- Division of Darling Downs
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Darling Downs
Australian House of Representatives DivisionCreated: 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 DownsElectoral divisions of the Australian House of Representatives in Queensland Blair · Bonner · Bowman · Brisbane · Capricornia · Dawson · Dickson · Fadden · Fairfax · Fisher · Flynn · Forde · Griffith · Groom · Herbert · Hinkler · Kennedy · Leichhardt · Lilley · Longman · Maranoa · McPherson · Moncrieff · Moreton · Oxley · Petrie · Rankin · Ryan · Wide Bay · Wright
Abolished: Darling Downs · Oxley (1901-34)
Divisions in: New South Wales · Victoria · Queensland · Western Australia · South Australia · Tasmania · Australian Capital and Northern TerritoriesCategories:- Electoral divisions of Australia
- Darling Downs
- Federal politics in Queensland
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