# Kent (Ontario federal electoral district)

Kent was a federal electoral district (riding) represented in the House of Commons of Canada from 1867 to 1904, 1917 to 1968, and 1979 to 1997. It was located in the province of Ontario and was created by the British North America Act 1867.

## Geographic history

Kent initially consisted of the Townships of Chatham, Dover, East Tilbury, Romney, Raleigh, and Harwich, and the Town of Chatham. In 1882, the township of Chatham was excluded from the riding, and the village of Blenheim was added.
The electoral district was abolished in 1903 when it was redistributed between Kent East and Kent West ridings.
The electoral district of Kent was recreated from Kent West and Kent East in 1914, and consisted of the county of Kent, excluding the townships of Zone and Camden.
In 1924, it was redefined as consisting of the part of the county of Kent lying west or south of and including the Gore of Chatham, the township of Chatham and the river Thames, but excluding the town of Tilbury and the village of Wheatley.
In 1933, it was redefined as consisting of the county of Kent, excluding the townships of Camden, Gore of Camden, Gore of Chatham and Zone, and including the city of Chatham, the town of Tilbury and the village of Wheatley.
In 1947, it was redefined as consisting of the county of Kent, excluding the townships of Camden and Zone, and that part of the township of Chatham formerly known as the Gore of Chatham; but including the city of Chatham, the town of Tilbury and the village of Wheatley.
The electoral district was abolished in 1966 when it was redistributed between Kent—Essex and Lambton—Kent ridings.
The electoral district of Kent was recreated a second time from Kent—Essex and Lambton—Kent ridings 1976. It consisted of:
(a) the part of the County of Kent lying north and east and including the Township of Dover, the City of Chatham, the Township of Chatham and the Township of Howard to the shore of Lake Erie, and
(b) Indian Reserve No. 46 in the County of Lambton.
In 1987, it was redefined to consist of
(a) the part of the County of Kent lying north and east of and including the Township of Howard, the Township of Chatham, the City of Chatham, and the Township of Dover, and
(b) that part of the County of Lambton contained in Walpole Island Indian Reserve No. 46.
The electoral district was abolished in 1996 when it was redistributed between Kent—Essex and Lambton—Kent—Middlesex ridings.

## Members of Parliament

This riding has elected the following members of Parliament:
| Parliament | Years | Member | Party |
| 1st | 1867–1872 | Rufus Stephenson | Conservative |
| 2nd | 1872–1874 | Rufus Stephenson | Conservative |
| 3rd | 1874–1878 | Rufus Stephenson | Conservative |
| 4th | 1878–1882 | Rufus Stephenson | Conservative |
| 5th | 1882–1883 | Henry Smyth | Conservative |
| 5th | 1884–1887 | Henry Smyth | Conservative |
| 6th | 1887–1887 | Archibald Campbell | Liberal |
| 6th | 1888–1891 | Archibald Campbell | Liberal |
| 7th | 1891–1896 | Archibald Campbell | Liberal |
| 8th | 1896–1900 | Archibald Campbell | Liberal |
| 9th | 1900–1904 | George Stephens | Liberal |
| Riding dissolved into Kent East and Kent West |||||
| Riding re-created from Kent West and Kent East |||||
| 13th | 1917–1921 | Archibald McCoig | Opposition (Laurier Liberals) |
| 14th | 1921–1922 | Archibald McCoig | Liberal |
| 14th | 1922–1925 | James Murdock | Liberal |
| 15th | 1925–1926 | Alexander Dew Chaplin | Conservative |
| 16th | 1926–1930 | James Rutherford | Liberal |
| 17th | 1930–1935 | James Rutherford | Liberal |
| 18th | 1935–1939† | James Rutherford | Liberal |
| 18th | 1939–1940 | Arthur Lisle Thompson | Liberal |
| 19th | 1940–1945 | Earl Desmond | National Government |
| 20th | 1945–1949 | Earl Desmond | Progressive Conservative |
| 21st | 1949–1953 | Blake Huffman | Liberal |
| 22nd | 1953–1957 | Blake Huffman | Liberal |
| 23rd | 1957–1958 | Blake Huffman | Liberal |
| 24th | 1958–1962 | Harold Danforth | Progressive Conservative |
| 25th | 1962–1963 | Sidney LeRoi Clunis | Liberal |
| 26th | 1963–1965 | Harold Danforth | Progressive Conservative |
| 27th | 1965–1968 | Harold Danforth | Progressive Conservative |
| Riding dissolved into Kent—Essex and Lambton—Kent |||||
| Riding re-created from Kent—Essex and Lambton—Kent |||||
| 31st | 1979–1980 | John Robert Holmes | Progressive Conservative |
| 32nd | 1980–1984 | Maurice Bossy | Liberal |
| 33rd | 1984–1988 | Elliott Hardey | Progressive Conservative |
| 34th | 1988–1993 | Rex Crawford | Liberal |
| 35th | 1993–1997 | Rex Crawford | Liberal |
| Riding dissolved into Kent—Essex and Lambton—Kent—Middlesex |||||

## Election results
### Kent, 1867–1904

1867 Canadian federal election :
| Party | Candidate | Votes |
| | Conservative | Rufus Stephenson | 1,524 |
| | Liberal | Archibald McKellar | 1,427 |
1872 Canadian federal election :
| Party | Candidate | Votes |
| | Conservative | Rufus Stephenson | 1,874 |
| | Unknown | Wm. S. Stripp | 1,730 |
1874 Canadian federal election :
| Party | Candidate | Votes |
| | Conservative | Rufus Stephenson | 1,895 |
| | Unknown | Wm. S. Stripp | 1,823 |
1878 Canadian federal election :
| Party | Candidate | Votes |
| | Conservative | Rufus Stephenson | 2,502 |
| | Unknown | H. McMahon | 1,969 |
1882 Canadian federal election :
| Party | Candidate | Votes |
| | Conservative | Henry Smyth | 2,223 |
| | Unknown | Jas. Samson | 2,066 |
On the election being declared void, 31 December 1883:
By-election on 29 January 1884 :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes |
| | Conservative | Henry Smyth | 2,548 |
| | Unknown | James Samson | 2,266 |
1887 Canadian federal election :
| Party | Candidate | Votes |
| | Liberal | Archibald Campbell | 2,982 |
| | Conservative | Henry Smyth | 2,870 |
On Mr. Campbell being unseated, 17 November 1887:
By-election on 2 May 1888 :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes |
| | Liberal | Archibald Campbell | 2,679 |
| | Conservative | Henry Smyth | 2,585 |
vte1891 Canadian federal election :
| Party | Candidate | Votes |
| | Liberal | Archibald Campbell | 3,138 |
| | Conservative | William P. Killackey | 2,662 |
1896 Canadian federal election :
| Party | Candidate | Votes |
| | Liberal | Archibald Campbell | 3,315 |
| | Conservative | W. Ball | 3,158 |
1900 Canadian federal election :
| Party | Candidate | Votes |
| | Liberal | George Stephens | 3,390 |
| | Conservative | Theodore A. Smith | 3,173 |

### Kent, 1917–1968

1917 Canadian federal election :
| Party | Candidate | Votes |
| | Opposition (Laurier Liberals) | Archibald McCoig | 7,402 |
| | Independent Liberal | John Warcup Plewes | 6,313 |
1921 Canadian federal election :
| Candidate | Votes |
| Liberal | Archibald McCoig | 11,093 |
| Progressive | Duncan Robert McDiarmid | 7,211 |
| Conservative | Wm. Andrew Hammond | 5,288 |
On Mr. McCoig being called to the Senate, 4 January 1922:
By-election on 19 January 1922 :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes |
| | Liberal | James Murdock | acclaimed |
1925 Canadian federal election :
| Candidate | Votes |
| Conservative | Alexander Dew Chaplin | 8,396 |
| Liberal | James Rutherford | 7,833 |
| Unknown | John Wesley Ward | 4,461 |
1926 Canadian federal election :
| Party | Candidate | Votes |
| | Liberal | James Rutherford | 12,315 |
| | Conservative | Alexander Dew Chaplin | 10,578 |
1930 Canadian federal election :
| Party | Candidate | Votes |
| | Liberal | James Rutherford | 12,179 |
| | Conservative | Calvert Stanley Stonehouse | 10,765 |
1935 Canadian federal election :
| Party | Candidate | Votes |
| | Liberal | James Rutherford | 11,281 |
| | Reconstruction | Frederick Arthur Leverton | 7,588 |
On Mr. Rutherford's death, 27 February 1939:
By-election on 11 December 1939 :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes |
| | Liberal | Arthur Lisle Thompson | acclaimed |
1940 Canadian federal election :
| Party | Candidate | Votes |
| | National Government | Earl Desmond | 11,629 |
| | Liberal | Arthur Lisle Thompson | 10,945 |
1945 Canadian federal election :
| Candidate | Votes |
| Progressive Conservative | Earl Desmond | 12,706 |
| Liberal | William David Colby | 10,490 |
| Co-operative Commonwealth | Duncan Robert McDiarmid | 1,291 |
1949 Canadian federal election :
| Candidate | Votes |
| Liberal | Blake Huffman | 14,903 |
| Progressive Conservative | Earl Desmond | 12,444 |
| Co-operative Commonwealth | Kenneth Simpson | 949 |
1953 Canadian federal election :
| Party | Candidate | Votes |
| | Liberal | Blake Huffman | 15,532 |
| | Progressive Conservative | Eugene King | 10,496 |
1957 Canadian federal election :
| Candidate | Votes |
| Liberal | Blake Huffman | 13,977 |
| Progressive Conservative | Albert Evans Jolley | 10,907 |
| Social Credit | Enos B. Brubacher | 1,792 |
1958 Canadian federal election :
| Candidate | Votes |
| Progressive Conservative | Harold Danforth | 17,348 |
| Liberal | Blake Huffman | 13,005 |
| Social Credit | Enos B. Brubacher | 661 |
1962 Canadian federal election :
| Candidate | Votes |
| Liberal | Sidney LeRoi Clunis | 15,362 |
| Progressive Conservative | Harold Danforth | 14,280 |
| Social Credit | Harold G. Youcke | 629 |
1963 Canadian federal election :
| Candidate | Votes |
| Progressive Conservative | Harold Danforth | 15,381 |
| Liberal | Sidney LeRoi Clunis | 15,179 |
| New Democratic | Larry Moore | 924 |
| Social Credit | Donald Lawrence Heatherington | 388 |
1965 Canadian federal election :
| Candidate | Votes |
| Progressive Conservative | Harold Danforth | 15,472 |
| Liberal | George Mickle | 13,667 |
| New Democratic | Dianne Mary Fielding | 1,231 |

### Kent, 1979–1997

1979 Canadian federal election :
| Candidate | Votes |
| Progressive Conservative | John Robert Holmes | 18,007 |
| Liberal | Fred Reinhardt | 11,713 |
| New Democratic | Marie-France Wilkinson | 5,047 |
1980 Canadian federal election :
| Candidate | Votes |
| Liberal | Maurice Bossy | 15,140 |
| Progressive Conservative | John Robert Holmes | 14,293 |
| New Democratic | George McDermott | 5,758 |
1984 Canadian federal election :
| Candidate | Votes |
| Progressive Conservative | Elliott Hardey | 18,279 |
| Liberal | Maurice Bossy | 13,027 |
| New Democratic | Derry McKeever | 6,138 |
1988 Canadian federal election :
| Candidate | Votes |
| Liberal | Rex Crawford | 15,835 |
| Progressive Conservative | Elliott Hardey | 13,835 |
| New Democratic | Leo Rustin | 7,948 |
| Christian Heritage | Allan James | 1,942 |
1993 Canadian federal election :
| Candidate | Votes |
| Liberal | Rex Crawford | 23,216 |
| Reform | Arnold Broeders | 5,618 |
| Progressive Conservative | Tom Suitor | 5,017 |
| New Democratic | Aaron G. De Meester | 1,370 |
| National | Victor Knight | 1,014 |
| Natural Law | Marty Howe | 146 |