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Australian politician From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
James Bennett (1874 – 23 November 1951) was an Australian farmer and politician. He was one of the founders of Victoria's People's Party and served a single term in the House of Representatives from 1913 to 1914. He represented the Victorian seat of Gippsland and sat as a Liberal in parliament.
James Bennett | |
|---|---|
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| Member of the Australian Parliament for Gippsland | |
| In office 31 May 1913 – 5 September 1914 | |
| Preceded by | George Wise |
| Succeeded by | George Wise |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 1874 South Australia |
| Died | 23 November 1951 (aged 76–77) |
| Political party | Liberal |
| Other political affiliations | People's] |
| Occupation | Farmer |
Bennett was born in 1874 in South Australia, either in Rapid Bay or Glenelg.[1][2] He grew up on the Yorke Peninsula, leaving school at the age of 13. He and his parents moved to the Mallee region of Victoria two years later, settling on a 2,000-acre (810 ha) property located 6 miles (9.7 km) outside of Warracknabeal. Bennett bought his own farm in 1900, during the Federation Drought.[1] He grew experimental varieties of wheat and conducted scientific tests on the effectiveness of different varieties of fertiliser, in cooperation with the state agricultural department.[3][4] He was involved with various farmers' advocacy groups.[1]
Bennett was one of the co-founders of the People's Party in 1910, serving as the inaugural honorary secretary.[5] He became a paid organiser for the party.[1] In July 1912, he was selected as the endorsed candidate of the People's Party and the Australian Women's National League (AWNL) for the Division of Gippsland.[6] He defeated the incumbent independent member George Wise at the 1913 federal election on a swing of 12.7 points.[2] However, Wise reversed the result at the 1914 election on a swing of 6 points, winning by 610 votes.[7] He was a supporter of preferential voting,[8] and was described by Melbourne's Punch as "sound and reliable - a farmers' representative for a farmers' seat".[1]
Bennett later worked in Melbourne as a real estate agent and builder. He died on 21 November 1951.[7]
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