The Southern Rhodesia Legislative Council election of 30 April 1920 was the seventh election to the Legislative Council

Southern Rhodesian Legislative Council

The Southern Rhodesian Legislative Council was the inaugural governing body for the British territory of Southern Rhodesia before its replacement by the Southern Rhodesian Legislative Assembly in 1923....

 of Southern Rhodesia

Southern Rhodesia

Southern Rhodesia was the name of the British colony situated north of the Limpopo River and the Union of South Africa. From its independence in 1965 until its extinction in 1980, it was known as Rhodesia...

. At this election the Legislative Council comprised thirteen elected members, together with six members nominated by the British South Africa Company

British South Africa Company

The British South Africa Company was established by Cecil Rhodes through the amalgamation of the Central Search Association and the Exploring Company Ltd., receiving a royal charter in 1889...

, and the Administrator of Southern Rhodesia

Administrator of Southern Rhodesia

The Administrator of Southern Rhodesia was a post within the British Empire which existed from 1890 to 1923 at the time when Southern Rhodesia was governed by the British South Africa Company...

. The Resident Commissioner of Southern Rhodesia, Crawford Douglas Douglas-Jones, also sat on the Legislative Council ex officio but without the right to vote.

Franchise

An important change in the franchise had been made in 1919 through the Women's Enfranchisement Ordinance, which gave the vote to women on the same basis as men. Married women (except those married under a system of polygamy) qualified under the financial and educational status of their husbands, if they did not possess them in their own right. This brought 3,467 new voters on to the lists.

Boundaries

New districts were needed for this election under a provision of the 1914 proclamation that had created the 12 separate districts. The proclamation allowed for an automatic increase of one new district for each increase of 792 voters. The required number had been reached in 1917. The boundary changes that followed left the Eastern district untouched, as well as the four districts in the south-west (Bulawayo District, Bulawayo North, Bulawayo South, and Western).

Parties

Previous elections to the Legislative Council were contested by individuals standing on their own records. By 1914, although no political parties had been created, the candidates for the Legislative Council had been broadly grouped in two camps, one favouring renewal of the Charter from the British South Africa Company

British South Africa Company

The British South Africa Company was established by Cecil Rhodes through the amalgamation of the Central Search Association and the Exploring Company Ltd., receiving a royal charter in 1889...

, and the other moves towards full self-government within the Empire.

By 1920 political parties had been formed, largely around these ideas. The Responsible Government Association

Responsible Government Association

The Responsible Government Association was a political party in Southern Rhodesia that fought the 1920 election to the colony's Legislative Council. Its main policy was one for advocating responsible government for Southern Rhodesia within the British Empire, as opposed to incorporation into...

, headed by Sir Charles Coghlan

Charles Patrick John Coghlan

Sir Charles Patrick John Coghlan was the first Premier of Southern Rhodesia and held office from October 1, 1923 until his death on August 28, 1927....

, sought a form of administrative autonomy within the Empire. They were in alliance with the Rhodesia Labour Party

Rhodesia Labour Party

The Rhodesia Labour Party was a political party which existed in Southern Rhodesia from 1923 until the 1950s. Originally formed on the model of the British Labour Party from trade unions and being especially dominated by railway workers, it formed the main opposition party from 1934 to 1946...

 throughout most of the colony. Ranged against them were the Unionists, who advocated Southern Rhodesia joining the Union of South Africa

Union of South Africa

The Union of South Africa is the historic predecessor to the present-day Republic of South Africa. It came into being on 31 May 1910 with the unification of the previously separate colonies of the Cape, Natal, Transvaal and the Orange Free State...

, and a large number of Independent candidates who were generally in support of continuation of the charter from the British South Africa Company.

Results

Party	Votes	%	Seats
Responsible Government Association Responsible Government Association The Responsible Government Association was a political party in Southern Rhodesia that fought the 1920 election to the colony's Legislative Council. Its main policy was one for advocating responsible government for Southern Rhodesia within the British Empire, as opposed to incorporation into...	3,245	47.97	9
Independents	1,577	23.31	1
Unionists	677	10.01	0
Rhodesia Labour Party Rhodesia Labour Party The Rhodesia Labour Party was a political party which existed in Southern Rhodesia from 1923 until the 1950s. Originally formed on the model of the British Labour Party from trade unions and being especially dominated by railway workers, it formed the main opposition party from 1934 to 1946... -Responsible Government Association Responsible Government Association The Responsible Government Association was a political party in Southern Rhodesia that fought the 1920 election to the colony's Legislative Council. Its main policy was one for advocating responsible government for Southern Rhodesia within the British Empire, as opposed to incorporation into...  alliance	578	8.54	2
Independent Labour	417	6.16	1
Rhodesia Labour Party Rhodesia Labour Party The Rhodesia Labour Party was a political party which existed in Southern Rhodesia from 1923 until the 1950s. Originally formed on the model of the British Labour Party from trade unions and being especially dominated by railway workers, it formed the main opposition party from 1934 to 1946...	271	4.01	0
Total	6,765	100	13

By constituency

Constituency Electorate and turnout	Candidate	Party	Votes
Bulawayo District 788 (59.5%)	Lionel Cripps Lionel Cripps The Hon Lionel Cripps CMG was the first Speaker of the Southern Rhodesian Legislative Assembly.Born in Simla, India, the son of a General in the Bengal Staff Corps and his wife and educated in England, Cripps moved to South Africa in 1879, where he took up farming... *	Responsible Government Association Responsible Government Association The Responsible Government Association was a political party in Southern Rhodesia that fought the 1920 election to the colony's Legislative Council. Its main policy was one for advocating responsible government for Southern Rhodesia within the British Empire, as opposed to incorporation into...	276
	Sir Philip Bourchier Sherard Wrey	Unionist	193
Bulawayo North 1,065 (71.1%)	Sir Charles Patrick John Coghlan Charles Patrick John Coghlan Sir Charles Patrick John Coghlan was the first Premier of Southern Rhodesia and held office from October 1, 1923 until his death on August 28, 1927.... *	Responsible Government Association Responsible Government Association The Responsible Government Association was a political party in Southern Rhodesia that fought the 1920 election to the colony's Legislative Council. Its main policy was one for advocating responsible government for Southern Rhodesia within the British Empire, as opposed to incorporation into...	529
	Charles Spearman Jobling	Independent	228
Bulawayo South 903 (61.4%)	Francis Leslie Hadfield	Independent Labour	417
	Herbert Thomas Longden	Responsible Government Association Responsible Government Association The Responsible Government Association was a political party in Southern Rhodesia that fought the 1920 election to the colony's Legislative Council. Its main policy was one for advocating responsible government for Southern Rhodesia within the British Empire, as opposed to incorporation into...	137
Eastern 1,054 (73.6%)	Ethel Tawse Jollie	Responsible Government Association Responsible Government Association The Responsible Government Association was a political party in Southern Rhodesia that fought the 1920 election to the colony's Legislative Council. Its main policy was one for advocating responsible government for Southern Rhodesia within the British Empire, as opposed to incorporation into...	451
	William Matthias Longden	Unionist	294
	Gerald Fitzmassey Dawson	Independent	31
Gwelo 785 (66.5%)	William James Boggie	Responsible Government Association Responsible Government Association The Responsible Government Association was a political party in Southern Rhodesia that fought the 1920 election to the colony's Legislative Council. Its main policy was one for advocating responsible government for Southern Rhodesia within the British Empire, as opposed to incorporation into...	332
	St. Charles Boromeo Gwynn	Unionist	190
Hartley 726 (57.3%)	James Baillie Macdonald	Responsible Government Association Responsible Government Association The Responsible Government Association was a political party in Southern Rhodesia that fought the 1920 election to the colony's Legislative Council. Its main policy was one for advocating responsible government for Southern Rhodesia within the British Empire, as opposed to incorporation into...	316
	Burton Ireland Collings*	Independent	100
Marandellas 756 (51.6%)	John McChlery*	Responsible Government Association Responsible Government Association The Responsible Government Association was a political party in Southern Rhodesia that fought the 1920 election to the colony's Legislative Council. Its main policy was one for advocating responsible government for Southern Rhodesia within the British Empire, as opposed to incorporation into...	284
	Thomas Benjamin Hulley	Independent	106
Midlands 907 (49.7%)	Walter Douglas Douglas-Jones	Rhodesia Labour Party Rhodesia Labour Party The Rhodesia Labour Party was a political party which existed in Southern Rhodesia from 1923 until the 1950s. Originally formed on the model of the British Labour Party from trade unions and being especially dominated by railway workers, it formed the main opposition party from 1934 to 1946... -Responsible Government Association Responsible Government Association The Responsible Government Association was a political party in Southern Rhodesia that fought the 1920 election to the colony's Legislative Council. Its main policy was one for advocating responsible government for Southern Rhodesia within the British Empire, as opposed to incorporation into...	274
	Herbert Walsh	Rhodesia Labour Party Rhodesia Labour Party The Rhodesia Labour Party was a political party which existed in Southern Rhodesia from 1923 until the 1950s. Originally formed on the model of the British Labour Party from trade unions and being especially dominated by railway workers, it formed the main opposition party from 1934 to 1946...	177
Northern 1,037 (54.5%)	Robert Dunipace Gilchrist	Responsible Government Association Responsible Government Association The Responsible Government Association was a political party in Southern Rhodesia that fought the 1920 election to the colony's Legislative Council. Its main policy was one for advocating responsible government for Southern Rhodesia within the British Empire, as opposed to incorporation into...	358
	Sir Francis James Newton	Independent	207
Salisbury District 944 (65.4%)	William Muter Leggate	Responsible Government Association Responsible Government Association The Responsible Government Association was a political party in Southern Rhodesia that fought the 1920 election to the colony's Legislative Council. Its main policy was one for advocating responsible government for Southern Rhodesia within the British Empire, as opposed to incorporation into...	372
	Sir Raleigh Grey Raleigh Grey Sir Raleigh Grey KBE CMG CVO was a pioneer British coloniser of Southern Rhodesia who played an important part in the early government of the colony.-Early career:... *	Independent	245
Salisbury Town 1,163 (66.4%)	John Stewart	Rhodesia Labour Party Rhodesia Labour Party The Rhodesia Labour Party was a political party which existed in Southern Rhodesia from 1923 until the 1950s. Originally formed on the model of the British Labour Party from trade unions and being especially dominated by railway workers, it formed the main opposition party from 1934 to 1946... -Responsible Government Association Responsible Government Association The Responsible Government Association was a political party in Southern Rhodesia that fought the 1920 election to the colony's Legislative Council. Its main policy was one for advocating responsible government for Southern Rhodesia within the British Empire, as opposed to incorporation into...	304
	Milton Evan Cleveland*	Independent	258
	William Streak Honey	Independent	210
Victoria 998	Howard Unwin Moffat Howard Unwin Moffat Howard Unwin Moffat served as second premier of Southern Rhodesia, from 1927 to 1933. Born in the Kuruman mission station in Bechuanaland , Moffat was the son of the missionary John Smith Moffat and grandson of the missionary Robert Moffat, who was the friend of King Mzilikazi and the... *	Responsible Government Association Responsible Government Association The Responsible Government Association was a political party in Southern Rhodesia that fought the 1920 election to the colony's Legislative Council. Its main policy was one for advocating responsible government for Southern Rhodesia within the British Empire, as opposed to incorporation into...	Unopposed
Western 970 (49.1%)	Robert Alexander Fletcher	Independent	192
	Henry Cuthbert Ind	Responsible Government Association Responsible Government Association The Responsible Government Association was a political party in Southern Rhodesia that fought the 1920 election to the colony's Legislative Council. Its main policy was one for advocating responsible government for Southern Rhodesia within the British Empire, as opposed to incorporation into...	190
	James Grant Riach	Rhodesia Labour Party Rhodesia Labour Party The Rhodesia Labour Party was a political party which existed in Southern Rhodesia from 1923 until the 1950s. Originally formed on the model of the British Labour Party from trade unions and being especially dominated by railway workers, it formed the main opposition party from 1934 to 1946...	94

* Incumbent

Nominated members

The members nominated by the British South Africa Company were:

• James Donald Mackenzie, Attorney-General
• Ernest Charles Baxter, Controller of Customs and Excise
• Dr Eric Arthur Nobbs PhD BSc FHAS, Director of Agriculture
• George Henry Eyre, Postmaster-General
• Sir Ernest William Sanders Montagu, Secretary for Mines and Works
• Percival Donald Leslie Fynn, Treasurer

Robert MacIlwaine, Solicitor-General, was appointed a member to replace Ernest Charles Baxter during Baxter's temporary absence on 6 May 1920. George Henry Eyre stood down and was replaced by Robert MacIlwaine on 25 March 1921.

During a Special Session of the Legislative Council between 3 and 11 October 1923, held in order to set up the new administration following the award of responsible government, the appointed members were:

• Sir John Robert Chancellor, Governor (sitting in the ex officio seat of the Administrator)
• Percival Donald Leslie Fynn, Treasurer
• Robert James Hudson, Attorney General
• Sir Francis James Newton KCMG
  Order of St Michael and St George
  The Most Distinguished Order of Saint Michael and Saint George is an order of chivalry founded on 28 April 1818 by George, Prince Regent, later George IV of the United Kingdom, while he was acting as Prince Regent for his father, George III....
  
   CVO
  Royal Victorian Order
  The Royal Victorian Order is a dynastic order of knighthood and a house order of chivalry recognising distinguished personal service to the order's Sovereign, the reigning monarch of the Commonwealth realms, any members of her family, or any of her viceroys...
  
  , Colonial Secretary
• Eric Arthur Nobbs, Director of Agriculture
• Robert MacIlwaine, Solicitor General
• Dr Andrew Milroy Fleming CMG
  Order of St Michael and St George
  The Most Distinguished Order of Saint Michael and Saint George is an order of chivalry founded on 28 April 1818 by George, Prince Regent, later George IV of the United Kingdom, while he was acting as Prince Regent for his father, George III....
  
  , Medical Director