Members of the Tasmanian House of Assembly, 1897–1900

This is a list of members of the Tasmanian House of Assembly between the 1897 election and the 1900 election.

Party affiliations were relatively loose during the period, although a Liberal grouping had formed over the 1890s around Sir Edward Braddon, the Premier of Tasmania until 12 October 1899, and Andrew Inglis Clark. A separate grouping, generally described as Ministerial, supported Elliott Lewis, who was Premier for the final five months of the parliamentary term. As was common at such changes in Tasmanian politics, several Liberal MHAs affiliated with the new government by the time of the 1900 election.

The 1897 election was the first to use a limited version of the Hare-Clark system within Hobart and Launceston, which were given 6 and 4 seats respectively, while still using first past the post single-member constituencies elsewhere in the state. It was renewed and adjusted periodically until the 1909 election, when the entire State was redivided into five electorates using the Hare-Clark system.

Name Party District Years in office
William Aikenhead Ministerial/Liberal Devonport/Latrobe[2] 1898–1902
Frank Archer Liberal Selby 1893–1902
Jonathan Best[7] Ministerial Deloraine 1894–1897; 1899–1912; 1913
Stafford Bird[M4] Independent/Ministerial Franklin 1882–1903; 1904–1909
Sir Edward Braddon[M2] Liberal West Devon 1879–1888; 1893–1901
John Bradley Liberal/Ministerial Hobart 1893–1900
Nicholas John Brown Independent Cumberland 1875–1903
William Brown Independent/Liberal Campbell Town 1882–1889; 1893–1903
William Burbury[7] Ministerial/Independent Oatlands 1899–1903
Daniel Burke Ministerial Cressy 1893–1903
Norman Cameron[7] Ministerial Deloraine 1893–1894; 1897–1899;
1912–1913; 1925–1928
Andrew Inglis Clark[1] Liberal Hobart 1878–1882; 1887–1898
Matthew Clarke Liberal Launceston 1897–1900
Alfred Crisp Liberal Hobart 1886–1900
Edward Crowther Liberal/Ministerial Kingborough 1878–1912
John Davies Independent/Ministerial Fingal 1884–1913
Henry Dobson Ministerial Brighton 1891–1900
Henry Dumaresq Liberal/Ministerial Longford 1886–1903
John Evans Independent Kingborough 1897–1937
Alexander Fowler Liberal/Independent Launceston 1893; 1897–1901
Sir Philip Fysh[3] Liberal Hobart 1873–1878; 1894–1898
James Gaffney[4] Liberal/Ministerial Lyell 1899–1903
George Gilmore Ministerial George Town 1893–1900; 1903–1906
Charles Hall Independent Waratah 1897–1903
John Hamilton Liberal/Ministerial Glenorchy 1887–1903
William Hartnoll Ministerial Launceston 1884–1902
John Henry[2] Ministerial Devonport 1891–1897
Charles Hoggins[1] Liberal Hobart 1898–1900; 1900–1903;
1917–1919
George Leatham Liberal/Ministerial New Norfolk 1891–1903; 1906–1909
Elliott Lewis[M4] Ministerial Richmond 1886–1903; 1909–1922
Charles Mackenzie Ministerial Wellington 1886–1909
William McWilliams Liberal/Independent Ringarooma 1893–1900
Edward Miles[M3][6] Liberal Glamorgan 1883–1899; 1900
Edward Mulcahy[M4] Liberal Hobart 1891–1903; 1910–1919
Henry Murray Ministerial/Independent Latrobe/Devonport[2] 1891–1900; 1902–1909
William Page Independent Hobart 1897–1900
Alfred Pillinger[5] Liberal Oatlands 1876–1899
William Propsting[3] Liberal Hobart 1899–1905
Thomas Reibey Liberal Westbury 1874–1903
Frederick Shaw[8] Ministerial Glamorgan 1899–1903
Ronald Smith Liberal Launceston 1897–1900
John von Stieglitz Ministerial Evandale 1891–1903
Don Urquhart[M1] Liberal/Independent Montagu 1894–1903; 1906–1909
Joseph Woollnough Ministerial Sorell 1893–1903

Notes

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1 On 17 June 1898, Liberal member Andrew Inglis Clark, one of the six members representing Hobart, resigned. Liberal candidate Charles Hoggins won the resulting by-election on 17 June 1898 against two former members, George Hiddlestone and Windle St Hill.
2 In June 1898, the Ministerial member for Devonport, John Henry, resigned. Ministerial candidate William Aikenhead won the resulting by-election on 21 June 1898; however, the election was declared void. In October 1898, the Ministerial member for the neighbouring seat of Latrobe, Henry Murray, resigned to contest the resulting by-election (held on 25 October 1898), whilst Aikenhead contested the now-vacant seat of Latrobe at a by-election on 15 October 1898. Both were successful.
3 On 30 December 1898, Liberal member Sir Philip Fysh, one of the six members representing Hobart, resigned. Liberal candidate William Propsting won the resulting by-election on 16 February 1899.
4 In 1899, a new electoral district, Lyell, was created in western Tasmania. Liberal candidate James Gaffney won the resulting by-election on 10 April 1899. The by-election was notable for being the first to be contested by the Labor Party in Tasmania—its candidate, R. Matthews, gained 40% of the votes.
5 On 6 May 1899, the Liberal member for Oatlands and the Minister for Lands and Works, Alfred Pillinger, died. Ministerial candidate William Burbury was elected unopposed on 19 May 1899, endangering the chances of the Liberal government's chances of surviving a motion of no confidence.
6 On 2 October 1899, Edward Miles, the Liberal member for Glamorgan and Minister for Lands and Works, was forced to resign from the Ministry and from Parliament following allegations of corruption and mismanagement in his portfolio by a Select Committee. His resignation triggered the fall of the government four days later in a motion of no confidence. Ministerial candidate Frederick Shaw won the resulting by-election on 25 October 1899.
7 On 21 October 1899, Norman Cameron, the Ministerial member for Deloraine, resigned. Ministerial candidate Jonathan Best won the resulting by-election on 10 November 1899.
Ministerial by-elections
M1 On 23 October 1897, Don Urquhart, the member for Montagu, was appointed Attorney-General in the Braddon Ministry. He was returned unopposed at the resulting ministerial by-election on 19 November 1897.
M2 On 1 January 1899, Premier Sir Edward Braddon replaced the outgoing minister Sir Philip Fysh as Colonial Treasurer and Postmaster-General. He was returned unopposed at the resulting ministerial by-election on 11 February 1899.
M3 On 10 May 1899, Edward Miles was appointed to fill the vacancy in the Ministry caused by Pillinger's death, and was returned unopposed at the resulting ministerial by-election on 19 May 1899.
M4 On 12 October 1899, following the fall of the Braddon government, Elliott Lewis was invited to form a government. At the resulting ministerial by-elections, two were returned unopposed on 20 October 1899, while the remaining member, Edward Mulcahy, won his seat against two opponents on 25 October 1899.

Sources

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  • Hughes, Colin A.; Graham, B. D. (1976). Voting for the South Australian, Western Australian and Tasmanian Lower Houses, 1890-1964. Canberra: Australian National University. ISBN 0-7081-1334-6.
  • Newman, Terry (1994). Representation of the Tasmanian People. Tasmanian Parliamentary Library. ISBN 0-7246-4147-5.
  • Parliament of Tasmania (2006). The Parliament of Tasmania from 1856