1959 Prince Edward Island general election

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

1959 Prince Edward Island general election
September 1, 1959 (1959-09-01)
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 19 19
Popular vote 43,845 42,214
Percentage 50.9% 49.1%
Swing 5.9pp 5.9pp
Premier before election

Alex W. Matheson
Liberal

 Premier after election

Walter R. Shaw
Progressive Conservative

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.

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