1959 Hamilton by-election

The Hamilton by-election 1959 was a by-election held in the electorate in Hamilton in the Waikato during the term of the 32nd New Zealand Parliament, on 2 May 1959.

Background

The by-election was caused by the death of incumbent MP Hilda Ross of the National Party on 6 March 1959. The by-election was won by Lance Adams-Schneider, also of the National Party.

Candidates

Labour

There were two candidates for the Labour Party nomination:

Iris Martin, matron of Wellington Hospital and daughter of former Labour cabinet minister Lee Martin
Ben Waters, a member of Labour's national executive and candidate for in, and

Labour chose Waters as its candidate. Waters had recently been appointed a trustee of the Waikato Savings Bank. Contesting the seat three times prior, he slightly increased Labour share of the vote from 41.63 to 43.16 percent.
National

There were seven candidates for the National Party nomination:

Lance Adams-Schneider, a member of the Taumarunui Borough Council and candidate for in
Dorothy Blomfield, a member of the Hamilton City Council
Victor Allan de Lacey, a Hamilton businessman and a member of several National Party executive committees
A. R. Griffiths, a member of the Hamilton City Council and former chairman of the Hamilton National Party
Francis Dewsbury Pinfold, the chairman of the Hamilton Fire Board and former Mayor of Hamilton
Deena Sergel, a war widow and candidate for in 1957
Geoffrey Taylor, an Auckland businessman and candidate for in 1957

The local National Party members selected Adams-Schneider as candidate for the seat.
Social Credit

Frederick Charles Roberts, a Hamilton businessman, stood as the candidate for the Social Credit Party. In 1957 he stood for Social Credit in the electorate.

Results

The following table gives the election results: