Electoral results for the Division of Cook (1906–1955)

This is a list of electoral results for the Division of Cook in Australian federal elections from the division's creation in 1906 until its abolition in 1955. For the later division of Cook, see Electoral results for the Division of Cook.

Members

	Party	Term
James Catts	Labor	1906–1922
James Catts	Majority Labor	1922–1922
Edward Riley	Labor	1922–1934
Jock Garden	Labor (NSW)	1934–1936
Jock Garden	Labor	1936–1937
Tom Sheehan	Labor	1937–1940
	Labor (N-C)	1940–1941
	Labor	1941–1955
Jim Cope	Labor	1955–1955

Election results

Elections in the 1950s

1955 Cook by-election
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labor	Jim Cope	21,411	86.8	+3.4
	Independent	John Somerville-Smith	3,248	13.2	+13.2
Total formal votes			24,659	96.8
Informal votes			814	3.2
Turnout			25,473	76.0
	Labor hold		Swing	−3.6

1954

1954 Australian federal election: Cook
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labor	Tom Sheehan	26,841	83.4	+5.3
	Independent	Percy Staines	2,868	8.9	+8.9
	Communist	Harry Hatfield	2,465	7.7	−0.7
Total formal votes			32,174	97.4
Informal votes			851	2.6
Turnout			33,025	94.9
Two-party-preferred result
	Labor	Tom Sheehan		90.4	+4.7
	Independent	Percy Staines		9.6	+9.6
	Labor hold		Swing	+4.7

1951

1951 Australian federal election: Cook
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labor	Tom Sheehan	27,637	78.1	+3.1
	Liberal	Roy Hatfield	4,790	13.5	−2.8
	Communist	Harry Hatfield	2,976	8.4	+4.9
Total formal votes			35,403	97.3
Informal votes			965	2.7
Turnout			36,368	94.4
Two-party-preferred result
	Labor	Tom Sheehan		85.7	+3.6
	Liberal	Roy Hatfield		34.3	−3.6
	Labor hold		Swing	+3.6

Elections in the 1940s

1949

1949 Australian federal election: Cook
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labor	Tom Sheehan	27,485	75.0	+2.7
	Liberal	Gerald Davis	5,970	16.3	+3.9
	Lang Labor	John Eldridge	1,920	5.2	−9.5
	Communist	Mervyn Pidcock	1,276	3.5	−2.9
Total formal votes			36,651	96.9
Informal votes			1,174	3.1
Turnout			37,825	95.9
Two-party-preferred result
	Labor	Tom Sheehan		82.1	+8.7
	Liberal	Gerald Davis		17.9	+17.9
	Labor hold		Swing	+8.7

1946

1946 Australian federal election: Cook
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labor	Tom Sheehan	38,407	65.1	−3.8
	Lang Labor	Arthur Brittain	8,423	14.3	+14.3
	Liberal	Frank Preacher	7,306	12.4	+12.4
	Communist	Lance Sharkey	4,341	7.4	+7.4
	Independent	Frederick Fairbrother	559	0.9	+0.9
Total formal votes			59,036	96.0
Informal votes			2,441	4.0
Turnout			61,477	95.0
Two-party-preferred result
	Labor	Tom Sheehan		73.4	−3.0
	Lang Labor	Arthur Brittain		26.6	+26.6
	Labor hold		Swing	−3.0

1943

1943 Australian federal election: Cook
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labor	Tom Sheehan	39,653	68.9	+36.3
	State Labor	Sid Conway	12,131	21.1	+21.1
	One Parliament	Albert Jones	3,238	5.6	+5.6
	Protestant Labor	Cyril Glassop	2,557	4.4	+4.4
Total formal votes			57,579	96.7
Informal votes			1,986	3.3
Turnout			59,565	98.0
Two-party-preferred result
	Labor	Tom Sheehan		76.4	+40.0
	State Labor	Sid Conway		23.6	+23.6
	Labor gain from Labor (N-C)		Swing	+40.0

1940

1940 Australian federal election: Cook
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labor (N-C)	Tom Sheehan	31,625	58.4	+58.4
	Labor	Jock Garden	17,634	32.6	−37.7
	Independent Labor	Cyril Glassop	4,901	9.0	+9.0
Total formal votes			54,160	96.4
Informal votes			2,041	3.6
Turnout			56,201	95.5
Two-party-preferred result
	Labor (N-C)	Tom Sheehan		63.6	+63.6
	Labor	Jock Garden		36.4	−33.9
	Labor (N-C) gain from Labor		Swing	+33.9

Elections in the 1930s

1937

1937 Australian federal election: Cook
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labor	Tom Sheehan	38,201	70.3	+45.2
	Independent Labor	Cyril Glassop	16,125	29.7	+29.7
Total formal votes			56,642	95.9
Informal votes			2,316	4.1
Turnout			56,642	97.0
	Labor gain from Labor (NSW)		Swing	+78.6

1934

1934 Australian federal election: Cook
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labor (NSW)	Jock Garden	27,020	52.2	+3.0
	Labor	Edward Riley	12,993	25.1	−1.8
	United Australia	Francis Donnan	8,029	15.5	−7.7
	Social Credit	Florence Cochrane	2,409	4.7	+4.7
	Communist	Tom Wright	1,315	2.5	+2.5
Total formal votes			51,766	94.4
Informal votes			3,092	5.6
Turnout			54,858	96.1
Two-party-preferred result
	Labor (NSW)	Jock Garden		58.3	+6.3
	Labor	Edward Riley		41.7	−6.3
	Labor (NSW) hold		Swing	+6.3

1931

1931 Australian federal election: Cook
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labor (NSW)	Jock Garden	19,352	47.9	+47.9
	Labor	Edward Riley	12,531	31.0	−53.2
	United Australia	Charles Robinson	7,986	19.8	+4.0
	Communist	Tom Wright	536	1.3	+1.3
Total formal votes			40,405	95.1
Informal votes			2,063	4.9
Turnout			42,468	96.4
Two-party-preferred result
	Labor	Edward Riley	20,560	50.9	−33.3
	Labor (NSW)	Jock Garden	19,845	49.1	+49.1
	Labor hold		Swing	−33.3

Elections in the 1920s

1929

1929 Australian federal election: Cook
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labor	Edward Riley	34,221	84.2	+8.7
	Nationalist	William Pickup	6,409	15.8	−8.7
Total formal votes			40,630	97.0
Informal votes			1,263	3.0
Turnout			41,893	95.3
	Labor hold		Swing	+8.7

1928

1928 Australian federal election: Cook
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labor	Edward Riley	28,326	75.5	+7.7
	Nationalist	Humphrey Earl	9,197	24.5	−7.7
Total formal votes			37,523	94.5
Informal votes			2,202	5.5
Turnout			39,725	95.1
	Labor hold		Swing	+7.7

1925

1925 Australian federal election: Cook
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labor	Edward Riley	25,764	67.8	+2.8
	Nationalist	Arthur Philip	12,229	32.2	+11.1
Total formal votes			37,993	98.0
Informal votes			764	2.0
Turnout			38,757	92.2
	Labor hold		Swing	−6.9

1922

1922 Australian federal election: Cook
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labor	Edward Riley	14,644	65.0	+2.7
	Nationalist	William Pritchard	4,749	21.1	−9.9
	Majority Labor	James Catts	3,122	13.9	+13.9
Total formal votes			22,515	95.4
Informal votes			1,085	4.6
Turnout			23,600	57.6
Two-party-preferred result
	Labor	Edward Riley		74.9	+9.0
	Nationalist	William Pritchard		25.1	−9.0
	Labor hold		Swing	+9.0

Elections in the 1910s

1919

1919 Australian federal election: Cook
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labor	James Catts	14,559	62.3	−2.1
	Nationalist	George Holt	7,248	31.0	−4.6
	Ind. Socialist Labor	William McCristal	1,562	6.7	+6.7
Total formal votes			23,369	90.2
Informal votes			2,540	9.8
Turnout			25,909	66.1
Two-party-preferred result
	Labor	James Catts		65.7	+1.3
	Nationalist	George Holt		34.3	−1.3
	Labor hold		Swing	+1.3

1917

1917 Australian federal election: Cook
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labor	James Catts	18,101	64.4	+3.7
	Nationalist	Richard Sleath	9,985	35.6	−1.8
Total formal votes			28,086	96.7
Informal votes			950	3.3
Turnout			29,036	70.7
	Labor hold		Swing	+2.7

1914

1914 Australian federal election: Cook
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labor	James Catts	16,568	60.7	+2.0
	Liberal	Stanley Yarrington	10,197	37.4	−1.6
	Socialist	Emily Paul	509	1.9	−0.3
Total formal votes			27,274	97.7
Informal votes			629	2.3
Turnout			27,903	60.6
	Labor hold		Swing	+1.8

1913

1913 Australian federal election: Cook
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labor	James Catts	17,271	58.7	−2.3
	Liberal	David Doull	11,473	39.0	+0.0
	Socialist	Tom Walsh	661	2.2	+2.2
Total formal votes			29,405	96.9
Informal votes			942	3.1
Turnout			30,347	71.2
	Labor hold		Swing	−1.1

1910

1910 Australian federal election: Cook
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	James Catts	14,021	64.1	+11.1
	Liberal	William Clegg	7,856	35.9	−11.1
Total formal votes			21,877	98.6
Informal votes			319	1.4
Turnout			22,196	65.7
	Labour hold		Swing	+11.1

Elections in the 1900s

1906

1906 Australian federal election: Cook
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Labour	James Catts	8,563	53.0
	Anti-Socialist	John Hindle	7,591	47.0
Total formal votes			16,154	97.2
Informal votes			470	2.8
Turnout			14,725	52.5
	Labour notional hold		Swing

References

Australian Electoral Commission. Federal election results
Carr, Adam. Psephos