# 6th General Assembly of Newfoundland

The members of the 6th General Assembly of Newfoundland were elected in the Newfoundland general election held in May 1855. The general assembly sat from 1855 to 1859.
This was the first election held after responsible government was granted to the colony. The Liberal Party led by Philip Francis Little won the election and Little became Newfoundland's first premier. After Little resigned as leader in 1858, John Kent served as premier.
Ambrose Shea was chosen as speaker.
Sir Charles Henry Darling served as colonial governor of Newfoundland until February 1857, when he was named governor of Jamaica. Later that year, Darling was succeeded by Sir Alexander Bannerman,

## Members of the Assembly

The following members were elected to the assembly in 1855:
| Member | Electoral district | Affiliation | First elected / previously elected |
| John Bemister | Bay de Verde | Conservative | 1855 |
| Robert Carter | Bonavista Bay | Conservative | 1855 |
| John Henry Warren | Bonavista Bay | Conservative | 1852 |
| Matthew W. Walbank | Bonavista Bay | Conservative | 1855 |
| Robert Henry Prowse | Burgeo-La Poile | Conservative | 1855 |
| Clement Benning | Burin | Liberal | 1852 |
| Patrick Morris | Burin | Liberal | 1855 |
| Edmund Hanrahan | Carbonear | Liberal | 1855 |
| Thomas Glen | Ferryland | Conservative | 1855 |
| Edward Dalton Shea | Ferryland | Liberal | 1855 |
| Hugh William Hoyles | Fortune Bay | Conservative | 1855 |
| James Luke Prendergast | Harbour Grace | Liberal | 1855 |
| John Hayward | Harbour Grace | Conservative | 1855 |
| Thomas Byrne | Harbour Main | Liberal | 1855 |
| William Talbot | Harbour Main | Liberal | 1855 |
| George James Hogsett | Placentia and St. Mary's | Liberal | 1852 |
| Michael John Kelly | Placentia and St. Mary's | Liberal | 1855 |
| John Delaney | Placentia and St. Mary's | Liberal | 1848, 1855 |
| Robert Brown | Port de Grave | Conservative | 1855 |
| John Kent | St. John's East | Liberal | 1832, 1848 |
| Robert John Parsons | St. John's East | Liberal | 1843 |
| Peter Winser | St. John's East | Liberal | 1855 |
| John Kavanagh (1857) | St. John's East | Liberal | 1857 |
| John Fox | St. John's West | Liberal | 1855 |
| Ambrose Shea | St. John's West | Liberal | 1848 |
| Philip Francis Little | St. John's West | Liberal | 1850 |
| John Casey (1857) | St. John's West | Liberal | 1857 |
| J. J. Gearin (1858) | St. John's West | Liberal | 1858 |
| Stephen March | Trinity Bay | Conservative | 1852 |
| John Winter | Trinity Bay | Conservative | 1855 |
| F.B.T. Carter | Trinity Bay | Conservative | 1855 |
| William Henry Ellis | Twillingate and Fogo | Conservative | 1855 |
| Thomas Knight | Twillingate and Fogo | Conservative | 1855 |
| William Whiteway (1858) | Twillingate and Fogo | Conservative | 1858 |

## By-elections

By-elections were held to replace members for various reasons:
| Electoral district | Member elected | Affiliation | Election date | Reason |
| St. John's East | John Kavanagh | Liberal | 1857 | P Winser resigned in 1857 |
| St. John's West | John Casey | Liberal | 1857 | J Fox named to Legislative Council in 1857 |
| Twillingate and Fogo | William Whiteway | Conservative | 1858 | J H Ellis died March 28, 1858 |
| St. John's West | J. J. Gearin | Liberal | 1858 | P F Little resigned seat in 1858 |