# Compton (federal electoral district)

Compton (also known as Mégantic—Compton—Stanstead) was a federal electoral district in Quebec, Canada, that was represented in the House of Commons of Canada from 1867 to 1949, and again from 1968 to 1997.

## History

Compton was created by the British North America Act of 1867. It consisted of the Townships of Compton, Westbury, Eaton, Clifton, Hereford, and Augmentation, Bury, Newport, Auckland, Lingwick, Hampden, Ditton, Winslow, Whitton, Marston, Chesham and part of the Township of Clinton.
In 1924, it was re-defined to consist of:
* the County of Compton;
* in the County of Stanstead: the township of Hereford;
* in the County of Sherbrooke: the municipalities of Compton (township and village) and Waterville; and
* in the County of Frontenac: the municipalities of Marston South, Ste. Cécile de Whitton, Chesham, Winslow South, Clinton, St. Léon de Marston, Winslow North and the town of Mégantic.
In 1933, it was expanded to include the townships of Eaton and Westbury in the village of Ascot Corner.
It was abolished in 1947 when it was redistributed into the Compton—Frontenac and Sherbrooke electoral districts.
It was re-created in 1966 from parts of Compton—Frontenac, Mégantic and Stanstead ridings. The new riding was defined to consist of:
* the Towns of Coaticook, Cookshire, East Angus, Lac-Mégantic, Rock Island, Scotstown and Waterville;
* the County of Compton;
* parts of the County of Frontenac;
* the county of Stanstead (except the village municipality of Omerville and the township municipality of Magog); and
* in the County of Sherbrooke: the village municipality of Compton; the township municipality of Compton; and the municipalities of Ascot Corner and Compton Station.
In 1976, it was expanded to include in the County of Stanstead: the village municipalities of Ayer's Cliff, Beebe Plain, Dixville, Hatley, North Hatley, Saint-Herménégilde and Stanstead Plain; the township municipalities of Barford, Barnston, Hatley, Hatley (West part) and Stanstead; the municipalities of Barnston West, Ogden, Sainte-Catherine-de-Hatley, Saint-Herménégilde, Saint-Mathieu-de-Dixville and Stanstead East.
It was renamed "Mégantic—Compton—Stanstead" in 1978.
In 1987, it was redefined to consist of:
* the Towns of Coaticook, Cookshire, East Angus, Lac-Mégantic, Rock Island, Scotstown and Waterville;
* the County of Compton;
* in the County of Frontenac: the parish municipalities of Courcelles, Saint-Augustin-de-Woburn and Val-Racine; the Township municipality of Marston; the municipalities of Audet, Frontenac, Lac-Drolet, Milan, Nantes, Notre-Dames-des-Bois, Piopolis, Sainte-Cécile-de-Whitton, Saint-Romain, Saint-Sébastien and Stornoway;
* in the County of Sherbrooke: the Township Municipality of Ascot; the Municipality of Ascot Corner;
* in the County of Stanstead excluding the following: the Town of Magog; the Village Municipality of Omerville; the Township Municipality of Magog;
* in the County of Wolfe: the village municipalities of Bishopton, Marbleton, Saint-Gérard and Weedon-Centre; the township municipalities of Dudswell, Stratford and Weedon; the municipality of Fontainebleau.
It was abolished in 1996 when it was merged into Compton—Stanstead riding.

## Members of Parliament

This riding elected the following members of Parliament:
| Parliament | Years | Member | Party |
| Compton |||||
| 1st | 1867–1871 | John Henry Pope | Liberal–Conservative |
| 1st | 1871–1872 | John Henry Pope | Liberal–Conservative |
| 2nd | 1872–1874 | John Henry Pope | Liberal–Conservative |
| 3rd | 1874–1878 | John Henry Pope | Liberal–Conservative |
| 4th | 1878–1878 | John Henry Pope | Liberal–Conservative |
| 4th | 1878–1882 | John Henry Pope | Liberal–Conservative |
| 5th | 1882–1887 | John Henry Pope | Liberal–Conservative |
| 6th | 1887–1889 | John Henry Pope | Liberal–Conservative |
| 6th | 1889–1891 | Rufus Henry Pope | Conservative |
| 7th | 1891–1896 | Rufus Henry Pope | Conservative |
| 8th | 1896–1900 | Rufus Henry Pope | Conservative |
| 9th | 1900–1904 | Rufus Henry Pope | Conservative |
| 10th | 1904–1905 | Aylmer Byron Hunt | Liberal |
| 10th | 1906–1908 | Aylmer Byron Hunt | Liberal |
| 11th | 1908–1911 | Aylmer Byron Hunt | Liberal |
| 12th | 1911–1917 | Frederick Robert Cromwell | Conservative |
| 13th | 1917–1921 | Aylmer Byron Hunt | Liberal |
| 14th | 1921–1925 | Aylmer Byron Hunt | Liberal |
| 15th | 1925–1926 | Joseph-Étienne Letellier de Saint-Just | Liberal |
| 16th | 1926–1930 | Joseph-Étienne Letellier de Saint-Just | Liberal |
| 17th | 1930–1935 | Samuel Gobeil | Conservative |
| 18th | 1935–1940 | Joseph-Adéodat Blanchette | Liberal |
| 19th | 1940–1945 | Joseph-Adéodat Blanchette | Liberal |
| 20th | 1945–1949 | Joseph-Adéodat Blanchette | Liberal |
| Riding dissolved into Compton—Frontenac and Sherbrooke |||||
| Riding re-created from Compton—Frontenac, Mégantic and Stanstead |||||
| 28th | 1968–1971 | Henry Latulippe | Ralliement créditiste |
| 28th | 1971–1972 | Henry Latulippe | Social Credit |
| 29th | 1972–1974 | Henry Latulippe | Social Credit |
| 30th | 1974–1979 | Claude Tessier | Liberal |
| Mégantic—Compton—Stanstead |||||
| 31st | 1979–1980 | Claude Tessier | Liberal |
| 32nd | 1980–1984 | Claude Tessier | Liberal |
| 33rd | 1984–1988 | François Gérin | Progressive Conservative |
| 34th | 1988–1993 | François Gérin | Progressive Conservative |
| 35th | 1993–1997 | Maurice Bernier | Bloc Québécois |
| Riding dissolved into Compton—Stanstead |||||

## Election results
### Compton, 1867–1949

vte1867 Canadian federal election :
| Party | Candidate | Votes |
| | Liberal–Conservative | John Henry Pope | acclaimed |
| Source: Canadian Elections Database |||||||
By-election: On Mr. Pope's appointment as Minister of Agriculture, 25 October 1871
By-election on 11 November 1871 :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes |
| | Liberal–Conservative | John Henry Pope | acclaimed |
vte1872 Canadian federal election :
| Party | Candidate | Votes |
| | Liberal–Conservative | John Henry Pope | acclaimed |
| Source: Canadian Elections Database |||||||
vte1874 Canadian federal election :
| Party | Candidate | Votes |
| | Liberal–Conservative | John Henry Pope | 1,387 |
| | Unknown | H. E. Cairns | 535 |
| Source: Canadian Elections Database |||||||
vte1878 Canadian federal election :
| Party | Candidate | Votes |
| | Liberal–Conservative | John Henry Pope | 1,464 |
| | Unknown | H. Leonard | 796 |
By-election: On Mr. Pope's appointment as Minister of Agriculture, 17 October 1878
By-election on 4 November 1878 :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes |
| | Liberal–Conservative | John Henry Pope | acclaimed |
vte1882 Canadian federal election :
| Party | Candidate | Votes |
| | Liberal–Conservative | John Henry Pope | 1,612 |
| | Unknown | H. E. Cairns | 823 |
vte1887 Canadian federal election :
| Party | Candidate | Votes |
| | Liberal–Conservative | John Henry Pope | 2,157 |
| | Unknown | T. B. Munro | 1,333 |
By-election: On Mr. Pope's death, 1 April 1889
By-election on 16 May 1889 :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes |
| | Conservative | Rufus Henry Pope | acclaimed |
vte1891 Canadian federal election :
| Party | Candidate | Votes |
| | Conservative | Rufus Henry Pope | 2,004 |
| | Liberal | S. P. Leet | 938 |
vte1896 Canadian federal election :
| Party | Candidate | Votes |
| | Conservative | Rufus Henry Pope | 1,948 |
| | Patrons of Industry | Francis F. Wellard | 1,485 |
vte1900 Canadian federal election :
| Party | Candidate | Votes |
| | Conservative | Rufus Henry Pope | 2,438 |
| | Liberal | Geo. B. Cleveland | 2,190 |
vte1904 Canadian federal election :
| Party | Candidate | Votes |
| | Liberal | Aylmer Byron Hunt | 2,735 |
| | Conservative | Rufus Henry Pope | 2,440 |
By-election: On election being declared void, Nov. 22, 1905
By-election on 4 January 1906 :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes |
| | Liberal | Aylmer Byron Hunt | 2,935 |
| | Conservative | Rufus Henry Pope | 2,585 |
vte1908 Canadian federal election :
| Party | Candidate | Votes |
| | Liberal | Aylmer Byron Hunt | 3,175 |
| | Conservative | Rufus Henry Pope | 2,781 |
vte1911 Canadian federal election :
| Party | Candidate | Votes |
| | Conservative | Frederick Robert Cromwell | 2,953 |
| | Liberal | Aylmer Byron Hunt | 2,877 |
vte1917 Canadian federal election :
| Party | Candidate | Votes |
| | Opposition (Laurier Liberals) | Aylmer Byron Hunt | 4,418 |
| | Government (Unionist) | Kenneth Nicholson McIver | 2,515 |
vte1921 Canadian federal election :
| Party | Candidate | Votes |
| | Liberal | Aylmer Byron Hunt | 7,866 |
| | Conservative | Frederick Robert Cromwell | 3,961 |
vte1925 Canadian federal election :
| Party | Candidate | Votes |
| | Liberal | Joseph-Étienne Letellier de Saint-Just | 6,497 |
| | Conservative | Samuel Gobeil | 4,262 |
vte1926 Canadian federal election :
| Party | Candidate | Votes |
| | Liberal | Joseph-Étienne Letellier de Saint-Just | 7,125 |
| | Conservative | Samuel Gobeil | 4,979 |
vte1930 Canadian federal election :
| Party | Candidate | Votes |
| | Conservative | Samuel Gobeil | 6,701 |
| | Liberal | Joseph-Étienne Letellier de Saint-Just | 6,393 |
| Source: lop.parl.ca |||||||
vte1935 Canadian federal election :
| Party | Candidate | Votes |
| | Liberal | Joseph-Adéodat Blanchette | 7,388 |
| | Conservative | Samuel Gobeil | 6,374 |
vte1940 Canadian federal election :
| Party | Candidate | Votes |
| | Liberal | Joseph-Adéodat Blanchette | 8,012 |
| | National Government | Joseph-Alfred Laforest | 1,623 |
vte1945 Canadian federal election :
| Candidate | Votes |
| Liberal | Joseph-Adéodat Blanchette | 8,007 |
| Progressive Conservative | Samuel Gobeil | 3,506 |
| Bloc populaire | Aurélien Quintin | 1,622 |
| Social Credit | Gérard Houle | 1,065 |
| Co-operative Commonwealth | R. Barton Carr | 486 |

### Compton, 1968–1979

vte1968 Canadian federal election :
| Candidate | Votes |
| Ralliement créditiste | Henry Latulippe | 11,961 |
| Liberal | Léger Cameron | 8,615 |
| Progressive Conservative | Luc Bourque | 3,987 |
| New Democratic | Curtis Lowry | 851 |
vte1972 Canadian federal election :
| Candidate | Votes |
| Social Credit | Henry Latulippe | 11,636 |
| New Democratic | Duncan J. M. Graham | 10,982 |
| Liberal | Claude Tessier | 10,656 |
| Progressive Conservative | Guy-C. Gauvin | 4,142 |
| Independent | Conrad Descoteaux | 182 |
vte1974 Canadian federal election :
| Party | Candidate | Votes |
| | Liberal | Claude Tessier | 11,474 |
| | Social Credit | Henry Latulippe | 9,917 |
| | Progressive Conservative | Guy Lapointe | 4,407 |
| | New Democratic | Duncan J. M. Graham | 858 |
| lop.parl.ca |||||||

### Mégantic—Compton—Stanstead, 1979–1997

vte1979 Canadian federal election :
| Candidate | Votes |
| Liberal | Claude Tessier | 19,309 |
| Social Credit | Henry Latulippe | 9,047 |
| Progressive Conservative | Claude G. Gosselin | 7,463 |
| New Democratic | Murray Dale Powell | 1,316 |
| Union populaire | Robert Huberdeau | 281 |
vte1980 Canadian federal election :
| Party | Candidate | Votes |
| | Liberal | Claude Tessier | 21,562 |
| | Progressive Conservative | Fernand Grenier | 10,336 |
| | Social Credit | Léonel Drouin | 3,023 |
| | New Democratic | Keith Taylor | 1,769 |
| | Rhinoceros | D. Gavroche Gosselin | 1,002 |
| lop.parl.ca |||||||
vte1984 Canadian federal election :
| Candidate | Votes |
| Progressive Conservative | François Gérin | 25,679 |
| Liberal | Claude Tessier | 13,123 |
| New Democratic | Jean-Pierre Walsh | 2,690 |
| Green | Andrew McCammon | 454 |
| Parti nationaliste | Michel Houde | 427 |
| Social Credit | Robert Bélanger | 399 |
| Commonwealth of Canada | Ronald A. Javitch | 51 |
vte1988 Canadian federal election :
| Candidate | Votes |
| Progressive Conservative | François Gérin | 23,246 |
| Liberal | Jean-Guy Landry | 11,566 |
| New Democratic | Jean-Pierre Walsh | 3,195 |
| Social Credit | Yvan Lanctot | 550 |
vte1993 Canadian federal election :
| Candidate | Votes |
| Bloc Québécois | Maurice Bernier | 17,317 |
| Liberal | Eugene Naylor | 13,538 |
| Progressive Conservative | Gilles Goddard | 6,042 |
| Natural Law | Jacqueline Benoît | 767 |
| New Democratic | Martine Simard | 495 |
| Abolitionist | Marco Bissonnette | 215 |
| National | James Stewart | 198 |