The 1908 Richmond state by-election was held on 2 October 1908 to elect the member for Richmond in the Victorian Legislative Assembly, following the death of United Liberal Party (ULP) MP George Henry Bennett.[1]
Labor candidate Ted Cotter won the seat with a swing of more than 36%, defeating ULP candidate William Wishart.[2] Cotter was re-elected two months later at the state election on 29 December 1908, and continued to be re-elected (including unopposed between 1917 and 1932) until he lost Labor preselection and retired in 1945.[3]
Key events
- 8 September 1908 – George Henry Bennett dies[4][5]
- 15 September 1908 – Writ of election issued by the Speaker of the Legislative Assembly[6]
- 24 September 1908 – Candidate nominations close[7]
- 2 October 1908 – Polling day
- 6 October 1908 – Return of writ[8]
Candidates
Candidates are listed in the order they appeared on the ballot.[9]
| Party | Candidate | Background | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Labor | Ted Cotter | Secretary of the Coopers' Union[10] | |
| United Liberal | William Wishart | Kew councillor, former mayor, and independent candidate for Richmond in 1907[11][12] | |
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Labor | Ted Cotter | 2,046 | 63.2 | +36.4 | |
| United Liberal | William Wishart | 1,195 | 36.8 | –8.6[a] | |
| Total formal votes | 3,241 | 99.8 | +0.6 | ||
| Informal votes | 7 | 0.2 | –0.6 | ||
| Turnout | 3,248 | 63.8 | –5.0 | ||
| Labor gain from United Liberal | Swing | ||||
See also
Notes
- ^ a b At the 1907 election, ULP candidate George Henry Bennett received 45.4% of the vote, while William Wishart had 27.8% of the vote while contesting as an independent, making their combined vote 73.2% in 1907. If compared to Bennett in 1907, Wishart had a negative swing of 8.6%. If compared to his own 1907 result as an independent, Wishart had a positive swing of 9.0%. If compared to the combined ULP/independent total in 1907, Wishart had a negative swing of 36.4%.
References
- ^ "Richmond Election". Richmond Guardian. 19 September 1908. p. 2. Retrieved 18 January 2025.
- ^ "Perambulator". Kilmore Free Press. 8 October 1908. p. 3. Retrieved 18 January 2025.
- ^ "TWO SURPRISES IN PRE-SELECTIONS". Weekly Times. 10 October 1945. p. 7. Retrieved 17 January 2025.
- ^ "POPULAR MEMBER PASSES". The Herald. 8 September 1908. p. 3. Retrieved 17 January 2025.
- ^ "DEATH OF MR. BENNETT, M.L.A." The North Eastern Despatch. 10 September 1908. p. 2. Retrieved 18 January 2025.
- ^ "The Richmond Election". The Herald. 14 September 1908. p. 3. Retrieved 18 January 2025.
- ^ "THE NOMINATIONS". The Argus. 25 September 1908. p. 5. Retrieved 18 January 2025.
- ^ "RICHMOND ELECTION". The Age. 18 September 1908. p. 5. Retrieved 18 January 2025.
- ^ a b "THE TWENTY-FIRST PARLIAMENT ELECTED 15 MARCH 1907". Psephos: Adam Carr's Electoral Archive. Archived from the original on 4 November 2023. Retrieved 18 January 2025.
- ^ "Cotter, Edmund (Edmond) John". Parliament of Victoria. Archived from the original on 31 March 2011. Retrieved 31 March 2011.
- ^ "ADDRESS BY COUNCILLOR WISHART". The Argus. 24 September 1908. p. 6. Retrieved 18 January 2025.
- ^ "HOW THE ANTI-LABOR CANDIDATE 'ESPOUSES THE CAUSE OF THE TOILERS'". The Worker. 1 October 1908. p. 19. Retrieved 18 January 2025.
- ^ "GOVERNMENT CANDIDATE BADLY DEFEATED". The Age. 3 October 1908. p. 13. Retrieved 18 January 2025.
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