Electoral district of The Murray

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The Murray
VictoriaLegislative Assembly
Location in Victoria
StateVictoria
Created1856
Abolished1877
NamesakeMurray
DemographicRural

The Murray (or just Murray) was an electoral district of the Legislative Assembly[1] in the Australian colony of Victoria from 1856 to 1877.

It was based in north-eastern Victoria, south of the Murray River.[2] Its area was defined in the Victorian Constitution Act of 1855 as: "Bounded on the South and West by the Counties of Evelyn and Anglesea and the River Goulburn to its Junction with the River Murray; on the North and North-east by the River Murray; and on the East by the great dividing Range, excepting the Country comprised in the Electoral Districts of the Murray Boroughs and of Beechworth" (Ovens).[3]

History

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The Murray Boroughs was a separate electorate and consisted of the towns of Wodonga, Wangaratta, Benalla, Euroa, Avenal and Seymour.[3]

The district of The Murray was one of the initial districts of the first Victorian Legislative Assembly, 1856.[4] 36°30′S 146°30′E / 36.500°S 146.500°E / -36.500; 146.500

1861 election controversy

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In August 1861 the electorate was declared for David Reid with 393 votes, a majority of ten, over John Orr.[5] Mr Curtis A. Reid, the returning electoral officer for The Murray and brother of David Reid disallowed the entirety of the Longwood votes as they were made in pencil[6] not pen and ink. John Orr brought a petition against the return of David Reid[7][8] and in May 1862 the Elections and Qualification Committee declared the votes legal and disqualified David Reid as member for The Murray.[9]

Members for The Murray

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Initially, two members represented the electorate,[4][10] then only one following the redistribution of 1859.[11]

Member 1 Term Notes Member 2 Term Notes
Travers Adamson Nov. 1856 – Aug. 1859 John Goodman Nov. 1856 – Jan. 1858 Resigned
William Forlonge Jan. 1858[b] Jan. 1859 Resigned
William Nicholson Jan. 1859[b] Aug. 1859
David Reid Oct. 1859 – May 1862 Disqualified
John Orr May 1862 – Dec. 1867
William Witt Mar. 1868 – July 1872 Resigned
John Orr July 1872[b] Mar. 1874
William Witt May 1874 – Apr. 1877

b = by-election

Nicholson went on to represent the then newly created Electoral district of Sandridge from October 1859.[1]

References

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  1. ^ a b "Re-Member (Former Members)". State Government of Victoria. Retrieved 12 April 2013.
  2. ^ "Electoral district of The Murray and The Ovens" (map). 1856. Retrieved 9 June 2013.
  3. ^ a b "Victoria Constitution Act 1855" (PDF). Retrieved 6 June 2013.
  4. ^ a b Sweetman, Edward (1920). Constitutional Development of Victoria, 1851-6. Whitcombe & Tombs Limited. p. 183. Retrieved 10 April 2013.
  5. ^ "MURRAY ELECTION". Ovens and Murray Advertiser. Beechworth, Vic. 27 August 1861. p. 3. Retrieved 12 February 2015.
  6. ^ "MURRAY ELECTION". Ovens and Murray Advertiser (Beechworth, Vic. : 1855 - 1866; 1914 -1918). Beechworth, Vic.: National Library of Australia. 29 August 1861. p. 3. Retrieved 12 February 2015.
  7. ^ "THE MURRAY ELECTION CASE". Ovens and Murray Advertiser (Beechworth, Vic. : 1855 - 1866; 1914 -1918). Beechworth, Vic.: National Library of Australia. 29 March 1862. p. 3. Retrieved 12 February 2015.
  8. ^ "THE MURRAY ELECTION CASE". Ovens and Murray Advertiser (Beechworth, Vic. : 1855 - 1866; 1914 -1918). Beechworth, Vic.: National Library of Australia. 5 April 1862. p. 2. Retrieved 12 February 2015.
  9. ^ "THE MURRAY ELECTION CASE". Ovens and Murray Advertiser (Beechworth, Vic. : 1855 - 1866; 1914 -1918). Beechworth, Vic.: National Library of Australia. 3 May 1862. p. 3. Retrieved 12 February 2015.
  10. ^ "The Election results". The Argus. 20 September 1856. Retrieved 10 April 2013.
  11. ^ "An Act to alter the Electoral Districts of Victoria and to increase the number of Members of the Legislative Assembly thereof" (PDF). 1858. Retrieved 29 May 2013.

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