Tasmania by-election, 1902
Encyclopedia
A by-election
was held for one of the seats of the Australian House of Representatives
electorate of Tasmania
on 26 March 1902. This was triggered by the death of Frederick William Piesse
on 6 March 1902. The writ for the by-election was issued on 11 March, nominations for candidates closed on 20 March.
was elected in the by-election, receiving nearly 58 per cent of the vote. When opposition leader George Reid
received a telegram from the Freetrade Association of Launceston informing him of Hartnoll's impending victory, he proclaimed "Thanks! Hartnoll's triumph overshadows the inevitable fate of the Barton Ministry
."
Hartnoll's election was not without controversy. Under Tasmanian law, nominations from candidates were required to be signed by the candidate himself. Hartnoll's nomination paper was received and accepted by the Commonwealth electoral officer via telegram, and was not signed. J.C. Whitelaw, Hartnoll's Labour opponent in the by-election, challenged the election on legal grounds, and instructed his solicitors in Melbourne to lodge a petition and a deposit of £100 to the Supreme Court of Tasmania. The petition was referred by the Prime Minister
Edmund Barton
to the Elections and Qualifications Committee of the House of Representatives. After hearing the evidence, committee chair Sir Edward Braddon
announced that the committee had found that Hartnoll had "committed an irregularity" by nominating via telegram, but that it was not considered a sufficient reason for disturbing the election.
By-election
A by-election is an election held to fill a political office that has become vacant between regularly scheduled elections....
was held for one of the seats of the Australian House of Representatives
Australian House of Representatives
The House of Representatives is one of the two houses of the Parliament of Australia; it is the lower house; the upper house is the Senate. Members of Parliament serve for terms of approximately three years....
electorate of Tasmania
Division of Tasmania
The Division of Tasmania was an Australian Electoral Division that existed from 1901 until 1903. It covered the entire state of Tasmania which, unlike most of the other states, had not been split into individual single-member electorates. The Division elected five members at the first federal...
on 26 March 1902. This was triggered by the death of Frederick William Piesse
Frederick William Piesse
Frederick William Piesse was a member of the first Australian federal parliament.Born in Hobart, Tasmania, Piesse worked in law, conveyancing, shipping and horticulture before being elected to the Tasmanian House of Assembly as the Member for North Hobart in 1893 before representing the Tasmanian...
on 6 March 1902. The writ for the by-election was issued on 11 March, nominations for candidates closed on 20 March.
Results
Aftermath
William HartnollWilliam Hartnoll
William Hartnoll was an Australian politician. Born in Longford, Tasmania, he was educated at Launceston Grammar School before becoming a shopkeeper, auctioneer and landowner. In 1884 he was elected to the Tasmanian House of Assembly as the member for South Launceston, transferring to Launceston...
was elected in the by-election, receiving nearly 58 per cent of the vote. When opposition leader George Reid
George Reid (Australian politician)
Sir George Houstoun Reid, GCB, GCMG, KC was an Australian politician, Premier of New South Wales and the fourth Prime Minister of Australia....
received a telegram from the Freetrade Association of Launceston informing him of Hartnoll's impending victory, he proclaimed "Thanks! Hartnoll's triumph overshadows the inevitable fate of the Barton Ministry
Barton Ministry
The Barton Ministry was the first Australian Commonwealth ministry, and ran from 1 January 1901 to 24 September 1903. The ministry was made up of Protectionist Party members....
."
Hartnoll's election was not without controversy. Under Tasmanian law, nominations from candidates were required to be signed by the candidate himself. Hartnoll's nomination paper was received and accepted by the Commonwealth electoral officer via telegram, and was not signed. J.C. Whitelaw, Hartnoll's Labour opponent in the by-election, challenged the election on legal grounds, and instructed his solicitors in Melbourne to lodge a petition and a deposit of £100 to the Supreme Court of Tasmania. The petition was referred by the Prime Minister
Prime Minister of Australia
The Prime Minister of the Commonwealth of Australia is the highest minister of the Crown, leader of the Cabinet and Head of Her Majesty's Australian Government, holding office on commission from the Governor-General of Australia. The office of Prime Minister is, in practice, the most powerful...
Edmund Barton
Edmund Barton
Sir Edmund Barton, GCMG, KC , Australian politician and judge, was the first Prime Minister of Australia and a founding justice of the High Court of Australia....
to the Elections and Qualifications Committee of the House of Representatives. After hearing the evidence, committee chair Sir Edward Braddon
Edward Braddon
Sir Edward Nicholas Coventry Braddon, KCMG , Australian politician, was the Premier of Tasmania from 1894 to 1899, and was a Member of the First Australian Parliament in the House of Representatives...
announced that the committee had found that Hartnoll had "committed an irregularity" by nominating via telegram, but that it was not considered a sufficient reason for disturbing the election.