Harrie Mitchell
Encyclopedia
Harrie Robert Croft Mitchell (27 June 1906 – 5 February 1967) was an Australian politician and a member of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly
for a single term between 1938 and 1941. He was a member of the United Australia Party
and was the son of a police constable. He was educated at Bathurst High School
and the University of Sydney
, graduating with a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1929. Mitchell was called to the bar in 1936 but reverted to the solicitors' roll in 1944. He had extensive business interests and was the director of several companies including a brewery and two building societies. Mitchell enlisted in the Second Australian Imperial Force
at the commencement of World War Two and obtained the rank of Major. He was posted to an artillery unit in North-Western Australia. Despite having not served overseas he became an office holder in several organisations for war veterans including the World Veterans Federation
. He also served on a number of Quango
s including the New South Wales Central Ambulance Board and the Commonwealth Advisory Committee on Immigration.
member for Burwood
after winning the seat at the 1938
state election. He won 51% of the vote and defeated the only other candidate, the incumbent member Gordon Jackett
. Unusually, Jackett had also been endorsed by the UAP. This was indicative of the growing disunity and lack of organizational strength within the UAP. To forestall pre-selection ballots, the party's central committee, of which Mitchell was a member, had declared 11 metropolitan seats including Burwood to be "safe seats" and had endorsed multiple candidates. At the next state election in 1941
, Jackett stood as an Independent "Nationalist UAP" candidate and defeated Mitchell who finished third with 28% of the vote behind Jackett and the Labor Party
candidate, Albert Thompson. Thompson won a remarkable 38% of the vote due to the large state-wide swing to Labor at the election. After an absence of 9 years, Mitchell again nominated for Burwood at the 1950
state election. He stood as an Independent and was easily defeated by Jackett who was the endorsed candidate of the Liberal Party
. This was the last state election that Mitchell contested. He did not hold party, parliamentary or ministerial office..
New South Wales Legislative Assembly
The Legislative Assembly, or lower house, is one of the two chambers of the Parliament of New South Wales, an Australian state. The other chamber is the Legislative Council. Both the Assembly and Council sit at Parliament House in the state capital, Sydney...
for a single term between 1938 and 1941. He was a member of the United Australia Party
United Australia Party
The United Australia Party was an Australian political party that was founded in 1931 and dissolved in 1945. It was the political successor to the Nationalist Party of Australia and predecessor to the Liberal Party of Australia...
Early life
Mitchell was born in Warren, New South WalesWarren, New South Wales
Warren is a town and the seat of a local government area, Warren Shire, on the Macquarie River in central New South Wales, Australia. The town is located on the Oxley Highway 120 kilometres north west of Dubbo. It was laid out in the 1860s and incorporated as a municipality in 1895. The railway...
and was the son of a police constable. He was educated at Bathurst High School
Bathurst High School (Australia)
Bathurst High School or as it is now known, Bathurst High Campus, is a secondary school in Bathurst founded in 1883. Along with Kelso High Campus it makes up Denison College of Secondary Education....
and the University of Sydney
University of Sydney
The University of Sydney is a public university located in Sydney, New South Wales. The main campus spreads across the suburbs of Camperdown and Darlington on the southwestern outskirts of the Sydney CBD. Founded in 1850, it is the oldest university in Australia and Oceania...
, graduating with a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1929. Mitchell was called to the bar in 1936 but reverted to the solicitors' roll in 1944. He had extensive business interests and was the director of several companies including a brewery and two building societies. Mitchell enlisted in the Second Australian Imperial Force
Second Australian Imperial Force
The Second Australian Imperial Force was the name given to the volunteer personnel of the Australian Army in World War II. Under the Defence Act , neither the part-time Militia nor the full-time Permanent Military Force could serve outside Australia or its territories unless they volunteered to...
at the commencement of World War Two and obtained the rank of Major. He was posted to an artillery unit in North-Western Australia. Despite having not served overseas he became an office holder in several organisations for war veterans including the World Veterans Federation
World Veterans Federation (WVF)
The World Veterans Federation is the world's largest international veteran organisation. The federation currently consists of 170 veterans organizations from 93 countries representing some 25 to 30 million veterans worldwide....
. He also served on a number of Quango
Quango
Quango or qango is an acronym used notably in the United Kingdom, Ireland and elsewhere to label an organisation to which government has devolved power...
s including the New South Wales Central Ambulance Board and the Commonwealth Advisory Committee on Immigration.
State Parliament
Mitchell entered parliament as the United Australia PartyUnited Australia Party
The United Australia Party was an Australian political party that was founded in 1931 and dissolved in 1945. It was the political successor to the Nationalist Party of Australia and predecessor to the Liberal Party of Australia...
member for Burwood
Electoral district of Burwood (New South Wales)
Burwood was an electoral district of the Legislative Assembly in the Australian state of New South Wales, first created in 1894 with the abolition of multi-member electoral districts from part of Canterbury, and named after and including the Sydney suburb of Burwood. With the introduction of...
after winning the seat at the 1938
New South Wales state election, 1938
The 1938 New South Wales state election was held on 26 March 1938. This election was for all of the 90 seats in the 32nd New South Wales Legislative Assembly and was conducted in single member constituencies with compulsory preferential voting....
state election. He won 51% of the vote and defeated the only other candidate, the incumbent member Gordon Jackett
Gordon Jackett
Harry Gordon Jackett was an Australian politician and a member of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly from 1935 and 1938 and from 1941 until his death. He was variously a United Australia Party , Independent UAP, Democratic Party and Liberal Party member of parliament .Jackett was born in...
. Unusually, Jackett had also been endorsed by the UAP. This was indicative of the growing disunity and lack of organizational strength within the UAP. To forestall pre-selection ballots, the party's central committee, of which Mitchell was a member, had declared 11 metropolitan seats including Burwood to be "safe seats" and had endorsed multiple candidates. At the next state election in 1941
New South Wales state election, 1941
The 1941 New South Wales state election was held on 10 May 1941. This election was for all of the 90 seats in the 33nd New South Wales Legislative Assembly and was conducted in single member constituencies with compulsory preferential voting....
, Jackett stood as an Independent "Nationalist UAP" candidate and defeated Mitchell who finished third with 28% of the vote behind Jackett and the Labor Party
Australian Labor Party
The Australian Labor Party is an Australian political party. It has been the governing party of the Commonwealth of Australia since the 2007 federal election. Julia Gillard is the party's federal parliamentary leader and Prime Minister of Australia...
candidate, Albert Thompson. Thompson won a remarkable 38% of the vote due to the large state-wide swing to Labor at the election. After an absence of 9 years, Mitchell again nominated for Burwood at the 1950
New South Wales state election, 1950
The 1950 New South Wales State state election was held on 17 June 1950. It was conducted in single member constituencies with compulsory preferential voting and was held on boundaries created at a 1949 redistribution...
state election. He stood as an Independent and was easily defeated by Jackett who was the endorsed candidate of the Liberal Party
Liberal Party of Australia
The Liberal Party of Australia is an Australian political party.Founded a year after the 1943 federal election to replace the United Australia Party, the centre-right Liberal Party typically competes with the centre-left Australian Labor Party for political office...
. This was the last state election that Mitchell contested. He did not hold party, parliamentary or ministerial office..