1940 Ryde state by-election explained

A by-election was held for the New South Wales Legislative Assembly electorate of Ryde on 14 September 1940 following the resignation of Eric Spooner,^[1] to contest the federal seat of Robertson at the 1940 election, at which he was elected.^[2]

Dates

Date	Event
23 August 1940	Eric Spooner resigned.
30 August 1940	Writ of election issued by the Speaker of the Legislative Assembly.^[3]
5 September 1940	Nominations
14 September 1940	Polling day
21 September 1940	Federal election
28 September 1940	Return of writ

Candidates

• Bert Cowell was a grocer from Gladesville.^[4]
• William Harrison was an estate agent from West Ryde and the Mayor of Ryde, the youngest to hold that office.^[4]
• Herbert Mitchell was a secretary and superintendent of the Central District Ambulance.^[5]
• James Stewart was a tyre moulder, representing the far-left Hughes-Evans group, which had been removed as the executive in July 1940.^{[4] [6]}
• Arthur Williams was an accountant specialising in the auditing of trade unions.^[7]

Result

Eric Spooner resigned to successfully contest the 1940 election for Robertson.

See also

• Electoral results for the district of Ryde
• List of New South Wales state by-elections

Notes and References

1. The Hon. Eric Sydney Spooner (1891–1952) . 1515 . Yes . 5 May 2019.
2. Web site: 1940 House of Representatives election: New South Wales . Psephos, Adam Carr's election archive . 2021-03-27.
3. News: Writ of election: Ryde . . 118 . 30 August 1940 . 2021-03-27 . 3639 . Trove.
4. News: Five will stand for Ryde . The Sun. 5 September 1940 . 27 March 2021 . 8 . Trove.
5. News: Seek Ryde selection . . 31 August 1940 . 27 March 2021 . 5 . Trove.
6. Web site: David . Clune . Facts and Figures - Political Parties of NSW (Overview) . . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20110706121829/http://parliament.nsw.gov.au/prod/web/common.nsf/key/ResourcesFactspolparty . 2011-07-06.
7. Mr Arthur John Leonard Williams (1888-1968) . 1443 . Yes . 1 May 2019.