This is the full list of members who served in the First House of Representatives from 1901 to 1903.
In a 75-member chamber, no party – Labor, Protectionist or Free Trade – secured an absolute majority of seats. The government of Prime Minister Edmund Barton was formed from the ranks of the Protectionists, supported in the House by the Labor Party. The Protectionists governed for most of the first decade of Federation, with only brief periods out of office. Succeeding Barton as PM, Alfred Deakin emerged as the dominant political figure of the period.
Four states elected members from single-member electorates: NSW (26), Vic (23), Qld (9) & WA (5). South Australia (7) and Tasmania (5) elected their representatives “at large” and introduced single-member electorates for the 1903 election.
Statistics vary on the party composition of the first parliament. For example, it is common to read that the ALP had 14 members, not 16. Some sources give the Free Traders 28 members, not 25. The Protectionists are often shown with 31 members, not 32. Not all members were able to run under the party banners they supported. Some members accepted ministries with their opponents. The lists below show the members according to which group they caucused with.
There were three by-elections during the first parliament. Following the death of William Groom, his son, Littleton Groom, was elected to replace him in Darling Downs. Following the death of Frederick Piesse, he was replaced by William Hartnoll in Tasmania. In East Sydney, the Leader of the Opposition, George Reid, won the the by-election caused by his own resignation. Accordingly, there are 77 members of the first parliament listed below.
1901 Federal Election Results | |||||||
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Party | NSW | VIC | QLD | SA | WA | TAS | Totals |
NSW: Cowper, Eden-Monaro, Gwydir, Hume, Hunter, New England, Richmond, Riverina VIC: Balaclava, Ballarat, Bendigo, Bourke, Corangamite, Corinella, Corio, Echuca, Gippsland, Indi, Laanecoorie, Melbourne, Melbourne Ports, Mernda, Moira, Northern Melbourne, Wimmera QLD: Brisbane, Darling Downs, Oxley WA: Swan SA: 2 seats at large Tas: 1 seat at large |
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NSW: Dalley, East Sydney, Illawarra, Lang, Macquarie, North Sydney, Parkes, Parramatta, Robertson, South Sydney, Wentworth, Werriwa VIC: Flinders, Grampians, Kooyong, Wannon WA: Fremantle, Kalgoorlie SA: 4 seats at large Tas: 3 seats at large |
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NSW: Barrier, Bland, Canobolas, Darling, Newcastle, West Sydney VIC: Southern Melbourne, Yarra QLD: Herbert, Kennedy, Maranoa, Wide Bay WA: Coolgardie, Perth SA: 1 seat at large Tas: 1 seat at large |
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QLD: Capricornia, Moreton | |||||||
Members of the 1st House of Representatives 1901-1903 | ||||||||
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No. | Name | Party | Seat | Term Began | Term Ended |
Birth | Death | Age |
AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY MEMBERS | ||||||||
Frederick Bamford | ||||||||
Lee Batchelor | Boothby (SA) |
16.12.1903 |
08.10.1911 |
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Thomas Brown | Canobolas (NSW) Calare (NSW) MLA Lachlan (NSW) |
29.03.1901 12.12.1906 06.12.1913 |
12.12.1906 31.05.1913 21.02.1917 |
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Andrew Fisher | MLA Gympie (Qld) Wide Bay (Qld) |
25.03.1899 30.03.1901 |
09.05.1901 26.10.1915 |
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James Fowler | Lib/Nat |
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William Morris Hughes | ALP Nat UAP Lib |
West Sydney (NSW) Bendigo (Vic) North Sydney (NSW) Bradfield (NSW) |
29.03.1901 05.05.1917 16.12.1922 10.12.1949 |
05.05.1917 16.12.1922 10.12.1949 28.10.1952 |
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Charles McDonald | Kennedy (Qld) |
30.03.1901 |
13.11.1925 |
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Hugh Mahon | Kalgoorlie (WA) Kalgoorlie (WA) |
22.12.1913 13.12.1919 |
05.05.1917 12.11.1920 |
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King O’Malley | Darwin (Tas) |
16.12.1903 |
05.05.1917 |
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James Page | ||||||||
James Ronald | ||||||||
William Spence | Darwin (Tas) |
30.06.1917 |
13.12.1919 |
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Josiah Thomas | Senate (NSW) Senate (NSW) |
01.07.1917 14.11.1925 |
30.06.1923 20.06.1929 |
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Frank Tudor | ||||||||
David Watkins | ||||||||
Chris Watson | South Sydney (NSW) |
12.12.1906 |
13.04.1910 |
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PROTECTIONIST PARTY MEMBERS | ||||||||
(Sir) Edmund Barton | MLA Wellington (NSW) MLA East Syd (NSW) MLA East Syd (NSW) MLA Hastings (NSW) Hunter (NSW) |
14.12.1880 28.12.1882 11.07.1891 23.11.1898 29.03.1901 |
28.12.1882 02.03.1887 03.08.1894 01.03.1900 30.09.1903 |
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(Sir) John Bonython | Barker (SA) |
16.12.1903 |
08.1.1906 |
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John Chanter | ALP Nat |
MLA Deniliquin (NSW) Riverina (NSW) Riverina (NSW) Riverina (NSW) |
17.07.1894 29.03.1901 18.05.1904 05.09.1914 |
11.06.1901 16.12.1903 31.05.1913 16.12.1922 |
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(Sir) Austin Chapman | ||||||||
Francis Clarke | ||||||||
James Hume Cook | Bourke (Vic) |
29.03.1901 |
13.04.1910 |
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Richard Crouch | ALP |
Corangamite (Vic) |
12.10.1929 |
19.12.1931 |
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George Cruickshank | ||||||||
Alfred Deakin | MLA West Bourke (Vic) MLA Ess&Flem (Vic) Ballaarat (Vic) |
01.07.1880 01.04.1889 29.03.1901 |
01.03.1889 01.10.1900 31.05.1913 |
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Richard Edwards | ||||||||
Thomas Ewing | ||||||||
(Sir) John Forrest | Lib Nat |
MLA Bunbury (WA) Swan (WA) |
xx.xx.1890 29.03.1901 |
xx.xx.1901 02.09.1918 |
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(Sir) Philip Fysh | MLC Tas MHA (Tas) MLC Tas MHA (Tas) Tasmania Denison (Tas) |
xx.xx.1870 xx.xx.1873 xx.xx.1884 xx.xx.1894 29.03.1901 16.12.1903 |
xx.xx.1873 xx.xx.1878 xx.xx.1890 xx.xx.1898 16.12.1903 19.02.1910 |
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William Henry Groom | MLA Toowoomba (Qld) MLA Drayton (Qld) Darling Downs (Qld) |
10.11.1873 15.11.1878 30.03.1901 |
15.11.1878 04.06.1901 08.08.1901 |
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(Sir) Littleton Groom | 19.12.1931 |
06.11.1936 |
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Robert Harper | MLA East Bourke (Vic) MLA Bourke East (Vic) Mernda (Vic) |
01.06.1882 01.09.1891 29.03.1901 |
01.03.1889 01.09.1897 23.04.1913 |
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Henry Bournes Higgins | Northern Melb (Vic) |
30.03.1901 |
12.12.1906 |
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(Sir) Isaac Isaacs | MLA Bogong (Vic) Indi (Vic) |
01.06.1893 29.03.1901 |
01.05.1901 12.10.1906 |
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Thomas Kennedy | Moira (Vic) |
29.03.1901 |
12.12.1906 |
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Charles Cameron Kingston | MLC (SA) South Australia Adelaide (SA) |
22.09.1900 30.03.1901 16.12.1903 |
31.12.1900 16.12.1903 11.05.1908 |
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(Sir) William Lyne | Hume (NSW) |
29.03.1901 |
31.05.1913 |
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(Sir) James McCay | Corinella (Vic) |
29.03.1901 |
12.12.1906 |
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James McColl | MLA Gunbower (Vic) Echuca (Vic) Senate (Vic) |
01.04.1889 29.03.1901 01.01.1907 |
01.05.1901 05.11.1906 05.09.1914 |
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Thomas Macdonald-Paterson | MLA Moreton (Qld) MLC (Qld) MLA Bris North (Qld) Brisbane (Qld) |
21.11.1883 22.05.1885 21.03.1896 29.03.1901 |
21.04.1885 11.03.1896 31.07.1901 16.12.1903 |
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(Sir) Malcolm McEacharn | ||||||||
Allan McLean | MLA Gipps Nth (Vic) Gippsland (Vic) |
01.03.1889 29.03.1901 |
01.05.1901 12.12.1906 |
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Chester Manifold | 31.05.1913 |
23.10.1918 |
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Samuel Mauger | Melbourne Ports (Vic) Maribyrnong (Vic) |
29.03.1901 12.12.1906 |
12.12.1906 13.04.1910 |
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Pharez Phillips | Wimmera (Vic) |
29.03.1901 |
08.11.1906 |
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(Sir) John Quick | Bendigo (Vic) |
29.03.1901 |
31.05.1913 |
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Dr Carty Salmon | Laanecoorie (Vic) Grampians (Vic) |
29.03.1901 20.02.1915 |
23.04.1913 15.09.1917 |
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William Sawers | MLA Tamworth (NSW) New England (NSW) |
27.07.1898 29.03.1901 |
11.06.1901 16.12.1903 |
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(Sir) George Turner | Balaclava (Vic) |
29.03.1901 |
08.11.1906 |
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FREE TRADE PARTY MEMBERS | ||||||||
(Sir) Edward Braddon | MHA West Devon (Tas) Tasmania Wilmot (Tas) |
xx.xx.1893 29.03.1901 16.12.1903 |
xx.xx.1901 16.12.1903 02.02.1904 |
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Norman Cameron | Tasmania Wilmot (Tas) MHA (Tas) MHA (Tas) |
29.03.1901 26.02.1904 xx.xx.1912 xx.xx.1925 |
16.12.1903 12.12.1906 xx.xx.1913 xx.xx.1928 |
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Alfred Conroy | Lib |
31.05.1913 |
05.09.1914 |
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Joseph Cook | Lib/Nat |
Parramatta (NSW) |
30.03.1901 |
10.12.1921 |
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Samuel Cooke | Wannon (Vic) |
29.03.1901 |
23.11.1903 |
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George Edwards | Lib |
North Sydney (NSW) |
13.04.1910 |
04.02.1911 |
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George Fuller | Illawarra (NSW) MLA Wollondilly (NSW) |
29.03.1901 16.09.1915 |
31.05.1913 07.02.1928 |
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Patrick Glynn | MLA Nth Adelaide (SA) MLA Nth Adelaide (SA) South Australia Angas (SA) |
xx.xx.1895 xx.xx.1897 30.03.1901 16.12.1903 |
xx.xx.1896 xx.xx.1901 6.12.1903 13.12.1919 |
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Arthur Groom | MLA Gippsland West (Vic) Flinders (Vic) |
01.04.1889 29.03.1901 |
01.04.1892 23.11.1903 |
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William Hartnoll | ||||||||
Frederick Holder | Ind |
South Australia Wakefield (SA) |
29.03.1901 16.12.1903 |
16.12.1903 23.07.1909 |
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(Sir) John Kirwan | MLC South Province (WA) |
xx.xx.1908 |
xx.xx.1946 |
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William Knox | Lib |
Kooyong (Vic) |
29.03.1901 |
26.07.1910 |
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Francis McLean | Lang (NSW) |
29.03.1901 |
23.11.1903 |
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(Sir) William McMillan | MLA Burwood (NSW) MLA East Sydney (NSW) Wentworth (NSW) |
17.07.1894 24.07.1895 29.03.1901 |
05.07.1895 08.07.1898 23.11.1903 |
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Frederick Piesse | Tasmania |
29.03.1901 |
06.03.1902 |
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Alexander Poynton | ALP Nat |
South Australia Grey (SA) |
29.03.1901 16.12.1903 |
16.12.1903 16.12.1922 |
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George Reid | MLA East Sydney (NSW) MLA Sydney-King (NSW) East Sydney (NSW) East Sydney (NSW) MP St George’s (UK) |
02.03.1887 03.08.1894 29.03.1901 04.09.1903 15.07.1913 |
03.08.1894 30.03.1901 18.08.1903 24.12.1909 12.09.1918 |
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Thomas Skene | ||||||||
Bruce Smith | A-S Lib/Nat |
MLA Glebe (NSW) Parkes (NSW) |
18.03.1889 29.03.1901 |
25.06.1894 13.12.1919 |
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Sydney Smith | MLA Bathurst (NSW) MLA Canterbury (NSW) Macquarie (NSW) |
17.07.1894 09.06.1900 29.03.1901 |
08.07.1898 17.07.1900 12.12.1906 |
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Elias Solomon | Fremantle (WA) |
29.03.1901 |
16.12.1903 |
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Vaiben Louis Solomon | MHA Northern Terr (SA) South Australia MHA Northern Terr (SA) |
xx.xx.xxxx 29.03.1901 xx.xx.1905 |
xx.xx.xxxx 16.12.1903 20.10.1908 |
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Dugald Thomson | North Sydney (NSW) |
29.03.1901 |
19.02.1910 |
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William Wilks | Lib |
Dalley (NSW) |
29.03.1901 |
13.04.1910 |
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Henry Willis | MLA Upper Hunter (NSW) |
14.10.1910 |
06.11.1913 |
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INDEPENDENT MEMBERS | ||||||||
Alexander Paterson | ||||||||
James Wilkinson | ALP |
Moreton (Qld) |
30.03.1901 |
12.12.1906 |