Arthur Hewson

Who was Arthur Hewson?

Henry Arthur Hewson, OAM 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. This was one of the lowest primary votes achieved by a successful candidate, elected in a single seat electorate, in the history of Australian elections. His election was made possible by a strong flow of preferences from the Democratic Labor Party and from former Liberal member Alexander Buchanan, who was running as an independent having lost his Liberal endorsement.

Despite a Federal Coalition Agreement between the Liberal and Country Parties, the Victorian Liberal Party Executive created an unusual three-way campaign in 1974 by fielding Liberal candidate Ron Dent against Hewson. Hewson's allegedly confusing how-to-vote card caused a minor controversy during the campaign.