by-election A by-election, also known as a special election in the United States and the Philippines, a bye-election in Ireland, a bypoll in India, or a Zimni election (Urdu: ضمنی انتخاب, supplementary election) in Pakistan, is an election used to f ...

for the seat of Claremont in the Legislative Assembly of

Western Australia Western Australia (commonly abbreviated as WA) is a state of Australia occupying the western percent of the land area of Australia excluding external territories. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to th ...

was held on 11 June 1902. It was triggered by the resignation of

William Sayer William Frederic Sayer KC (3 December 1857 – 26 February 1943) was an Australian lawyer and politician who was a member of the Legislative Assembly of Western Australia from 1901 to 1902. He was attorney-general in the short-lived governmen ...

(the sitting member) on 26 May.

John Foulkes John Charles Griffiths Foulkes (22 March 1861 – 4 December 1935) served in both houses of the Parliament of Western Australia, as a member of the Legislative Council from 1894 to 1896 and as a member of the Legislative Assembly from 1902 to ...

, a prominent local lawyer, won the election with 40.4 percent of the vote. Of the other four candidates, three entered (or re-entered) parliament themselves at later dates.

Background

had won Claremont at the 1901 state election, to continue serving as

attorney-general In most common law jurisdictions, the attorney general or attorney-general (sometimes abbreviated AG or Atty.-Gen) is the main legal advisor to the government. The plural is attorneys general. In some jurisdictions, attorneys general also have exec ...

in the government of

George Throssell George Lionel Throssell (23 May 1840 – 30 August 1910) was the second Premier of Western Australia. He served for just three months, from 15 February to 27 May 1901, during a period of great instability in Western Australian politics. Geor ...

. He had been appointed to the position a month before entering parliament. However, Throssell's government was short-lived (and thus so was Sayer's time in the ministry), and he resigned from parliament on 26 May 1902 to take up the position of chief parliamentary draughtsman.William Frederic Sayer
– Biographical Register of Members of the Parliament of Western Australia. Retrieved 8 October 2016. The writ for the by-election was issued on 28 May, with the close of nominations on 5 June. Polling day was on 11 June, with the writ returned the following day.

Candidates

, an English-trained lawyer, stood as an

Opposition Opposition may refer to: Arts and media * ''Opposition'' (Altars EP), 2011 EP by Christian metalcore band Altars * The Opposition (band), a London post-punk band * ''The Opposition with Jordan Klepper'', a late-night television series on Comed ...

candidate. He had previously served in the Legislative Council from 1894 to 1896.John Charles Griffith Foulkes
Biographical Register of Members of the Parliament of Western Australia. Retrieved 8 October 2016. *

Joseph Langsford Joseph Wood Langsford (29 July 1865 – 5 April 1957) was an Australian businessman and politician who was a member of the Legislative Council of Western Australia from 1904 to 1911. He ran for parliament eight times in total, but won election ...

, an accountant originally from

Adelaide Adelaide ( ) is the capital city of South Australia, the state's largest city and the fifth-most populous city in Australia. "Adelaide" may refer to either Greater Adelaide (including the Adelaide Hills) or the Adelaide city centre. The dem ...

, stood as an Opposition candidate. He had served as the Mayor of Claremont from 1899 to 1901, and also contested Claremont at the 1901 state election.Joseph Wood Langsford
Biographical Register of Members of the Parliament of Western Australia. Retrieved 8 October 2016. * Richard Pennefather, a

Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...

-trained lawyer, stood as an Opposition candidate. He had previously been a member of the Legislative Assembly from 1897 to 1901, representing Greenough, and served as

in the government of Sir

John Forrest Sir John Forrest (22 August 1847 – 2 SeptemberSome sources give the date as 3 September 1918 1918) was an Australian explorer and politician. He was the first premier of Western Australia (1890–1901) and a long-serving cabinet minister i ...

.Richard William Pennefather
Biographical Register of Members of the Parliament of Western Australia. Retrieved 8 October 2016. *

George Temple-Poole George Thomas Temple-Poole (born George Thomas Temple, 29 May 1856 – 27 February 1934) was a British architect and public servant, primarily known for his work in Western Australia from 1885. As Superintendent of Public Works, and then Pri ...

, an English-trained architect and engineer, stood as a Ministerial candidate. He had been Western Australia's Principal Architect from 1891 to 1897, but had not previously held elective office. * Frank Wilson, an English-born businessman, stood as an Ministerial candidate. He had previously been a member of the Legislative Assembly from 1897 to 1901, representing

Canning Canning is a method of food preservation in which food is processed and sealed in an airtight container (jars like Mason jars, and steel and tin cans). Canning provides a shelf life that typically ranges from one to five years, although u ...

and

Perth Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia. It is the fourth most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a population of 2.1 million (80% of the state) living in Greater Perth in 2020. Perth is ...

, and also served on the

Perth City Council Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia. It is the fourth most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a population of 2.1 million (80% of the state) living in Greater Perth in 2020. Perth is ...

.Frank Wilson
Biographical Register of Members of the Parliament of Western Australia. Retrieved 8 October 2016.

Results

Aftermath

Foulkes retained Claremont until his retirement at the 1911 state election, and eventually retired to England. Of his losing opponents, Langsford, Pennefather, and Wilson all either entered or re-entered parliament within the next decade. Langsford and Pennefather won election to the Legislative Council in 1904 and 1908, respectively, while Wilson won the seat of Sussex at the 1904 state election and went on to serve as

Premier of Western Australia The premier of Western Australia is the head of government of the state of Western Australia. The role of premier at a state level is similar to the role of the prime minister of Australia at a federal level. The premier leads the executive bra ...

on two occasions (from 1910 to 1911 and from 1916 to 1917).

References

{{Reflist, 30em Western Australian state by-elections 1902 elections in Australia June 1902 events 1900s in Perth, Western Australia

Background

Candidates

Results

Aftermath

See also

References