the-post electoral method.

1938 Auckland City mayoral election
11 May 1938
Turnout40,718 (61.50%)
 
Candidate Ernest Davis Joe Sayegh
Party Citizens & Ratepayers Labour
Popular vote 26,176 13,689
Percentage 64.28 33.61
Mayor before election

Ernest Davis

 Elected Mayor

Ernest Davis

Background

The election saw incumbent mayor Ernest Davis re-elected, increasing his majority in the process. The Labour Party again stood councillor Joe Sayegh (who was only narrowly defeated by Davis in 1935) as their candidate.

Prior to the election several long serving Labour members of the city council were unexpectedly denied re-nomination. Ted Phelan, Arthur Rosser and George Gordon Grant were de-selected in the party selection process.[1] Rosser ran for re-election regardless as an independent, but was defeated. The following year he was expelled from the Labour Party for standing against official party candidates.[2] The Citizens & Ratepayers regained their majority on the city council and Sir George Richardson was appointed deputy mayor. However, Richardson died a month later and was succeeded as deputy mayor by John Allum.[3] Richardson's death triggered a by-election which saw his seat gained by Labour Party candidate Charles Bailey, a former councillor who had lost his seat.[4]

Mayoralty results
1938 Auckland mayoral election[5]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Citizens & Ratepayers Ernest Davis 26,176 64.28 +25.97
Labour Joe Sayegh 13,689 33.61 -3.75
Independent James William Payne 369 0.90
Informal votes 484 1.18 -0.15
Majority 12,487 30.66 +29.69
Turnout 40,718 61.50 +1.14

Councillor results
1938 Auckland local election[5]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Citizens & Ratepayers Arthur Bailey 22,996 56.47
Labour Joe Sayegh 21,310 52.33 -7.49
Citizens & Ratepayers Leonard Coakley 21,018 51.61 +3.83
Citizens & Ratepayers John Allum 20,356 49.99
Citizens & Ratepayers Ellen Melville 19,982 49.07 +6.71
Citizens & Ratepayers Reginald Judson 19,756 48.51
Citizens & Ratepayers James Donald 19,642 48.23
Citizens & Ratepayers Sir George Richardson 19,540 47.98 +2.43
Citizens & Ratepayers Harold Percy Burton 19,310 47.42 +5.33
Labour Mary Dreaver 19,225 47.21
Citizens & Ratepayers William J. Campbell 18,793 46.15
Labour Bill Anderton 18,694 45.91 -7.68
Citizens & Ratepayers Howey Walker 18,237 44.78
Labour Jeremiah James Sullivan 18,187 44.66
Citizens & Ratepayers William R. Fee 17,900 43.96
Labour Richard Armstrong 17,849 43.83
Labour Ernest Frank Andrews 17,839 43.81 -5.47
Citizens & Ratepayers Roy McElroy 17,642 43.32
Labour Peter Carr 17,621 43.27 -2.63
Citizens & Ratepayers Alan St. Clair Brown 17,513 43.01
Citizens & Ratepayers John W. Kealy 17,407 42.75 +12.12
Labour John Albert Mason 17,268 42.40 -12.04
Citizens & Ratepayers Arthur Watkins 17,261 42.39
Labour Fred Young 17,230 42.31
Citizens & Ratepayers Harry Butcher[nb 1] 17,211 42.26
Labour Bernard Martin 17,032 41.82 -2.31
Labour Norman Douglas 16,934 41.58 -0.55
Citizens & Ratepayers Harry Merritt 16,672 40.94
Labour John Stewart 16,364 40.18 -3.47
Labour Elizabeth Wynn 16,352 40.15
Citizens & Ratepayers Ada McNair 15,999 39.29
Labour Jim Purtell 15,973 39.22 -2.04
Labour Thomas Long 15,782 38.75
Labour Charles James Matthew 15,602 38.31
Labour Joseph Glen Kennerley 15,536 38.15
Labour James Jude 15,344 37.68
Labour Harry Gordon Staley 14,955 36.72 -1.96
Labour Charles Bailey 14,239 34.96 -15.41
Independent Tom Bloodworth 10,788 26.49 -17.84
Independent Amy Kasper 8,625 21.18
Independent Alice Basten 8,193 20.12 -21.49
Independent Arthur Rosser 6,920 16.99 -36.71
Independent John Barr Patterson 5,647 13.86 -23.51
Independent Jessie Darlow 5,007 12.29
Independent Ernest Cross 3,663 8.99
Independent James Haslam 3,162 7.76
Independent Gerald Bell 3,042 7.47
Independent Walter Davis 2,737 6.72
Independent Sydney James Ryan 2,441 5.99
Independent Maungatai Babbington 2,408 5.91 -1.71
Independent Charles Edward Phillips 2,231 5.47

Table footnotes:

  1. Butcher was appointed in September 1940 to fill a vacancy on the council

References
  1. "Civic Elections - Labour Candidates". LXXV (22949). The New Zealand Herald. 29 January 1938. p. 15.
  2. Husbands, Paul. "Rosser, Arthur". Dictionary of New Zealand Biography. Ministry for Culture and Heritage. Retrieved 23 April 2017.
  3. McGibbon, Ian. "Richardson, George Spafford". Dictionary of New Zealand Biography. Ministry for Culture and Heritage. Retrieved 30 December 2018.
  4. "By-election". Auckland Star. LXIX (159). 8 July 1938. p. 5. Retrieved 20 August 2018.
  5. "Election of Mayor". The New Zealand Herald. LXXV (23040). 18 May 1938. p. 5.
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