Lyttelton by-election, 1935
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The Lyttelton by-election of 1935 was a by-election held on 24 July 1935 during the 24th New Zealand Parliament in the Lyttelton electorate. The electorate was won by Terry McCombs of the New Zealand Labour Party, succeeding his mother.
Terrence McCombs's mother, Elizabeth McCombs had held the seat after winning it in a by-election in 1933. She died on 7 June 1935 after succumbing to illness.
The New Zealand Labour Party chose Terrence McCombs to stand for them. This was in some ways a surprise as many expected that Jim Thorn would be the candidate.
The United-Reform Coalition who were operating under the name "National Political Federation" selected Melville Lyons as their candidate. Lyons had a rural background as he was secretary of the New Zealand Sheepbreeders' Association at the time. In the New Zealand general election, 1925 he had stood for the New Zealand Reform Party in 1925 in Lyttelton against James McCombs. He was declared the winner with a victory of eight votes but the election court overturned this and McCombs won by just one vote.
The New Zealand Democrat Party's leader Albert Davy declined to stand a candidate in the by-election. He believed that the by-election was a waste of money given the close proximity to the 1935 general election.
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