1907 Australian Labor Party leadership election

April 2022 none 1907 Australian Labor Partyleadership election Australia ALP logo, pre-1980s.png presidential Caucus no 1901 Australian Labor Party leadership election 1901 Australian Labor Party leadership spill, 1913 1913 30 October 1907 First Ballot Second Ballot Third Ballot 150x150px Andrew Fisher DC241F Unknown Majority Unopposed 150x150px Billy Hughes DC241F Unknown Minority Withdrew 150x150px William Spence DC241F Unknown Eliminated Eliminated Leader Chris Watson Andrew Fisher The Australian Labor Party held a leadership election on 30 October 1907, following the resignation of Chris Watson. The party elected Andrew Fisher as its new leader, ahead of three other candidates. Background Watson had been chosen as the party's inaugural leader in 1901, and led Labor to the 1903 and 1906 federal elections. He announced his intention to resign the leadership on 24 October 1907, which was attributed to his "physical and mental fatigue, together with his wife's ill health and her objections to his frequent absences from home". Financial considerations may have also played a part.Watson, John Christian (Chris) (1867–1941), Australian Dictionary of Biography. Retrieved 19 May 2018. There was little appetite within the party for a change in leadership, and some of his colleagues tried to convince him to stay on as leader.Andrew Fisher: Prime Minister of Australia David Day HarperCollins 2008 978-0-7322-7610-2 142 David Day (historian) The Labor caucus met at Parliament House, Melbourne, on 30 October to elect a new leader. Four candidates were nominated – Andrew Fisher, Billy Hughes, William Spence, and Lee Batchelor. All except Spence had served in cabinet during the 1904 Watson Ministry, the Labor Party's only previous federal experience in government. Batchelor withdrew before the first ballot, which saw Spence eliminated. Fisher then won a majority on the second ballot. Hughes proposed that a third ballot be held so that Fisher could be elected unopposed. This result was what was reported to the press, and the fact that there had been other candidates was not revealed until a number of years later.Day (2008), p. 143. References Category:Australian Labor Party leadership spills Category:October 1907 in Australia Category:1907 elections in Australia Australian Labor Party leadership election Category:October 1907 in Oceania