Wilmot by-election, 1904
Encyclopedia
A by-election
was held for the Australian House of Representatives
seat of Wilmot
in Tasmania
on 26 February 1904. This was triggered by the death of former Premier of Tasmania and federal Free Trade Party
MP Sir Edward Braddon
on 2 February 1904.
The by-election was won by Free Trade candidate Norman Cameron (a former member of the Tasmanian House of Assembly
, and who had represented Tasmania
in the Australian House of Representatives
until he was voted out in the 1903 federal election), against John Cheek
for the Protectionist Party
. Voting was not compulsory in 1904.
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 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....
seat of Wilmot
Division of Wilmot
The Division of Wilmot was an Australian Electoral Division in the state of Tasmania. It was located in central Tasmania, and was named after Sir John Eardley-Wilmot, the sixth Lieutenant-Governor of Tasmania...
in Tasmania
Tasmania
Tasmania is an Australian island and state. It is south of the continent, separated by Bass Strait. The state includes the island of Tasmania—the 26th largest island in the world—and the surrounding islands. The state has a population of 507,626 , of whom almost half reside in the greater Hobart...
on 26 February 1904. This was triggered by the death of former Premier of Tasmania and federal Free Trade Party
Free Trade Party
The Free Trade Party which was officially known as the Australian Free Trade and Liberal Association, also referred to as the Revenue Tariff Party in some states and renamed the Anti-Socialist Party in 1906, was an Australian political party, formally organised between 1889 and 1909...
MP 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...
on 2 February 1904.
The by-election was won by Free Trade candidate Norman Cameron (a former member of the Tasmanian House of Assembly
Tasmanian House of Assembly
The House of Assembly, or Lower House, is one of the two chambers of the Parliament of Tasmania in Australia. The other is the Legislative Council or Upper House...
, and who had represented 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...
in 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....
until he was voted out in the 1903 federal election), against John Cheek
John Cheek
John William Cheek, CBE was an Australian politician, who was an Independent member of the Tasmanian Legislative Council representing the electoral district of Westmorland on two occasions from 1907 to 1913, and then from 1919 until his death in 1942.Cheek was made a Commander of the Order of the...
for the Protectionist Party
Protectionist Party
The Protectionist Party was an Australian political party, formally organised from 1889 until 1909, with policies centred on protectionism. It argued that Australia needed protective tariffs to allow Australian industry to grow and provide employment. It had its greatest strength in Victoria and in...
. Voting was not compulsory in 1904.