1939 Country Party of Australia leadership election
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A leadership election was held on 13 September 1939 to select Earle Page's replacement as leader of the Country Party of Australia and de facto-Deputy Prime Minister. Archie Cameron was elected party leader in preference to John McEwen seven votes to five.[1]
Background
When
Candidates
- Postmaster-General
- John McEwen, Member for Indi (Vic) and Minister for the Interior
Results
The following table gives the ballot results:[1]
| Name | Votes | Percentage | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Archie Cameron | 7 | 58.33 | |
| John McEwen | 5 | 41.66 | |
Aftermath
According to McEwen, the result had been skewed due to the absence of four Country Party MPs who had refused to sit in the party room whilst Page was leader. A motion to re-admit them as members was defeated by seven votes to six. McEwen later claimed in his memoirs that the dissentient MPs were "all strong supporters of mine and, had they been allowed to vote, I would have won the election". All were subsequently re-admitted to the party several months later.[3]
See also
References
- ^ a b "Mr. Cameron New C.P. Leader". Wodonga and Towong Sentinel. 22 September 1939. p. 2.
- ^ "Earle Page, In office". Australia's Prime Ministers. National Archives of Australia. Archived from the original on 18 July 2010. Retrieved 19 March 2010.
- ^ John McEwen (1982). John McEwen: His Story (PDF). Page Research Centre.