Division of East Sydney facts for kids

The Division of East Sydney was an area in New South Wales that voted for a member of the Australian House of Representatives. This special voting area was created in 1900. It was one of the first 75 divisions in Australia. People living there voted in the first federal election in 1901. The division was closed down in 1969.

It was named after the suburb of East Sydney. The area covered inner eastern suburbs of Sydney. These included places like Darlinghurst, Paddington, Redfern, Surry Hills and Waverley. From 1901 to 1955, the division also included Lord Howe Island. After 1910, East Sydney usually voted for the Australian Labor Party. This meant it was a "safe seat" for them. In the 1930s, it was a strong area for a group called Lang Labor. Two very important members from this division were Sir George Reid and Eddie Ward. Sir George Reid was even the Prime Minister of Australia from 1904 to 1905. Eddie Ward was a long-serving Labor member and a Cabinet minister.

Who Represented East Sydney?

This section lists the people who were elected to represent the Division of East Sydney. These members worked in the Australian House of Representatives. They helped make decisions for the country.

	Image	Member	Party	Term	What They Did
	Sir George Reid	George Reid (1845–1918)	Free Trade	29 March 1901 – 18 August 1903	Sir George Reid was a very important politician. He was the Opposition Leader from 1901 to 1904, and again from 1905 to 1908. He also served as the Prime Minister from 1904 to 1905. Later, he became Australia's High Commissioner to the United Kingdom.
				4 September 1903 – 1906
			Anti-Socialist	1906 – 26 May 1909
			Liberal	26 May 1909 – 24 December 1909
	John West	John West (1852–1931)	Labor	13 April 1910 – 5 February 1931	John West was a member for many years. He passed away while still in office.
	Eddie Ward	Eddie Ward (1899–1963)		7 March 1931 – 27 March 1931	Eddie Ward was a very well-known Labor politician. He served as a minister in the governments led by Prime Ministers Curtin, Forde, and Chifley. He also passed away while still in office.
			Labor (NSW)	27 March 1931 – 19 December 1931
	John Clasby	John Clasby (1891–1932)	United Australia	19 December 1931 – 15 January 1932	John Clasby was a member for a short time. He passed away while in office.
	Eddie Ward in 1941	Eddie Ward (1899–1963)	Labor (NSW)	6 February 1932 – February 1936
			Labor	February 1936 – 31 July 1963
	Len Devine	Len Devine (1923–2008)		28 September 1963 – 29 September 1969	Len Devine was the last member for East Sydney. He retired when the division was closed down in 1969.

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