In the Masterton electorate, election day 1887 attracted unusual attention. A crowd of men and boys, Māori and Pākehā, gathered in Masterton with effigies of the three candidates: George Beetham (the dandy), R. E. Hawkins (the pirate) and Alexander Hogg (the pig). The effigies were auctioned once the election results were known – Beetham won. Why the effigies were made is not known, but by this time all men could vote and share in the excitement elections sometimes provoked.
Using this item
Alexander Turnbull Library, Albert E. Winzenberg Collection
Reference: 1/2-011707-F
by Thomas Edward Price
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