Division of Darling Downs

Darling Downs Australian House of Representatives Division
Created:	1901
Abolished:	1984
Namesake:	Darling Downs

The Division of Darling Downs was an Australian Electoral Division in Queensland. The division was created at Federation in 1900 and was one of the original 75 divisions contested at the first federal election. It was abolished in 1984 when it was replaced by the Division of Groom. It was named for the Darling Downs region of Queensland, and consisted mainly of the city of Toowoomba and surrounding rural areas. It was always a safe seat for the non-Labor parties, being won at different times by the Liberal Party and its predecessors and the Country Party. Its prominent members included Sir Littleton Groom, Cabinet minister and Speaker, and Arthur Fadden, Prime Minister of Australia in 1941.

The electorate's first member, William Henry Groom, died at the first Commonwealth Parliament meeting in Melbourne in 1901, and his death led to Australia's first by-election, which was won by his son, Littleton Groom, who went on to serve as Speaker of the Australian House of Representatives. The seat was always safely conservative, and Arthur Fadden briefly served as Prime Minister while holding the seat. The seat was abolished in 1984, largely being replaced by the Division of Groom.

Members

Member		Party	Term
	William Henry Groom	Protectionist	1901–1901
	Littleton Groom	Protectionist	1901–1909
		Commonwealth Liberal	1909–1916
		Nationalist	1916–1929
		Independent Nationalist	1929–1929
	Arthur Morgan	Nationalist	1929–1931
	Littleton Groom	Independent	1931–1933
		United Australia	1933–1936
	Arthur Fadden	Country	1936–1949
	Reginald Swartz	Liberal	1949–1972
	Tom McVeigh	Country, National	1972–1984

Election results

Main article: Electoral results for the Division of Darling Downs