Electoral district of Bowen
Bowen was an electoral district of the Legislative Assembly in the Australian state of Queensland from 1873 to 1950 and at various times until 1992.[1] HistoryThe electoral district of Bowen was established by the 1872 Electoral Districts Act.[1] During the First McIlwraith Ministry, the seat of Bowen was occupied by three Attorneys-General: Henry Beor, Pope Alexander Cooper and Charles E. Chubb. Upon Beor's death, Cooper, who was not at that time in Parliament, was appointed Attorney-General and contested and won the resulting by-election. When he resigned, Chubb entered parliament in the same manner. Bowen is the only state or federal electorate in Australia to elect a Communist member, Fred Paterson, who served as member for Bowen from the 1944 election until the 1950 election. In a 1949 redistribution, Bowen was abolished, being split between the new electoral districts of Burdekin and Whitsunday.[1] It has been suggested that the redistribution was done deliberately to split Paterson's electoral support and prevent him from being returned to parliament in the 1950 election.[2] Paterson contested Whitsunday but was unsuccessful.[3] From 1963 until 1971, member Peter Delamothe also served as Attorney-General. Today, the electoral districts of Whitsunday and Burdekin comprise parts of the former Electoral district of Bowen. Members
Election resultsSee also
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