May 1919 Paddington state by-election
# May 1919 Paddington state by-election

A by-election was held for the New South Wales Legislative Assembly electorate of Paddington on 24 May 1919 because of the resignation of John Osborne (Labor) who had accepted an appointment to the Metropolitan Meat Industry Board. The board was responsible for the control and maintenance of abattoirs, cattle sale yards, meat markets, and slaughterhouses in the greater Sydney region. H. V. Evatt described the appointment as intended to deprive Labor of one of its better political organisers ahead of the 1920 election.

## Dates

| Date | Event |
| - | - |
| 15 April 1919 | John Osborne resigned. |
| 30 April 1919 | Writ of election issued by the Governor. |
| 2 May 1919 | John Osborne appointed to the Metropolitan Meat Industry Board. |
| 10 May 1919 | Nominations |
| 24 May 1919 | Polling day |
| 7 June 1919 | Return of writ |

## Result

1919 Paddington by-election Saturday 24 May :

| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| - | - | - | - | - | - |
| | Labor | Lawrence O'Hara | 2,613 | 58.1 | +1.0 |
| | Nationalist | William Harris | 955 | 22.1 | -20.8 |
| | Independent | James Thomson | 869 | 19.3 | |
| | Independent | James Jones | 19 | 0.4 | |
| Total formal votes | Total formal votes | Total formal votes | 4,496 | 98.7 | -0.7 |
| Informal votes | Informal votes | Informal votes | 59 | 1.3 | +0.7 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 4,555 | 35.5 | -26.4 |
| | Labor hold | Labor hold | Swing | N/A | |

## Aftermath

Lawrence O'Hara's service would be brief, dying just 21 days later on 14 June 1919 as a result of the influenza pandemic. The resulting by-election was held on 26 July 1919.

