1940 Ryde state by-election

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 (United Australia),^[1] to contest the federal seat of Robertson at the 1940 election,^[2] at which he was elected.^[3]

Dates

Date	Event
23 August 1940	Eric Spooner resigned.^[1]
30 August 1940	Writ of election issued by the Speaker of the Legislative Assembly.^[4]
5 September 1940	Nominations
14 September 1940	Polling day
21 September 1940	Federal election
28 September 1940	Return of writ

Bert Cowell (Independent) was a grocer from Gladesville.^[5]
William Harrison (Independent) was an estate agent from West Ryde and the Mayor of Ryde, the youngest to hold that office.^[5]
Herbert Mitchell (United Australia) was a secretary and superintendent of the Central District Ambulance.^[6]
James Stewart (State Labor) was a tyre moulder, representing the far-left Hughes-Evans group, which had been removed as the Labor executive in July 1940.^[5]^[7]
Arthur Williams (Labor) was an accountant specialising in the auditing of trade unions.^[8]

1940 Ryde by-election
Saturday 14 September ^[2]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labor	Arthur Williams	7,680	35.6	+9.3
	United Australia	Herbert Mitchell	7,742	35.9	−17.4
	Independent	William Harrison	3,048	14.1	−6.3
	State Labor	James Stewart	1,685	7.8
	Independent	Bert Cowell	1,431	6.6
Total formal votes			21,586	96.6	−2.1
Informal votes			755	3.4	+2.1
Turnout			22,341	89.7	−7.3
Two-party-preferred result
	Labor	Arthur Williams	10,908	50.5
	United Australia	Herbert Mitchell	10,678	49.5
	Labor gain from United Australia		Swing	N/A

^ ^a ^b "The Hon. Eric Sydney Spooner (1891–1952)". Former members of the Parliament of New South Wales. Retrieved 5 May 2019.
^ ^a ^b Green, Antony. "1940 Ryde by-election". New South Wales Election Results 1856-2007. Parliament of New South Wales. Retrieved 24 September 2019.
^ "1940 House of Representatives election: New South Wales". Psephos, Adam Carr's election archive. Retrieved 27 March 2021.
^ "Writ of election: Ryde". Government Gazette of the State of New South Wales. No. 118. 30 August 1940. p. 3639. Retrieved 27 March 2021 – via Trove.
^ ^a ^b ^c "Five will stand for Ryde". The Sun. 5 September 1940. p. 8. Retrieved 27 March 2021 – via Trove.
^ "Seek Ryde selection". The Daily Telegraph. 31 August 1940. p. 5. Retrieved 27 March 2021 – via Trove.
^ Clune, David. "Facts and Figures - Political Parties of NSW (Overview)". Parliament of New South Wales. Archived from the original on 6 July 2011.
^ "Mr Arthur John Leonard Williams (1888-1968)". Former members of the Parliament of New South Wales. Retrieved 1 May 2019.

v t e By-elections of the 32nd New South Wales parliament (1938–1941)
1938	Coogee Gordon Wollondilly
1939	Balmain Hurstville Waverley Upper Hunter
1940	Tamworth Croydon Ryde Barwon
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