1901 Darling Downs by-election

Australian federal by-election

← 1901

14 September 1901 (1901-09-14)

1903 →

The Darling Downs seat in the House of Representatives

Turnout

7,264

	First party	Second party

Candidate	Littleton Groom	Joshua Thomas Bell
Party	Protectionist	Independent
Popular vote	4,532	2,687
Percentage	62.78%	37.22%
Swing	15.72	37.22

MP before election

William Henry Groom
Protectionist

Elected MP

Littleton Groom
Protectionist

A by-election was held for the Australian House of Representatives electorate of Darling Downs in Queensland on 14 September 1901, a Saturday. It was triggered by the death of William Henry Groom on 8 August 1901. It was the first by-election of the Australian parliament since Federation. The writ for the by-election was issued on 13 August, nominations for candidates closed on 27 August.

Results

Darling Downs by-election, 1901
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Protectionist	Littleton Groom	4,532	62.78	−15.72
	Independent	Joshua Thomas Bell	2,687	37.22	+37.22
Total formal votes			7,219	99.38	+3.00
Informal votes			45	0.62	−3.00
Turnout			7,264	N/A	N/A
	Protectionist hold		Swing	−15.72

Aftermath

Littleton Groom was elected in the by-election, receiving nearly 63 per cent of the vote. Groom was the third son of the deceased former member, William Groom. The other candidate in the by-election was Joshua Thomas Bell, a member of the Legislative Assembly of Queensland for the electoral district of Dalby.

References

Commonwealth By-elections 1901–82. Canberra: Australian Electoral Commission. 1983.

v t e By-elections of the 1st Parliament of Australia (1901–1903)
1901	Darling Downs
1902	Tasmania
1903	East Sydney
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