Nominations: Monday, 12 December 1864, Polling: Tuesday, 13 December 1864
Candidate
Votes
Votes %
Green, Peter
328
37.57
Lee, Benjamin (Elected)
444
50.86
Liddell, Andrew
100
11.45
Rochester, George
1
0.11
Formal Votes
873
Informal Votes
19
2.13
Total Votes / Turnout
892
71.53
Persons Voting / Turnout
891
71.45
Notes: Sitting MP Elias Carpenter Weekes did not contest the election. According to his ADB entry, his former roll as Treasurer attracted much odium over the Cowper government's attempt to disguise a growing budget deficit. Benjamin Lee's ADB entry carries interesting comment on the 1864 campiagn in West Maitland. 'In December 1864 Lee contested the Legislative Assembly seat of West Maitland as a free trader in an unusually violent campaign. The three candidates had almost identical policies but published abusive personal squibs. Lee denied such charges as seeking the local police magistracy, employing only Protestants and reducing wages on the company's wharf. He dispensed free grog and won by 116 votes after a riotous week.'
Source: Report of nominations, SMH 14 December 1864, p.7 col.3-6, and Maitland Mercury 13 December, pp.2-3. Most reliable results appear to be Maitland Mercury 15 December 1864, p.2 col.5, though the total for Liddell is corrected 17 December, p.3 col.2.