Division of Denison

The Division of Denison was an Australian electoral division in Tasmania, before being replaced by the Division of Clark as part of a 2016–17 redistribution.

History

File:William Denison.jpg

Sir William Denison, the division's namesake

The division was one of the five established when the former Division of Tasmania was redistributed on 2 October 1903 and is named for Sir William Denison, who was Lieutenant Governor of Van Diemen's Land 1847–55. It was located in central Hobart on the western shore of the River Derwent. As at the 2016 election (the last election before being replaced by Clark), it incorporated the area covered by the Cities of Hobart and Glenorchy, together with the northern parts of Kingborough Council, including Taroona, generally north of the Huon Highway. kunanyi / Mount Wellington was a prominent physical feature in the division's west. Denison was a consistently marginal seat, but was held by the Australian Labor Party between 1987 and 2010 with little difficulty. Its most prominent members were Sir Philip Fysh, a member of the first federal Cabinet; Athol Townley, Minister for Defence in the Menzies Government; and Duncan Kerr, a minister in the Keating, Rudd and Gillard governments. Townley resigned in 1964 when he was named Ambassador to the United States, but he died before taking up the appointment. Another prominent member was independent MP Andrew Wilkie, elected at the 2010 election. Denison has had 16 different members, the second highest (together with Bendigo and Swan, and after Bass's 17) of any federal electorate.

Members

Image		Member	Party	Term	Notes
Template:Australian party style|	File:Philip Fysh - Swiss Studios (cropped).jpg	Sir Philip Fysh (1835–1919)	Protectionist	16 December 1903 – 1906	Previously held the Division of Tasmania. Served as minister under Deakin. Retired
Template:Australian party style|			Anti-Socialist	1906 – 26 May 1909
Template:Australian party style|			Liberal	26 May 1909 – 19 February 1910
Template:Australian party style|	File:William Laird Smith.jpg	William Laird Smith (1869–1942)	Labor	13 April 1910 – 14 November 1916	Served as minister under Hughes. Lost seat
Template:Australian party style|			National Labor	14 November 1916 – 17 February 1917
Template:Australian party style|			Nationalist	17 February 1917 – 16 December 1922
Template:Australian party style|	File:David O'Keefe.jpg	David O'Keefe (1864–1943)	Labor	16 December 1922 – 14 November 1925	Previously a member of the Senate. Lost seat. Later elected to the Tasmanian House of Assembly seat of Wilmot in 1934
Template:Australian party style|	File:John Gellibrand portrait.jpg	Sir John Gellibrand (1872–1945)	Nationalist	14 November 1925 – 17 November 1928	Lost seat
Template:Australian party style|	File:Portrait of Charles Ernest Culley (cropped).jpg	Charles Culley (1877–1949)	Labor	17 November 1928 – 19 December 1931	Previously held the Tasmanian House of Assembly seat of Denison. Served as minister under Scullin. Lost seat. Later elected to the Tasmanian House of Assembly seat of Denison in 1934
Template:Australian party style|	File:Arthur Hutchin.jpg	Arthur Hutchin (1887–1965)	United Australia	19 December 1931 – 15 September 1934	Lost seat
Template:Australian party style|	File:Gerald Mahoney.png	Gerald Mahoney (1892–1955)	Labor	15 September 1934 – 21 September 1940	Previously held the Tasmanian House of Assembly seat of Denison. Lost seat
Template:Australian party style|	File:Arthur Beck.jpg	Arthur Beck (1892–1965)	United Australia	21 September 1940 – 21 August 1943	Lost seat
Template:Australian party style|	File:John Gaha.jpg	Frank Gaha (1894–1966)	Labor	21 August 1943 – 31 October 1949	Previously a member of the Tasmanian Legislative Council. Retired. Later elected to the Tasmanian House of Assembly seat of Denison in 1950
Template:Australian party style|	File:AtholTownley1957.jpg	Athol Townley (1905–1963)	Liberal	10 December 1949 – 24 December 1963	Served as minister under Menzies. Died in office
Template:Australian party style|	File:AdrianGibson1964.jpg	Adrian Gibson (1935–2015)		15 February 1964 – 29 September 1969	Retired
Template:Australian party style|	File:Robert Solomon 1970.png	Robert Solomon (1931–2024)		25 October 1969 – 2 December 1972	Lost seat
Template:Australian party style|	File:John Coates 1973.jpg	John Coates (1944–)	Labor	2 December 1972 – 13 December 1975	Lost seat. Later elected to the Senate in 1980
Template:Australian party style|	File:Michael Hodgman.jpg	Michael Hodgman (1938–2013)	Liberal	13 December 1975 – 11 July 1987	Previously a member of the Tasmanian Legislative Council. Served as minister under Fraser. Lost seat. Later elected to the Tasmanian House of Assembly seat of Denison in 1992
Template:Australian party style|	File:Duncan Kerr.jpg	Duncan Kerr (1952–)	Labor	11 July 1987 – 19 July 2010	Served as minister under Keating. Retired
Template:Australian party style|	File:Andrew Wilkie 2.jpg	Andrew Wilkie (1961–)	Independent	21 August 2010 – 11 April 2019	Transferred to the Division of Clark after Denison was abolished in 2019

External links

• Division of Denison – Australian Electoral Commission