1877 Williams colonial by-election
# 1877 Williams colonial by-election

A by-election was held for the New South Wales Legislative Assembly electorate of The Williams on 12 February 1877 because of the resignation of William Watson.

## Dates

| Date | Event |
| - | - |
| 16 January 1877 | William Watson resigned from parliament. |
| 17 January 1877 | Writ of election issued by the Speaker of the Legislative Assembly. |
| 5 February 1877 | Nominations in Dungog |
| 12 February 1877 | Polling day |
| 23 February 1877 | Return of writ |

## Candidates

* William Johnston was a general merchant at Clarence Town. This was his first occasion standing for the Legislative Assembly.
* John Nowlan was a cattle breeder from Maitland who had represented The Williams from 1866 until 1874.

## Result

1877 The Williams by-election Monday 12 February :

| Candidate | Candidate | Votes | % |
| - | - | - | - |
| William Johnston (elected) | William Johnston (elected) | 526 | 56.4 |
| John Nowlan | John Nowlan | 409 | 43.6 |
| Total formal votes | Total formal votes | 938 | 98.4 |
| Informal votes | Informal votes | 15 | 1.6 |
| Turnout | Turnout | 953 | 68.2 |
