| Flag Image: | Australian Colonial Flag.svg |
| Election Date: | 1 November 1842 |
| Next Election: | 1843 Sydney City Council election |
| Next Year: | 1843 |
| Type: | parliamentary |
| Ongoing: | no |
| Lord Mayor | |
| Posttitle: | Subsequent Lord Mayor |
| Before Election: | Charles Windeyer |
| After Election: | John Hosking |
The 1842 Sydney City Council election was held on 1 November 1842 to elect 24 aldermen for the City of Sydney in the Colony of New South Wales.[1]
This was the first election for Sydney after it was formally established on 20 July 1842. A total of 49 candidates contested the election, with polling open from 9 a.m. until 4 p.m.[2] [3]
Following the election, John Hosking was elected by the aldermen as lord mayor.[4]
In Brisbane Ward, The Sydney Morning Herald reported that some electors chose not to vote because they had promised their votes to five or six candidates, and upon discovering they could only vote for four, decided not to vote at all.[5]
The franchise was granted to individuals who occupied and paid rates on a property; however, if they owned property in multiple wards, they could vote in only one. Women were not eligible to vote.[1]
Six wards—Bourke, Brisbane, Cook, Gipps, Macquarie, and Phillip—were established, each represented by four councillors, covering a total of 3,202 electors.[1]
One councillor from each ward was required to resign their seat annually, resulting in elections being held every year.[1]