A by-election was held for the New South Wales Legislative Assembly electorate of Gundagai on 21 November 1884 because of the resignation of Bruce Smith,[1] to return to Melbourne to run his father's business, WM Howard Smith and Sons Ltd.[2]
Dates
edit| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| 8 April 1884 | Bruce Smith resigned.[1] |
| 9 April 1884 | Writ of election issued by the Speaker of the Legislative Assembly.[3] |
| 18 April 1884 | Nominations.[4] |
| 22 April 1884 | Polling day |
| 28 April 1884 | Return of writ |
Candidates
edit- James Watson had been the member for Lachlan and then Young until his defeat at the 1882 election, and had been the Colonial Treasurer in the Parkes - Robertson coalition ministry.[5]
- Jack Want was a barrister from Sydney and this was the first occasion he stood for parliament, although he would subsequently serve for 20 years in both houses of parliament, including three periods as Attorney General.[6]
Want won the show of hands however a poll was demanded.[4]
Result
edit| Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
| James Watson (elected) | 558 | 50.3 | |
| Jack Want | 552 | 49.7 | |
| Total formal votes | 1,110 | 100.0 | |
| Informal votes | 0 | 0.0 | |
| Turnout | 1,110 | 61.1 | |
Bruce Smith resigned.[7]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ a b "Mr (Arthur) Bruce Smith (1851-1937)". Former members of the Parliament of New South Wales. Retrieved 13 May 2019.
- ^ Rutledge, Martha (1988). "Smith, Arthur Bruce (1851-1937)". Australian Dictionary of Biography. Vol. 11. Canberra: National Centre of Biography, Australian National University. ISBN 978-0-522-84459-7. ISSN 1833-7538. OCLC 70677943. Retrieved 22 September 2020.
- ^ "Writ of election: Gundagai". New South Wales Government Gazette. No. 166. 9 April 1884. p. 2413. Retrieved 22 September 2020 – via Trove.
- ^ a b "Parliamentary elections: nomination for Gundagai". The Sydney Morning Herald. 19 April 1884. p. 8. Retrieved 22 September 2020 – via Trove.
- ^ Rutledge, Martha. "Watson, James (1837–1907)". Australian Dictionary of Biography. Vol. 6. Canberra: National Centre of Biography, Australian National University. ISBN 978-0-522-84459-7. ISSN 1833-7538. OCLC 70677943. Retrieved 22 September 2020.
- ^ Finn, Paul (1990). "Want, John Henry (1846–1905)". Australian Dictionary of Biography. Vol. 12. Canberra: National Centre of Biography, Australian National University. pp. 380–381. ISBN 978-0-522-84459-7. ISSN 1833-7538. OCLC 70677943. Retrieved 22 September 2020.
- ^ a b Green, Antony. "1884 Gundagai by-election". New South Wales Election Results 1856-2007. Parliament of New South Wales. Retrieved 22 August 2020.