1951 Australian Labor Party leadership election

April 2022 none 1951 Australian Labor Party Leadership election Australia ALP logo, pre-1980s.png presidential Caucus no 1945 Australian Labor Party leadership election 1945 August 1954 Australian Labor Party leadership election 1954 20 June 1951 200x200px H. V. Evatt DC241F Unopposed Leader Ben Chifley H. V. Evatt A leadership election in the Australian Labor Party, then the opposition party in the Parliament of Australia, was held on 20 June 1951. It saw the election of Leader H. V. Evatt as leader following the death of sitting leader Ben Chifley. Background As deputy leader, Evatt became acting leader of the party upon Chifley's death on 13 June. Prior to the meeting, there was speculation that Arthur Calwell would also contest the leadership, however by 19 June he had decided not to run.https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/18226080 Supporters of Evatt Confident The Sydney Morning Herald 20 June 1951 As a result, Evatt was elected unopposed. In the ballot for the deputy leadership, Calwell defeated Percy Clarey by nine votes on the third ballot, following the elimination of Eddie Ward and Allan Fraser:https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/18213376 Labour's new head: Evatt unopposed Sydney Morning Herald 21 June 1951 Candidate Constituency 1st ballot 2nd ballot 3rd ballot Arthur Calwell Melbourne (VIC) 38 36 45 Percy Clarey Bendigo (VIC) 18 27 36 Eddie Ward East Sydney (NSW) 16 18 Eliminated Allan Fraser Eden-Monaro (NSW) 9 Eliminated Eliminated See also 1951 Australian federal election References Category:Australian Labor Party leadership spills Australian Labor Party leadership election