# Electoral history of George Grey

This is a summary of the electoral history of Sir George Grey, Prime Minister of New Zealand, (1877–1879). He represented six electorates during his political career.

## Parliamentary elections

Grey's first electoral contest in 1870 was fought in the United Kingdom parliamentary constituency of Newark. Subsequent electoral contests were all in New Zealand.

### 1870 by-election

1870 Newark by-election :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | Samuel Bristowe | 827 | 54.0 | +17.8 |
| | Conservative | William Campbell Sleigh | 653 | 42.6 | |
| | Independent Liberal | Sir George Grey | 52 | 3.4 | |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 174 | 11.4 | +4.9 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 1,532 | 85.0 | +3.7 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 1,803 | | |

### 1875 by-election

1875 Auckland West by-election :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Independent | Sir George Grey | Unopposed | | |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | | | |

### 1876 election

1876 general election, Auckland West :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes |
| | Independent | Sir George Grey$^a$ | Unopposed |
| | Independent | Patrick Dignan | Unopposed |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | |
$^a$ Grey resigned from the Auckland West seat after he was elected in the Thames electorate. A petition against his election for Thames had been filed on the following day, on the grounds that he had already been elected in Auckland West (see 1875–1876 New Zealand general election). This was unresolved for several months, and Grey telegrammed in June that he chose to represent Auckland West. However when the committee reported on 8 July that his election for Thames was valid but that he had to choose which electorate to represent, he telegrammed that he chose to represent Thames. A by-election (1876 Auckland West by-election) was held to replace Grey in Auckland West.
1876 general election, Thames :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Independent | Sir George Grey | 984 | 67.53 |
| | Independent | William Rowe | 862 | 59.16 |
| | Independent | Sir Julius Vogel | 685 | 47.01 |
| | Independent | C F Mitchell | 330 | 22.64 |
| | Independent | C O'Neil | 26 | 1.78 |
| | Independent | C Cornes | 20 | 1.37 |
| | Independent | S Stephenson | 7 | 0.48 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 177 | 12.14 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 1,457 | |

### 1879 election

1879 general election, Thames :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes |
| | Independent | Sir George Grey | Unopposed |
| | Independent | John Sheehan | Unopposed |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | |
1879 general election, Christchurch :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Independent | Sir George Grey$^b$ | 1,315 | 70.58 |
| | Independent | Samuel Paull Andrews | 1,250 | 67.09 |
| | Independent | Edward Cephas John Stevens | 1,250 | 67.09 |
| | Independent | Edward Richardson | 1,227 | 65.86 |
| | Independent | Treadwell | 548 | 29.41 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 22 | 1.1 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 1,863 | |
$^b$ Grey was unseated on petition in Christchurch, as he had already been elected in the Thames electorate. The committee decision (decided on the chairman's casting vote after a split three-three committee vote; see 1879 New Zealand general election) was the opposite to the decision on the 1876 petition.

### 1881 election

1881 general election, Auckland East :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Independent | Sir George Grey | 349 | 52.57 |
| | Independent | J M Clark | 315 | 47.43 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 34 | 5.12 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 664 | 71.78 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 925 | |

### 1884 election

1884 general election, Auckland East :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Independent | Sir George Grey | Unopposed | | |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 1,331 | | |

### 1887 election

1887 general election, Auckland Central :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Independent | Sir George Grey | Unopposed | | |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 1,782 | | |

### 1891 by-election

1891 Newton by-election :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Independent | Sir George Grey | Unopposed | | |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 2,088 | | |

### 1893 election

1893 general election: City of Auckland :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Independent | Sir George Grey | 6,379 | 62.57 | |
| | Conservative | William Crowther | 4,584 | 44.96 | |
| | Conservative | Charles Button | 4,214 | 41.34 | |
| | Conservative | Thomas Tudehope | 4,146 | 40.67 | |
| | Liberal | Thomas Thompson | 3,950 | 38.75 | −20.23 |
| | Liberal | William Joseph Napier | 3,531 | 34.64 | −7.18 |
| | Independent Liberal | Edward Withy | 2,393 | 23.47 | |
| | Liberal | John Shera | 793 | 7.78 | −55.85 |
| | Liberal | Samuel Vaile | 502 | 4.92 | |
| | Liberal | Thomas Fernandez | 92 | 0.90 | |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 68 | 0.67 | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 10,195 | 60.73 | +14.30 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 16,788 | | |