Division of Darwin

This article is about the historic Tasmanian electoral division. For the electoral division that contains the city of Darwin, see Division of Solomon.

Darwin Australian House of Representatives Division
Created	1903
Abolished	1955
Namesake	Charles Darwin

The Division of Darwin was an Australian Electoral Division in Tasmania.^[1]

The division was created in 1903 and abolished in 1955,^[2] when it was replaced by the Division of Braddon. It was named after Charles Darwin, who visited Australia in 1836. It is not related to the city of Darwin in the Northern Territory.

It was located in north-western and western Tasmania, including the towns of Burnie and Devonport.

After 1917, it was always in the hands of the non-Labor parties. Prominent members included King O'Malley, a colourful Labor member, Sir George Bell, Speaker of the House, and Dame Enid Lyons, the first woman elected to the House of Representatives.

Members

	Image	Member	Party	Term	Notes
		King O'Malley (1854–1953)	Labor	16 December 1903 – 5 May 1917	Previously held the Division of Tasmania. Served as minister under Fisher and Hughes. Lost seat
		Charles Howroyd (1867–1917)	Nationalist	5 May 1917 – 10 May 1917	Previously held the Tasmanian House of Assembly seat of Bass. Died in office
		William Spence (1846–1926)		30 June 1917 – 13 December 1919	Previously held the Division of Darling. Did not contest in 1919. Failed to win the Division of Batman
		George Bell (1872–1944)		13 December 1919 – 16 December 1922	Lost seat
		Joshua Whitsitt (1869–1943)	Country	16 December 1922 – 3 October 1925	Previously held the Tasmanian House of Assembly seat of Darwin. Retired
		Sir George Bell (1872–1944)	Nationalist	14 November 1925 – 7 May 1931	Served as Speaker during the Lyons, Page and Menzies Governments. Retired
			United Australia	7 May 1931 – 7 July 1943
		Dame Enid Lyons (1897–1981)		21 August 1943 – 21 February 1945	Served as minister under Menzies. Retired. First woman elected to the House of Representatives
			Liberal	21 February 1945 – 19 March 1951
		Aubrey Luck (1900–1999)		28 April 1951 – 10 December 1955	Transferred to the Division of Braddon after Darwin was abolished in 1955

Election results

Main article: Electoral results for the Division of Darwin

Notes

1. "House of Assembly Main Page". Archived from the original on 30 July 2009. Retrieved 2009-07-01.
2. "DIVISION OF DARWIN". The Mercury. Hobart, Tasmania. 27 May 1954. p. 22. Retrieved 28 June 2015 – via National Library of Australia. west coast Tasmania locations at the last election held