title: 1879 City of Dunedin by-election
text: # 1879 City of Dunedin by-election
  
  The 1879 City of Dunedin by-election was a by-election held on 15 July 1879 in the City of Dunedin electorate in Dunedin during the 6th New Zealand Parliament.
  
  The by-election was caused by the resignation of the incumbent, Robert Stout.
  
  The winner of the by-election was William Downie Stewart Sr.
  
  His opponent Charles Reeves "got the Catholic block vote" and religion in education was a factor in several by-elections in 1879 (e.g. in Auckland and Nelson).
  
  ## Results
  
  1879 City of Dunedin by-election :
  
  | Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
  | - | - | - | - | - |
  | | Independent | William Downie Stewart Sr | 726 | 54.18 |
  | | Independent | Charles Reeves | 563 | 42.01 |
  | | Independent | James Gordon Stuart Grant | 51 | 3.81 |
  | Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 1340 | |
  | Majority | Majority | Majority | 163 | 12.16 |
  