# 15th General Assembly of Newfoundland

The members of the 15th General Assembly of Newfoundland were elected in the Newfoundland general election held in October 1885. The general assembly sat from 1886 to 1889.
The Reform Party led by Robert Thorburn formed the government.
A.J.W. McNeilly was chosen as speaker.
Sir William Des Vœux served as colonial governor of Newfoundland until 1887. Sir Henry Arthur Blake succeeded Des Vœux as governor.
In 1887, the Ballot Act was passed which allowed voting by secret ballot as opposed to the previous system of public oral voting. In 1888, a new Elections Act was passed which defined the required qualifications for candidates for the House of Assembly. In 1889, a new Representation Act was passed which redefined the boundaries of electoral districts.

## Members of the Assembly

The following members were elected to the assembly in 1885:
| Member | Electoral district | Affiliation | First elected / previously elected |
| Stephen R. March | Bay de Verde | Reform Party | 1885 |
| Alexander J.W. McNeilly | Bay de Verde | Reform Party | 1885 |
| James L. Noonan | Bonavista | Reform Party | 1869, 1883 |
| Abram Kean | Bonavista | Reform Party | 1885 |
| Frederick White | Bonavista | Reform Party | 1885 |
| Alfred B. Morine (1886) | Bonavista | Reform Party | 1886 |
| Donald Morison (1888) | Bonavista | Reform Party | 1888 |
| Alexander M. Mackay | Burgeo-La Poile | Reform Party | 1878 |
| John E. Peters | Burin | Reform Party | 1882 |
| Henry LeMessurier | Burin | Reform Party | 1885 |
| Alfred Penney | Carbonear | Reform Party | 1882 |
| Daniel J. Greene | Ferryland | Liberal | 1878 |
| George Shea | Ferryland | Liberal | 1885 |
| James Rolls | Fogo | Reform Party | 1885 |
| Robert Bond | Fortune Bay | Independent | 1882 |
| James S. Winter | Harbour Grace | Reform Party | 1873 |
| Charles Dawe | Harbour Grace | Reform Party | 1878 |
| Joseph Godden | Harbour Grace | Reform Party | 1885 |
| John Veitch | Harbour Main | Liberal | 1885 |
| Richard MacDonnell | Harbour Main | Liberal | 1882 |
| James McGrath | Placentia and St. Mary's | Liberal | 1885 |
| William J. S. Donnelly | Placentia and St. Mary's | Liberal | 1878 |
| George H. Emerson | Placentia and St. Mary's | Liberal | 1885 |
| George A. Hutchings | Port de Grave | Reform Party | 1885 |
| Albert Bradshaw | St. Barbe | Reform Party | 1885 |
| Michael H. Carty | St. George's | Liberal | 1882 |
| Robert J. Kent | St. John's East | Liberal | 1873 |
| Ambrose Shea | St. John's East | Liberal | 1848, 1874 |
| Michael J. O'Mara | St. John's East | Liberal | 1885 |
| Thomas J. Murphy (1886) | St. John's East | Liberal | 1886 |
| Robert John Parsons, Jr. (1887) | St. John's East | Liberal | 1887 |
| Edward Morris | St. John's West | Liberal | 1885 |
| Patrick J. Scott | St. John's West | Liberal | 1873 |
| James J. Callanan | St. John's West | Liberal | 1882 |
| Robert Thorburn | Trinity | Reform Party | 1885 |
| Walter B. Grieve | Trinity | Reform Party | 1885 |
| Ellis Watson | Trinity | Reform Party | 1885 |
| Augustus F. Goodridge | Twillingate | Reform Party | 1882 |
| Smith McKay | Twillingate | Reform Party | 1882 |
| Michael T. Knight | Twillingate | Reform Party | 1885 |

## By-elections

By-elections were held to replace members for various reasons:
| Electoral district | Member elected | Affiliation | Election date | Reason |
| Twillingate | Michael T. Knight | Reform Party | June 9, 1886 | MT Knight named to cabinet, so was required to run again |
| Bonavista | Alfred B. Morine | Independent | June 12, 1886 | JL Noonan named to cabinet, so was required to run again |
| Carbonear | Alfred Penney | Reform Party | November 1, 1886 | A Penney named to cabinet, so was required to run again |
| Placentia and St. Mary's | William J. S. Donnelly | Reform Party | November 1, 1886 | WJS DOnnelly named to cabinet, so was required to run again |
| St. John's East | Thomas J. Murphy | Liberal | November 6, 1886 | RJ Kent resigned seat |
| St. John's East | Robert John Parsons, Jr. | Liberal | November 12, 1887 | A Shea named governor of the Bahamas |
| Bonavista | Donald Morison | Reform Party | November 10, 1888 | A Kean resigned seat |