Electoral district of Cook and Westmoreland
Former state electoral district of New South Wales, Australia
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Cook and Westmoreland was an electoral district of the Legislative Assembly in the Australian state of New South Wales in the first and second Parliaments (1856–1859), named after Cook and Westmoreland counties in the Blue Mountains, Lithgow and Oberon areas. It elected two members simultaneously, with voters casting two votes and the first two candidates being elected.[1][2] It was largely replaced by Hartley,[3] however both members moved to other electorates, James Martin became the member for East Sydney,[1] while Robert Jamison became the member for Nepean.[2]
| District of Cook and Westmoreland New South Wales—Legislative Assembly | |
|---|---|
Cook county in the 1840s | |
| State | New South Wales |
| Created | 1856 |
| Abolished | 1859 |
| Namesake | Cook & Westmoreland counties |
| Coordinates | 33°32′S 150°7′E |
Member for Cook and Westmoreland
| Member | Party | Period | Member | Party | Period | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| James Martin [1] | None | 1856–1859 | Robert Jamison [2] | None | 1856–1859 | ||
Election results
There was only one contested election held in the district, in the 1856 New South Wales colonial election.[4] James Martin twice resigned in 1856 and 1857 as a result of accepting appointment as Attorney General, however on both occasions he was re-elected unopposed.[5][6]
1856
| Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
| James Martin (elected 1) | 321 | 39.5 | |
| Robert Jamison (elected 2) | 303 | 37.3 | |
| John Arkins | 189 | 23.3 | |
| Total formal votes | 813 | 100.0 | |
| Informal votes | 0 | 0.0 | |
| Turnout | 487 | 54.4 | |
Polling was conducted on 4 April 1856. Martin represented Counties of Cook and Westmoreland in the old Legislative Council.
1858
| Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
| James Martin (re-elected) | unopposed | ||
| Robert Jamison (re-elected) | unopposed | ||