1901 New South Wales state election

State election for New South Wales, Australia

1901 New South Wales state election

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| ← 1898 | 3 July 1901 (1901-07-03) | 1904 →

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|

* * *

All 125 seats in the New South Wales Legislative Assembly
63 Assembly seats were needed for a majority
|   | First party  | Second party  | Third party

|
|
|

|  |

Leader  | John See | Charles Lee | James McGowen
Party  | Progressive | Liberal Reform | Labor
Leader since  | 28 March 1901  | April 1901  | August 1894
Leader's seat  | Grafton | Tenterfield | Redfern
Last election  | 52 seats  | 45 seats  | 19 seats
Seats won  | 42 seats  | 37 seats  | 24 seats
Seat change  | 10  | 8  | 5
Percentage  | 22.99%  | 33.55%  | 18.44%
Swing  | 20.04  | 0.66  | 6.26

* * *

Results of the election, showing the winning vote share of the elected member.

* * *

| Premier before election

John See
Progressive

| Premier after election

John See
Progressive

|

The 1901 New South Wales state election was held on 3 July 1901 for all of the 125 seats in the 19th New South Wales Legislative Assembly and it was conducted in single-member constituencies with a first past the post voting system. The Parliamentary Electorates Act of 1893 had conferred the right to vote on every male British subject over 21 years of age who was resident in New South Wales for a year or more. The 19th parliament of New South Wales was dissolved on 11 June 1901 by the Governor, Lord Beauchamp, on the advice of the Premier, John See.

Federation had seen a re-evaluation of priorities among the main political parties in New South Wales, with the Protectionist Party and the Free Trade Party becoming the Progressive Party and the Liberal Reform Party respectively.

## Key dates

[edit]

Date  | Event

|

11 June 1901  | The Legislative Assembly was dissolved, and writs were issued by the Governor to proceed with an election.
22 June 1901  | Nominations for candidates for the election closed at noon.
3 July 1901  | Polling day.
23 July 1901  | Opening of 19th Parliament.

## Results

[edit]

Main article: Results of the 1901 New South Wales state election

New South Wales state election, 3 July 1901 [1]
Legislative Assembly
<< 1898–1904 >>

Enrolled voters  | 345,500  |  |
Votes cast  | 194,980  |  | Turnout | 62.84  | +2.23
Informal votes  | 1,534  |  | Informal  | 0.78  | −0.14
Summary of votes by party
Party  | Primary votes  | %  | Swing  | Seats  | Change
| Liberal Reform | 65,420  | 33.55  | +0.66  | 37  | −8
| Progressive | 44,817  | 22.99  | −20.04  | 42 | −10
| Labour | 35,952  | 18.44  | +6.26  | 24  | +5
| Independent | 21,595  | 11.08  | +8.09  | 12  | +8
| Independent Liberal | 16,770  | 8.60  | +6.72  | 4  | +3
| Ind. Progressive | 6,533  | 3.35  | −3.68  | 2  | −2
| Independent Labor | 3,565  | 1.83  | +1.82  | 4  | +4
| Socialist Labor | 328  | 0.17  | +0.17  | 0  | ±0
Total  | 194,980  |   |   | 125  |

| Popular vote

|  |
Liberal Reform |

| 33.55%
Progressive |

| 22.99%
Labor |

| 18.44%
Independent |

| 11.08%
Ind. Liberal |

| 8.60%
Ind. Progressive |

| 3.35%
Ind. Labor |

| 1.83%
Socialist Labor |

| 0.17%
Parliamentary seats
Progressive |

| 42
Liberal Reform |

| 37
Labor |

| 24
Independent |

| 12
Ind. Liberal |

| 4
Ind. Labor |

| 4
Ind. Progressive |

| 2

## Retiring members

[edit]

This section is an excerpt from Candidates of the 1901 New South Wales state election § Retiring members.[edit]

### Progressive

[edit]

* Joseph Abbott MLA (Wentworth)
* John Chanter MLA (Deniliquin) — elected to the federal House of Representatives
* Austin Chapman MLA (Braidwood) — elected to the federal House of Representatives
* Francis Clarke MLA (Hastings and Macleay) — elected to the federal House of Representatives
* George Cruickshank MLA (Inverell) — elected to the federal House of Representatives
* Thomas Ewing MLA (Lismore) — elected to the federal House of Representatives
* Thomas Goodwin MLA (Gunnedah)
* Thomas Hassall MLA (Moree)
* William Sawers MLA (Tamworth) — elected to the federal House of Representatives
* Dugald Thomson MLA (Warringah) — elected to the federal House of Representatives.[a]

### Liberal

[edit]

* Joseph Cook MLA (Hartley) — elected to the federal House of Representatives
* Francis Cotton MLA (Newtown-Camperdown)
* Sir Matthew Harris MLA (Sydney-Denison)
* Francis McLean MLA (Marrickville) — elected to the federal House of Representatives
* John Neild MLA (Paddington) — elected to the federal Senate
* George Reid MLA (Sydney-King) — elected to the federal House of Representatives
* Bill Wilks MLA (Balmain North) — elected to the federal House of Representatives

### Labor

[edit]

* Thomas Brown MLA (Condoublin) — elected to the federal House of Representatives
* Billy Hughes MLA (Sydney-King) — elected to the federal House of Representatives
* William Spence MLA (Cobar) — elected to the federal House of Representatives
* Josiah Thomas MLA (Alma) — elected to the federal House of Representatives
* James Thomson MLA (Newcastle West)
* David Watkins MLA (Wallsend) — elected to the federal House of Representatives
* Chris Watson MLA (Young) — elected to the federal House of Representatives

### Independent

[edit]

* John McLaughlin MLA (Raleigh)

## Changing seats

[edit]

Seats changing hands [b]

Seat  | 1898 | 1901
Party  | Member  | Party  | Member
Alma |   | Labour | Josiah Thomas [c] |   | Independent Labour | William Williams
Armidale |   | Progressive | Charles Wilson |   | Liberal Reform | Edmund Lonsdale
Balmain North |   | Liberal Reform | Bill Wilks [c] |   | Labour | John Storey
Boorowa |   | Progressive | Kenneth Mackay [d] |   | Labour | Niels Nielsen
Darlington |   | Liberal Reform | Thomas Clarke |   | Labour | Phillip Sullivan
Deniliquin |   | Progressive | John Chanter [c] |   | Ind. Progressive | Joseph Evans
Gunnedah |   | Progressive | Thomas Goodwin [e] |   | Labour | David Hall
Hartley |   | Liberal Reform | Joseph Cook [c] |   | Independent | John Hurley
The Hastings and The Macleay |   | Progressive | Francis Clarke [c] |   | Liberal Reform | Robert Davidson
The Hawkesbury |   | Liberal Reform | William Morgan |   | Progressive | Brinsley Hall
Lismore |   | Progressive | Thomas Ewing [c] |   | Independent Liberal | John Coleman
Manning |   | Liberal Reform | James Young |   | Progressive | John Thomson
Moree |   | Progressive | Thomas Hassall [e] |   | Labour | William Webster
Narrabri |   | Labour | Hugh Ross [f] |   | Liberal Reform | Albert Collins
Nepean |   | Liberal Reform | Samuel Lees |   | Progressive | Thomas Smith
Newcastle West |   | Labour | James Thomson [e] |   | Liberal Reform | Owen Gilbert
Newtown-Camperdown |   | Liberal Reform | Francis Cotton [e] |   | Ind. Progressive | James Smith
Newtown-Erskine |   | Liberal Reform | Edmund Molesworth |   | Labour | Robert Hollis
Newtown-St Peters |   | Liberal Reform | William Rigg |   | Independent Liberal | James Fallick
Northumberland |   | Progressive | Richard Stevenson [g] |   | Independent Liberal | John Norton [g]
Parramatta |   | Ind. Progressive | William Ferris |   | Liberal Reform | Tom Moxham
Raleigh |   | Independent | John McLaughlin [e] |   | Progressive | George Briner
Robertson |   | Progressive | Robert Fitzgerald |   | Liberal Reform | William Fleming
Ryde |   | Ind. Progressive | Edward Terry |   | Independent Liberal | Frank Farnell
Shoalhaven |   | Ind. Progressive | David Davis |   | Liberal Reform | Mark Morton
Sydney-Belmore |   | Liberal Reform | Sir James Graham |   | Progressive | Eden George
Sydney-Denison |   | Liberal Reform | Sir Matthew Harris [e] |   | Labour | Andrew Kelly
Sydney-Gipps |   | Progressive | Wilfred Spruson |   | Labour | William Daley
Sydney-King |   | Liberal Reform | George Reid [c] |   | Progressive | Ernest Broughton
Tamworth |   | Progressive | William Sawers [c] |   | Independent | Raymond Walsh
Warringah |   | Progressive | Dugald Thomson [c] |   | Independent | Ellison Quirk
Wentworth |   | Progressive | Joseph Abbott [e] |   | Labour | Robert Scobie
Woollahra |   | Liberal Reform | John Garland |   | Independent Liberal | William Latimer
Members changing party
Seat  | 1898 | 1901
Party  | Member  | Party  | Member
Albury |   | Progressive | Thomas Griffith |   | Independent | Thomas Griffith
Eden-Bombala |   | Progressive | William Wood |   | Independent | William Wood
Gloucester |   | Progressive | Richard Price |   | Independent | Richard Price
Hay |   | Liberal Reform | Frank Byrne |   | Independent | Frank Byrne
Manaro |   | Progressive | Gus Miller |   | Labour | Gus Miller
Petersham |   | Progressive | John Cohen |   | Liberal Reform | John Cohen
Quirindi |   | Independent | Robert Levien |   | Progressive | Robert Levien
Sherbrooke |   | Progressive | Broughton O'Conor |   | Independent | Broughton O'Conor
Sturt |   | Labour | William Ferguson |   | Independent Labour | William Ferguson
Tumut |   | Independent | Robert Donaldson |   | Progressive | Robert Donaldson
West Maitland |   | Liberal Reform | John Gillies |   | Independent | John Gillies
Wickham |   | Liberal Reform | John Fegan |   | Progressive | John Fegan
Wilcannia |   | Labour | Richard Sleath |   | Independent Labour | Richard Sleath
Woronora |   | Liberal Reform | John Nicholson |   | Independent Labour | John Nicholson

## Notes

[edit]

1. ^ Dugald Thomson had been elected as member of the Progressive party in 1898, then known as the National Federal party, described as a free trade federationist.[2]
2. ^ Compares members at the 1898 election and the 1901 election and does not include the seats of Canterbury where the seat was won by an independent at a by-election but was regained by the Liberal Reform Party at the 1901 election.
3. ^ a b c d e f g h i Elected to the federal parliament.
4. ^ Kenneth Mackay was appointed to the Legislative Council and Niels Nielsen won the seat at the by-election.
5. ^ a b c d e f g Did not contest the election.
6. ^ Unsuccessfully contested Quirindi.
7. ^ a b Richard Stevenson died in 1899 and John Norton won the seat in a by-election, retaining it uncontested at the 1901 election.

## See also

[edit]

* Candidates of the 1901 New South Wales state election
* Members of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly, 1901–1904

## References

[edit]

1. ^ Green, Antony. "1901 Totals". New South Wales Election Results 1856-2007. Parliament of New South Wales. Retrieved 30 August 2019.
2. ^ "Mr Dugald Thomson". The Australian Star. 16 July 1898. p. 9. Retrieved 1 April 2020 – via Trove.

* "Former members of the New South Wales Parliament, 1856-2006". New South Wales Parliament. Retrieved 8 July 2012.

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