1939 Hawthorn state by-election
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The 1939 Hawthorn state by-election was held on 10 June 1939 to elect the member for Hawthorn in the Victorian Legislative Assembly, following the death of United Australia Party (UAP) MP John Gray.[2][3]
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10 June 1939
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Electoral district of Hawthorn in the Victorian Legislative Assembly | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Registered | 25,459[1] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Turnout | 89.1% ( 3.0) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Despite a 34% swing away from the UAP (two Independent UAP candidates were also contesting), Les Tyack won the seat for the UAP against Labor candidate Albert Nicholls with 54.1% of the two-party-preferred vote.[4][5]
Tyack lost the seat one year later at the 1940 state election, when he was defeated by Leslie Hollins (who unsuccessfully contested the by-election as an independent).[6][7] Tyack again won Hawthorn in 1950, but lost his seat in 1952.[8][9]
Key events
- 6 May 1939 â John Gray dies[10]
- 17 May 1939 â Writ of election issued by the Speaker of the Legislative Assembly[11]
- 29 May 1939 â Candidate nominations close[12]
- 10 June 1939 â Polling day
- 12 June 1939 â Return of writ[13]
Candidates
Candidates are listed in the order they appeared on the ballot.[14][15]
| Party | Candidate | Background | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ind. United Australia | John Chirnside | Manager | |
| Independent | Leslie Hollins | Automotive engineer[16] | |
| Labor | Albert Nicholls | Public accountant | |
| Progressive Independent | Benjamin Nicholson | Former soldier who stood for UAP preselection[17][18] | |
| United Australia | Les Tyack | Hawthorn councillor[19][20] | |
| Ind. United Australia | William Vaughan | Printer and publisher | |
Additionally, L. H. Hagon declined to contest and William Hulse (Labor's candidate in 1929 and 1930) lost Labor preselection.[21][22]
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Labor | Albert Nicholls | 5,986 | 27.5 | â12.0 | |
| United Australia | Les Tyack | 5,769 | 26.5 | â34.0 | |
| Independent | Leslie Hollins | 3,428 | 15.8 | +15.8 | |
| Ind. United Australia | John Chirnside | 2,754 | 12.7 | +12.7 | |
| Ind. United Australia | William Vaughan | 2,193 | 10.1 | +10.1 | |
| Progressive Independent | Benjamin Nicholson | 1,606 | 7.4 | +7.4 | |
| Total formal votes | 21,736 | 95.8 | â3.1 | ||
| Informal votes | 948 | 4.2 | +3.1 | ||
| Turnout | 22,684 | 89.1 | â3.0 | ||
| Two-party-preferred result | |||||
| United Australia | Les Tyack | 11,757 | 54.1 | â6.4 | |
| Labor | Albert Nicholls | 9,979 | 45.9 | +6.4 | |
| United Australia hold | Swing | â6.4 | |||