The 1842 Sydney City Council election was held on 1 November 1842 to elect 24 aldermen to the City of Sydney in the colony of New South Wales.[1]
This was the first-ever election for Sydney after it was established on 20 July 1842. 49 candidates contested the elections, with polling open from 9 am until 4 pm.[2][3]
John Hosking was elected by alderman as lord mayor following the election.[4]
In Brisbane Ward, The Sydney Morning Herald observed that some electors chose not to vote "because they had promised their votes to five or six candidates," and after finding out they could only vote for four, chose not to vote at all.[5]
Franchise was given to those who occupied and paid rates on a property − however, if they owned property in multiple wards, they could only vote in one of them. Women were not eligible to vote.[1]
Six wards − Bourke, Brisbane, Cook, Gipps, Macquarie and Phillip − were established, each with four councillors, covering a total of 3,202 electors.[1]
One councillor from each ward had to resign their seat annually, meaning elections were held every year.[1]