1922 elections, 1922-1923

 
Component identifier:
Series 24
Content Summary:

At the Federal election of December 1922 Latham won the Melbourne seat of Kooyong. He stood as an Independent Liberal, supported by the Liberal Union, in opposition to the sitting Nationalist Member, Sir Robert Best. The election resulted in the Country Party holding the balance of power and after long negotiations, in which Latham took an active part, W. M. Hughes resigned as Prime Minister and a coalition Government was formed, headed by S. M. Bruce and Earle Page.

The series contains correspondence dating from October 1922-March 1923 organising campaign meetings and the distribution of leaflets, discussing issues with pressure groups, wishing Latham success and congratulating him on his victory. The pressure groups include the Liberal Union, the Single Purpose League, the Returned Soldiers and Sailors Imperial League, the Navy League, the Proportional Representation Society, the Australian Railways Union, and the Victorian Protestant Federation.

Other papers comprise a return of electoral expenses, handwritten notes for speeches, a book containing the names of canvassers and officers of organisations in the Kooyong Electorate, lists of helpers and meetings, two books containing press cuttings and leaflets, and a few loose newscuttings from Melbourne newspapers.

Comprises Files 1-9 (Items 1-425b). Newscuttings in Folder 9 have not been assigned item numbers.

Immediate source of acquisition:
The bulk of the collection was presented to the National Library by Sir John Latham in December 1963, a few months before his death. In November 1974 the Library purchased some further papers from a secondhand book dealer. They comprised family letters and photographs, some diaries and papers relating to the High Court. These papers have been amalgamated into the original collection.

Access and use

Parent Restrictions:
Available for research. Not for loan.
Parent Terms of Access:
Copying and publishing of unpublished manuscript material is subject to copyright restrictions. For such material, written permission to publish must be obtained from the copyright holder(s). Copying of unpublished material for research purposes is permissible 50 years after the death of the creator of the material.
Location of this collection:
Parkes Place
Canberra ACT 2600, Australia
Contact: