About Arthur Hewson
Arthur Hewson, 84, Australian politician.
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60 Seconds Life Story
Arthur Hewson was an Australian politician whose career spanned from local council halls to the federal stage.
Arthur Hewson
d. 1999
60 Seconds: Arthur Hewson's Life Story
A look at the life and parliamentary career of Australian politician Arthur Hewson.
Transcript
Arthur Hewson was an Australian politician whose career spanned from local council halls to the federal stage. Born in Korumburra in 1914, he spent his early years as a dairy farmer at Warragul. He served in the military during World War II between 1941 and 1945. Later, Hewson was elected to the Victorian Legislative Council in 1964. In 1972, he achieved a rare political victory, securing a seat in the House of Representatives despite receiving only 16.6 percent of the primary vote. His tenure included a notable 1974 election controversy involving his campaign materials. After being defeated in 1975, he lived until 1999, passing away at the age of 84.
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Visual credits: Own work (CC BY-SA 3.0) · From geograph.org.uk (CC BY-SA 2.0) · Generated illustration by The Deaths Archive (Generated illustration, not a photograph) · Item is held by John Oxley Library, State Library of Queensland. (Public domain) · Own work (CC BY-SA 4.0) · Media_Hopper_Studio / Pixabay (Pixabay Content License)
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Full Biography
|Henry Arthur Hewson, OAM (31 December 1914 – 20 November 1999) was an Australian politician. Born in Korumburra, Victoria, he was a dairy farmer at Warragul before serving in the military 1941–45. He was active in local politics as a member of Warragul Shire Council, and was elected to Gippsland Province in the Victorian Legislative Council for a six-year term at the 1964 state election.
In 1972, he was elected to the Australian House of Representatives as the Country Party member for McMillan, despite receiving only 16.6% of the primary vote. It was one of the lowest primary votes achieved by a successful candidate in a single member electorate in an Australian election. His election was made possible by a strong flow of preferences from the Democratic Labor Party and from former Liberal member Alex Buchanan, who was running as an independent after losing his Liberal endorsement to Barrie Armitage. On polling day, Hewson picked up enough preferences from the DLP and Buchanan to overtake Armitage on the third count. He then won the seat on the fourth count after Armitage's preferences flowed overwhelmingly to him.
Despite the Coalition agreement at federal level, relations between the main non-Labor parties in Victoria were somewhat frosty at the time. The Victorian Liberal Party Executive created an unusual three-way campaign in 1974 by fielding Armitage against Hewson. A minor controversy ensued when Hewson issued an allegedly confusing How-to-Vote Card (using Liberal colours rather than Country Party colours, and headed "Liberal-Country Party Senate Team").
Hewson was in turn defeated by Liberal candidate, Barry Simon, in 1975. Hewson died in 1999.
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Sources
- Wikipedia
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arthur_Hewson
- CC BY-SA 4.0
- Sep 26, 2026
- View article
- Sep 26, 2026
Trivia & Knowledge· 12 questions
Questions drawn from Arthur Hewson's archived record and the sources above.
1.In which Australian town was Henry Arthur Hewson born?
- A.Warragul
- B.Gippsland
- C.Korumburracorrect
- D.Melbourne
Henry Arthur Hewson was born in Korumburra, Victoria.
Source: biography introduction
2.What was the occupation of Henry Arthur Hewson before he joined the military?
- A.Teacher
- B.Journalist
- C.Shopkeeper
- D.Dairy farmercorrect
Henry Arthur Hewson was a dairy farmer at Warragul before serving in the military from 1941 to 1945.
Source: early career section
3.What was the name of the local council where Henry Arthur Hewson served?
- A.Gippsland Municipal Board
- B.Korumburra District Council
- C.Warragul Shire Councilcorrect
- D.Victorian Legislative Council
Henry Arthur Hewson was active in local politics as a member of the Warragul Shire Council.
Source: early career section
4.To which body was Henry Arthur Hewson elected at the 1964 state election?
- A.Federal Senate
- B.Warragul Shire Council
- C.Victorian Legislative Councilcorrect
- D.Australian House of Representatives
Henry Arthur Hewson was elected to Gippsland Province in the Victorian Legislative Council at the 1964 state election.
Source: early career section
5.What percentage of the primary vote did Henry Arthur Hewson receive when elected to the House of Representatives in 1972?
- A.20.2%
- B.24.8%
- C.12.4%
- D.16.6%correct
Henry Arthur Hewson was elected to the Australian House of Representatives in 1972 despite receiving only 16.6% of the primary vote.
Source: 1972 election section
6.Who was the independent candidate running for the seat of McMillan in 1972 after losing Liberal endorsement?
- A.Alex Buchanancorrect
- B.Barry Simon
- C.Barrie Armitage
- D.Henry Arthur Hewson
Alex Buchanan ran as an independent after losing his Liberal endorsement to Barrie Armitage.
Source: 1972 election section
7.On which count did Henry Arthur Hewson win the seat of McMillan in 1972?
- A.Fourth countcorrect
- B.First count
- C.Third count
- D.Second count
Henry Arthur Hewson won the seat on the fourth count after Armitage's preferences flowed to him.
Source: 1972 election section
8.Who was the Liberal candidate that defeated Henry Arthur Hewson in 1975?
- A.Barrie Armitage
- B.Barry Simoncorrect
- C.Henry Arthur Hewson
- D.Alex Buchanan
Henry Arthur Hewson was defeated by Liberal candidate Barry Simon in 1975.
Source: 1975 defeat section
9.In what year did Henry Arthur Hewson die?
- A.1995
- B.1975
- C.1999correct
- D.1984
Henry Arthur Hewson died in 1999.
Source: biography introduction
10.What controversy occurred regarding Henry Arthur Hewson's 1974 campaign?
- A.Illegal campaign funding
- B.Use of confusing How-to-Vote Cardscorrect
- C.Missing campaign rallies
- D.Bribery of voters
A minor controversy ensued when Henry Arthur Hewson issued an allegedly confusing How-to-Vote Card.
Source: 1974 campaign section
11.For what political party was Henry Arthur Hewson a member when elected to the House of Representatives?
- A.Country Partycorrect
- B.Democratic Labor Party
- C.Independent
- D.Liberal Party
Henry Arthur Hewson was the Country Party member for McMillan.
Source: 1972 election section
12.Who received the Liberal endorsement that resulted in Alex Buchanan running as an independent?
- A.Henry Arthur Hewson
- B.DLP representative
- C.Barrie Armitagecorrect
- D.Barry Simon
Alex Buchanan lost his Liberal endorsement to Barrie Armitage.
Source: 1972 election section
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