1939 Country Party of Australia leadership election

February 2019 February 2019 1939 Country Party of Australia leadership election Australia presidential Caucus no 1921 Country Party of Australia leadership election 1921 1940 Country Party of Australia leadership election 1940 13 September 1939 200x200px Archie Cameron 006644 7 58.33% 200x200px John McEwen 006644 5 41.66% Seat Barker (SA) Indi (VIC) Leader Earle Page Archie Cameron A leadership election was held on 13 September 1939 to select Earle Page's replacement as leader of the Country Party of Australia and de facto-Deputy Prime Minister. Archie Cameron was elected party leader in preference to John McEwen seven votes to five.https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/69638544 Mr. Cameron New C.P. Leader Wodonga and Towong Sentinel 22 September 1939 2 Background When Joseph Lyons died in office in April 1939, Country Party leader Earl Page was commissioned as caretaker Prime Minister capacity while the United Australia Party (UAP) could elect a new leader. When Robert Menzies was elected as the new UAP leader, Page refused to work under him, and made an extraordinary personal attack on him in the House, accusing him of ministerial incompetence and cowardice for refusing to enlist during World War I. Subsequently, Page refused to serve in Menzies' cabinet and withdrew the Country Party from the coalition. However, this proved unpopular and his party soon rebelled and caused him to resign as party leader. This left the field open for a new leader.Earle Page, In office Australia's Prime Ministers National Archives of Australia http://primeministers.naa.gov.au/primeministers/page/in-office.aspx 19 March 2010 18 July 2010 https://web.archive.org/web/20100718003048/http://primeministers.naa.gov.au/primeministers/page/in-office.aspx dead Candidates Archie Cameron, Member for Barker (SA) and Postmaster-General John McEwen, Member for Indi (Vic) and Minister for the Interior Results The following table gives the ballot results: Name Votes Percentage Archie Cameron 7 58.33 John McEwen 5 41.66 Aftermath According to McEwen, the result had been skewed due to the absence of four Country Party MPs who had refused to sit in the party room whilst Page was leader. A motion to re-admit them as members was defeated by seven votes to six. McEwen later claimed in his memoirs that the dissentient MPs were "all strong supporters of mine and, had they been allowed to vote, I would have won the election". All were subsequently re-admitted to the party several months later.https://www.page.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/John_McEwen_His_Story_-_John_McEwen.pdf John McEwen John McEwen: His Story Page Research Centre 1982 John McEwen See also Australia Politics 1939 United Australia Party leadership election National Party of Australia leadership elections References Category:1939 elections in Australia Category:National Party of Australia Category:Australian leadership spills Country Party of Australia leadership election Category:September 1939 in Australia