Candidates of the 1940 Australian federal election
# Candidates of the 1940 Australian federal election

This article provides information on candidates who stood for the 1940 Australian federal election. The election was held on 21 September 1940.

Earlier in 1940, the Lang Labor supporters had again broken away from the federal Australian Labor Party. Seats held by the defectors are designated as Labor seats.

## By-elections, appointments and defections

### By-elections and appointments

* On 12 July 1938, Jim Sheehan (Labor) was appointed a Victorian Senator to replace John Barnes (Labor).
* On 10 December 1938, Sydney McHugh (Labor) was elected to succeed Charles Hawker (UAP) as the member for Wakefield.
* On 20 May 1939, William Conelan (Labor) was elected to succeed Frank Baker (Labor) as the member for Griffith.
* On 27 May 1939, Lancelot Spurr (Labor) was elected to succeed Joseph Lyons (UAP) as the member for Wilmot.
* On 2 March 1940, John Dedman (Labor) was elected to succeed Richard Casey (UAP) as the member for Corio.
* On 13 August 1940, three UAP cabinet ministers, Geoffrey Street (Corangamite), James Fairbairn (Flinders) and Sir Henry Gullett (Henty), were killed in the Canberra air disaster. No by-elections were held due to the proximity of the election.

### Defections

* In 1937, Country Party MP John McEwen (Indi) was expelled from the state-based party for accepting a ministry in the Lyons-Page government. In response, following the party conference in 1938, Thomas Paterson (Gippsland) led over a hundred McEwen supporters out of the state United Country Party to form the breakaway Liberal Country Party, loyal to the Page-led federal party. The Country Party's other Victorian MP, George Rankin (Bendigo), remained with the UCP.
* In 1938, Independent UAP MP Percy Spender (Warringah) joined the United Australia Party.
* In 1940, supporters of New South Wales Premier Jack Lang again broke away from the federal Labor Party, this time calling themselves the Australian Labor Party (Non-Communist). Its federal members were Senator Stan Amour (New South Wales), Senator John Armstrong (New South Wales), Jack Beasley (West Sydney), Joe Gander (Reid), Dan Mulcahy (Lang), Sol Rosevear (Dalley) and Tom Sheehan (Cook).

## Retiring Members and Senators

### Labor

* William Maloney MP (Melbourne, Vic)

### United Australia

* Senator Charles Grant (Tas)

### Country

* James Hunter MP (Maranoa, Qld)

## House of Representatives

Sitting members at the time of the election are shown in bold text. Successful candidates are highlighted in the relevant colour. Where there is possible confusion, an asterisk (*) is also used.

### New South Wales

| Electorate | Held by | Labor candidate | Coalition candidate | Labor (N-C) candidate | State Labor candidate | Other candidates |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Barton | United Australia | H. V. Evatt | Albert Lane (UAP) | John Rose | Sam Lewis | John Mackay (Ind) Robert Mackie (ADM) |
| Calare | Country | John Breen | Herbert Hodby (CP) Harold Thorby (CP) | John Heiss | Greg McGirr | Richard Brazier (Ind) |
| Cook | Labor | Jock Garden | | Tom Sheehan | | Cyril Glassop (Ind Lab) |
| Cowper | Country | Myles Kelly | Sir Earle Page (CP) | | | John Cain (Ind) Joseph McElhone (Ind) |
| Dalley | Labor | Donald Cochrane | Hubert O'Connell (UAP) | Sol Rosevear | Edmund Ryan | |
| Darling | Labor | Joe Clark | | Les Murphy | | Alexander Huie (Ind) |
| East Sydney | Labor | Eddie Ward | James Catts (UAP) Lewis Nott (UAP) | Steve Gould | | Fred Aarons (Ind) Diana Gould (Ind) Louis Phillips (Atokist) |
| Eden-Monaro | United Australia | Herb Turner | Frank Louat (UAP) Roy May (UAP) Pat Osborne (UAP) John Perkins* (UAP) | Benjamin Kelly | | George Alam (Ind) Rupert Beale (Ind) |
| Gwydir | Labor | William Scully | Ernest Batchelor (CP) Ben Wade (CP) | | | Frederick Deakins (Ind) |
| Hume | Country | Clarence Nolan | Thomas Collins (CP) | Arthur Fuller | John Fisher | Eric Roberts (ADM) |
| Hunter | Labor | Rowley James | | | Bill Gollan | |
| Lang | Labor | John Metcalfe | Matthew Calman (UAP) Bertram Stevens (UAP) Stanley Willmott (UAP) | Dan Mulcahy | Arthur Robinson | |
| Macquarie | United Australia | Ben Chifley | John Lawson (UAP) | Bernard Cunningham | | |
| Martin | United Australia | Raymond Watt | William McCall (UAP) | | Rupert Lockwood | |
| New England | Country | Leigh Cuthbertson | Joe Abbott* (CP) Donald Shand (CP) Victor Thompson (CP) | | | |
| Newcastle | Labor | David Watkins | | | Tom Hickey | Arthur Clarke (Ind) |
| North Sydney | United Australia | James Dooley | Billy Hughes (UAP) | John Steel | William Wilson | |
| Parkes | United Australia | Daniel Murphy | Sir Charles Marr (UAP) | | | David Knox (Ind) |
| Parramatta | United Australia | Albert Rowe | Norman Rydge (UAP) Sir Frederick Stewart* (UAP) Gordon Wallace (UAP) | James Dalton | Bill Wood | |
| Reid | Labor | Charles Morgan | | Joe Gander | Jack Hughes | Leslie Brown (Ind UAP) Edward James (Ind) |
| Richmond | Country | Jim Fredericks | Larry Anthony (CP) | | Alexander Collingridge | |
| Riverina | Country | Joe Langtry | Horace Nock (CP) Hugh Roberton (CP) | William Quirk | Charles Lenon | Ronald Cuttle (Ind) John Hogan (ADM) |
| Robertson | United Australia | Thomas Williams | Sydney Gardner (UAP) Campbell Marshall (UAP) Eric Spooner* (UAP) | Michael McKeon | James Russell | William Cox (Ind) Edward Down (Ind) |
| Warringah | Independent UAP | Bessie Frewin | Joseph Hamlet (UAP) Percy Spender* (UAP) | | Arthur Warren | Patrick Esplin (ADM) |
| Watson | United Australia | Max Falstein | John Jennings (UAP) | Cecil Irwin | Richard Wilson | |
| Wentworth | United Australia | Norman Smith | Norman Cowper (UAP) Eric Harrison* (UAP) Richard Stranger (UAP) | | Jim Morley | George McDonald (Ind Nat) |
| Werriwa | Labor | Bert Lazzarini | Walter Duncan (UAP) Charles Hardwick (UAP) Lyell Scott (UAP) Mont Sheppard (UAP) Joseph Worland (UAP) | Con Quilkey | Rex Connor | |
| West Sydney | Labor | Henry Mulcahy | | Jack Beasley | Peter Burke | Malinda Ivey (Ind) Stan Moran (Ind) |

### Northern Territory

| Electorate | Held by | Labor candidate | Other candidates |
| - | - | - | - |
| Northern Territory | Independent | Lindsay Craig | Adair Blain* (Ind) Fred Colson (Ind) John McDonald (Ind Lab) |

### Queensland

| Electorate | Held by | Labor candidate | Coalition candidate | Other candidates |
| - | - | - | - | - |
| Brisbane | Labor | George Lawson | John Fletcher (UAP) | |
| Capricornia | Labor | Frank Forde | Edwin Hiskens (CP) | |
| Darling Downs | Country | Leslie Bailey | Arthur Fadden (CP) | |
| Griffith | Labor | William Conelan | Peter McCowan (UAP) | |
| Herbert | Labor | George Martens | Thomas Mann (CP) | Louis Haydon (Ind RSL) Fred Paterson (Ind) |
| Kennedy | Labor | Bill Riordan | Wilfrid Simmonds (CP) | |
| Lilley | United Australia | Gordon Lovell | William Jolly (UAP) | Charles Mitchell (Ind) |
| Maranoa | Country | Frank Baker | Bob McGeoch (CP) | Henry Madden (Ind) |
| Moreton | United Australia | Henry Herbert | Josiah Francis (UAP) | |
| Wide Bay | Country | Samuel Round | Bernard Corser (CP) | John Rex (PLP) |

### South Australia

| Electorate | Held by | Labor candidate | Coalition candidate | Other candidates |
| - | - | - | - | - |
| Adelaide | United Australia | Edgar Dawes | Fred Stacey (UAP) | Raymond Davis (ADLP) Bert Edwards (Ind Lab) |
| Barker | Country | Cecil Skitch | Archie Cameron (CP) | Charles Lloyd (Ind) |
| Boothby | United Australia | George Edwin Yates | John Price (UAP) | William Adey (Ind) |
| Grey | Country | Charles Davis | Oliver Badman (CP) | Percy McFarlane (Ind) |
| Hindmarsh | Labor | Norman Makin | Harry Hatwell (UAP) | |
| Wakefield | Labor | Sydney McHugh | Jack Duncan-Hughes (UAP) | |

### Tasmania

| Electorate | Held by | Labor candidate | UAP candidate | Independent candidates |
| - | - | - | - | - |
| Bass | Labor | Claude Barnard | Algie Findlay Desmond Oldham | John Watson |
| Darwin | United Australia | Eric Reece | George Bell | |
| Denison | Labor | Gerald Mahoney | Arthur Beck | |
| Franklin | Labor | Charles Frost | Hugh Warner | |
| Wilmot | Labor | Lancelot Spurr | Frank Edwards Allan Guy* | |

### Victoria

| Electorate | Held by | Labor candidate | Coalition candidate | Other candidates |
| - | - | - | - | - |
| Balaclava | United Australia | Charles Sandford | Thomas White (UAP) | Harry Moffat (Ind) |
| Ballaarat | Labor | Reg Pollard | Edward Montgomery (UAP) | Alex Russell (Ind) |
| Batman | Labor | Frank Brennan | Albert Peters (UAP) | |
| Bendigo | Country | Bert de Grandi | George Rankin (UCP) | John Barton (Ind UCP) |
| Bourke | Labor | Maurice Blackburn | Charles Lucas (UAP) | |
| Corangamite | United Australia | Harold Miller | Allan McDonald (UAP) | |
| Corio | Labor | John Dedman | Gerald Patterson (UAP) | Harry Lyall (Ind) |
| Deakin | United Australia | Frank Williamson | William Hutchinson (UAP) | Frank Fisher (Ind) Duncan McCallum (Ind) |
| Fawkner | United Australia | Arthur Fraser | Harold Holt (UAP) | Alexander Mills (Ind) |
| Flinders | United Australia | Frank Lee | Rupert Ryan (UAP) | Alexander Amess (Ind) Edward Mann (Ind) |
| Gippsland | Country | James McKenna | George Bowden (UCP) Thomas Paterson* (LCP) | Calvert Wyeth (Ind) |
| Henty | United Australia | Arthur Haywood | | Arthur Coles* (Ind) Edward Riley (Ind) Samuel Thomas (Ind) Eric Young (Ind) |
| Indi | Country | Jack Devlin | John McEwen (LCP) | |
| Kooyong | United Australia | Thomas Brennan | Robert Menzies (UAP) | Drysdale Bett (Ind) John Dale (Ind) Francis Foster (Ind) Frank Hartnett (Ind) |
| Maribyrnong | Labor | Arthur Drakeford | Robert Vroland (UAP) | |
| Melbourne | Labor | Arthur Calwell | Richard Griffiths (UAP) | James Baker (ADLP) Edward Whitcombe (Ind Lab) |
| Melbourne Ports | Labor | Jack Holloway | Raymond Trickey (UAP) | |
| Wannon | United Australia | Don McLeod | Thomas Scholfield (UAP) | John Crawford (Ind CP) Jabez Potts (Ind) |
| Wimmera | Independent | Michael Nolan | Hugh McClelland (UCP) | Robert Johnstone (Ind) Alexander Wilson* (Ind) |
| Yarra | Labor | James Scullin | Fred Edmunds (UAP) | Ralph Gibson (Ind) |

### Western Australia

| Electorate | Held by | Labor candidate | Coalition candidate | Other candidates |
| - | - | - | - | - |
| Forrest | Country | Vane Green | John Prowse (CP) | |
| Fremantle | Labor | John Curtin | Frederick Lee (UAP) | Gil Clarke (Ind UAP) |
| Kalgoorlie | Labor | Albert Green | | |
| Perth | United Australia | Gavan McMillan | Walter Nairn (UAP) | James Bolitho (Ind) |
| Swan | Country | Jim Dinan | Henry Gregory* (CP) Thomas Marwick (CP) | Claude Barker (Ind) John Tregenza (BIWF) |

## Senate

Sitting Senators are shown in bold text. Tickets that elected at least one Senator are highlighted in the relevant colour. Successful candidates are identified by an asterisk (*).

### New South Wales

Three seats were up for election. The United Australia Party-Country Party Coalition was defending two seats. The Labor Party was defending one seat. Labor Senators Stan Amour, John Armstrong and Tom Arthur were not up for re-election.

| Labor candidates | Coalition candidates | Labor (N-C) candidates | State Labor candidates | Defence candidates | Ungrouped candidates |
| - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Bill Ashley* James Arnold* William Large* | Dick Dein (UAP) Mac Abbott (CP) James Patrick (UAP) | Stanley Allen John Kerin James Walker | Edwin Barker Clarrie Campbell Albert Crowe | Peter Pollack William Hulks Wilbred Taylor | Adela Walsh Stanley White Lance Sharkey Harry Bohland William Adkins John O'Carroll |

### Queensland

Three seats were up for election. The United Australia Party-Country Party Coalition was defending three seats. Labor Senators Gordon Brown, Joe Collings and Ben Courtice were not up for re-election.

| Labor candidates | Coalition candidates | Ungrouped candidates |
| - | - | - |
| William Bertram William Collins Austin Elliott | Walter Cooper* (CP) Thomas Crawford* (UAP) Harry Foll* (UAP) | Jim Slater (Ind Soc) |

### South Australia

Three seats were up for election. The United Australia Party was defending three seats. United Australia Party Senators Philip McBride, Alexander McLachlan and Keith Wilson were not up for re-election.

| Labor candidates | UAP candidates | Ungrouped candidates |
| - | - | - |
| Alex Finlay Bert Hoare Herman Dolling | James McLachlan* George McLeay* Oliver Uppill* | Tom Garland |

### Tasmania

Three seats were up for election. The United Australia Party was defending three seats. Labor Senators Bill Aylett, Richard Darcey and Charles Lamp were not up for re-election.

| Labor candidates | UAP candidates | Ungrouped candidates |
| - | - | - |
| John Brown Howard D'Alton Maurice Weston | Herbert Hays* John Hayes* Bayard Edgell John Millen Burford Sampson* | Donald Cameron |

### Victoria

Four seats were up for election. One of these was a short-term vacancy caused by Labor Senator-elect John Barnes's death; this had been filled in the interim by Labor's Jim Sheehan. The United Australia Party-Country Party Coalition was defending three seats. The Labor Party was defending one seat. Labor Senators Don Cameron and Richard Keane were not up for re-election.

| Labor candidates | Coalition candidates | Ungrouped candidates |
| - | - | - |
| Jim Sheehan Parker Moloney Bert Hendrickson William McAdam | Charles Brand* (UAP) William Gibson* (CP) John Leckie* (UAP) John Spicer* (UAP) | Gerry O'Day (Ind) Claude Peace (TR) |

### Western Australia

Three seats were up for election. The United Australia Party-Country Party Coalition was defending three seats. Labor Senators Robert Clothier, James Cunningham and James Fraser were not up for re-election.

| Labor candidates | Coalition candidates | Soldiers candidates | Ungrouped candidates |
| - | - | - | - |
| Frank Trainer Dorothy Tangney Herb Graham | Herbert Collett* (UAP) Bertie Johnston* (CP) Allan MacDonald* (UAP) | Arthur Richards Alexander Cunningham Stanley Dival | Carlyle Ferguson (Ind) Claude Swaine (Emp. Co-op.) |
