1959 Prince Edward Island general election

1959 Prince Edward Island general election
← 1955 September 1, 1959 (1959-09-01) 1962 →
All 30 seats in the Legislative Assembly of Prince Edward Island
16 seats needed for a majority
  First party Second party
 
PC
Leader Walter R. Shaw Alex W. Matheson
Party Progressive Conservative Liberal
Leader since 1957 1953
Leader's seat 1st Queens 4th Kings
Last election 3 seats, 45.0% 27 seats, 55.0%
Seats won 22 8
Seat change Increase19 Decrease19
Popular vote 43,845 42,214
Percentage 50.9% 49.1%
Swing Increase5.9pp Decrease5.9pp
Premier before election

Alex W. Matheson
Liberal

Premier after election

Walter R. Shaw
Progressive Conservative

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The 1959 Prince Edward Island general election was held in the Canadian province of Prince Edward Island on September 1, 1959.[1]

The governing Liberals of Premier Alex W. Matheson were defeated by the Progressive Conservatives led by Walter R. Shaw, who gained a massive number of districts across the Island to earn a majority government, despite a close result in the popular vote.

The defeat of the Matheson-led Liberals marked the end of the longest serving government in Island history. The Liberals had governed for 24 straight years since their initial victory in the 1935 general election, a feat that would not be rivaled by any other provincial government on the Island.

  1. ^ "Provincial General Election Results, 1959" (PDF). Elections PEI. Archived from the original (PDF) on September 23, 2015. Retrieved May 25, 2015.