1949 Brisbane City Council election

1949 Brisbane City Council election

←  1946 30 April 1949 1952  →
Registered	274,601 [1] [2]
Lord Mayor
Candidate J. B. Chandler Felix Dittmer Max Julius Party Citizens Labor Communist
Lord Mayor before election J. B. Chandler Citizens Lord Mayor after election J. B. Chandler Citizens
Aldermen
All 20 aldermen on Brisbane City Council (excluding the mayor) 11 seats needed for a majority
Party Leader Vote % Seats +/– Citizens J. B. Chandler Labor Wilfred Coutts This lists parties that won seats. See the complete results below.

The 1949 Brisbane City Council election was held on 30 April 1949 to elect a lord mayor and 20 aldermen to the Brisbane City Council. ^{[3] [4]}

The Citizens' Municipal Organisation (CMO) was returned to power, winning a majority of wards. ^[5] In the lord mayoral election, J. B. Chandler was re-elected with an increased majority, defeating Labor candidate Felix Dittmer and Communist candidate Max Julius. ^{[6] [7]}

Petronel White was elected to Hamilton Ward for the CMO, becoming the first woman to be elected as an alderman in an Australian capital city. ^{[8] [9]}

Electoral system

At the time, Brisbane City Council used the first-past-the-post voting system, in contrast to the preferential voting system used at Queensland state and federal elections. ^[10] Voters were required to number "1" next to the name of their chosen candidate. ^[10]

Voting was compulsory for anyone over the age of 21 who had lived in the Greater Brisbane area for at least three months. ^[10]

Campaign

Endorsements

Newspaper	Endorsement
Brisbane Telegraph		Citizens [11]
The Courier-Mail		Citizens [12]

Retiring aldermen

Citizens

• Scott Mullin (Hamilton) – lost preselection; announced retirement on 6 December 1948 ^{[13] [14]}
• W. H. McDonald (Windsor) – preselected but withdrew; announced retirement on 10 March 1949 ^{[15] [16]}

Candidates

Incumbents are shown in bold text. ^[17] Successful candidates are highlighted in the relevant colour. ^[18]

Ward	Held by	Citizens	Labor	Communist	Others
Lord Mayor	Citizens	John Beals Chandler	Felix Dittmer [19]	Max Julius [20]
Baroona	Labor	Robert William Martin	Charles Donald Smith [21]
Brisbane	Labor	Leslie Kellinger Addison	Robert Alexander Gray [21]
Bulimba	Labor	Frederick Walter Peterson	Thomas Holmes [21]
Buranda	Citizens	Russel Flexmore Roberts	J. Melloy
Enogerra	Citizens	Ernest Lanham	F. A. Eaton
Fortitude Valley	Labor	Lex David Ord	Tom Rasey	Albert Graham [22]
Hamilton	Citizens	Petronel White			Harry Weld (Ind) [23]
Ithaca	Citizens	Leonard Stanley Rudd	Norman Lewis Buchan [24]
Kelvin Grove	Citizens	Richard Samuel Griffiths	Bert Milliner	George Winter Russell [21]
Kurilpa	Labor	Edward David Harris	Tom Moores
Logan	Citizens	Horace Williams	O. Lewis	M. E. M. Hanson
Maree	Citizens	Charles Percival Bottomley	A. Elliott
Merthyr	Labor	Aubrey William Lederle	Harold Summers Charlton [21]
Nundah	Citizens	William Morrow Cook	F. J. Diamond
Oxley	Citizens	John Edward Lane	R. C. E. Mansfield
Sandgate	Citizens	James Stevingstone Kerr	A. R. C. Hill
South Brisbane	Labor	Enoch McKenzie	Wilfred Coutts	E. Combey
Toowong	Labor	William Richer Moon			W. T. H. Carr (Ind. CMO)
Windsor	Citizens	James Joseph Ryan	G. B. Mellifont
Wynnum	Citizens	Willie Russel McNeille Howard	Dorrie Cloherty [25]	K. K. Watson	S. Green (Ind) S. R. Ewart (WPP)

Results

Lord Mayor

1949 Brisbane City Council election: Lord Mayor ^{[3] [26]}

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Citizens	J. B. Chandler
	Labor	Felix Dittmer
	Communist	Max Julius
Total formal votes
Informal votes
Registered electors
Turnout

Baroona

1949 Brisbane City Council election: Baroona Ward ^{[3] [27]}

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labor	C. D. Smith
	Citizens	Robert William Martin
Total formal votes
Informal votes
Registered electors
Turnout
	Labor hold		Swing

Brisbane

1949 Brisbane City Council election: Brisbane Ward ^{[3] [28]}

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labor	R. A. Gray	4,308	55.77
	Citizens	Leslie Kellinger Addison	3,416	44.23
Total formal votes			7,724
Informal votes			462
Registered electors
Turnout			8,186
	Labor hold		Swing

Bulimba

1949 Brisbane City Council election: Bulimba Ward ^[3]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Citizens	Frederick Walter Peterson
Total formal votes
Informal votes
Registered electors
Turnout

Buranda

1949 Brisbane City Council election: Buranda Ward ^{[3] [29]}

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Citizens	Russel Flexmore Roberts
	Labor	J. Melloy
Total formal votes
Informal votes
Registered electors
Turnout

Enogerra

1949 Brisbane City Council election: Enogerra Ward ^[3]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Citizens	Ernest Lanham
Total formal votes
Informal votes
Registered electors
Turnout

Fortitude Valley

1949 Brisbane City Council election: Fortitude Valley Ward ^[3]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Citizens	Lex David Ord
Total formal votes
Informal votes
Registered electors
Turnout

Hamilton

1949 Brisbane City Council election: Hamilton Ward ^[3]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Citizens	Petronel White
Total formal votes
Informal votes
Registered electors
Turnout

Ithaca

1949 Brisbane City Council election: Ithaca Ward ^[3]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Citizens	Leonard Stanley Rudd
Total formal votes
Informal votes
Registered electors
Turnout

Kelvin Grove

1949 Brisbane City Council election: Kelvin Grove Ward ^{[3] [29]}

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Citizens	Richard Samuel Griffiths
	Labor	B. R. Milliner
	Communist	G. W. Russell
Total formal votes
Informal votes
Registered electors
Turnout

Kurilpa

1949 Brisbane City Council election: Kurilpa Ward ^{[3] [29]}

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Citizens	Edward David Harris
	Labor	T. Moores
Total formal votes
Informal votes
Registered electors
Turnout

Logan

1949 Brisbane City Council election: Logan Ward ^[3]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Citizens	Horace Williams
Total formal votes
Informal votes
Registered electors
Turnout

Maree

1949 Brisbane City Council election: Maree Ward ^{[3] [29]}

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Citizens	Charles Percival Bottomley
	Labor	A. Elliott
Total formal votes
Informal votes
Registered electors
Turnout

Merthyr

1949 Brisbane City Council election: Merthyr Ward ^{[3] [29]}

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Citizens	Aubrey William Lederle
	Labor	H. S. Charlton
Total formal votes
Informal votes
Registered electors
Turnout

Nundah

1949 Brisbane City Council election: Nundah Ward ^[3]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Citizens	William Morrow Cook
Total formal votes
Informal votes
Registered electors
Turnout

Oxley

1949 Brisbane City Council election: Oxley Ward ^[3]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Citizens	John Edward Lane
Total formal votes
Informal votes
Registered electors
Turnout

Sandgate

1949 Brisbane City Council election: Sandgate Ward ^[3]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Citizens	James Stevingstone Kerr
Total formal votes
Informal votes
Registered electors
Turnout

South Brisbane

1949 Brisbane City Council election: South Brisbane Ward ^{[3] [27]}

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labor	Wilfred Coutts
	Citizens	Enoch McKenzie
	Communist	E. Combey
Total formal votes
Informal votes
Registered electors
Turnout
	Labor hold		Swing

Toowong

1949 Brisbane City Council election: Toowong Ward ^{[3] [29] [30]}

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Citizens	William Richer Moon
	Independent CMO	W. T. H. Carr
Total formal votes
Informal votes
Registered electors
Turnout

Windsor

1949 Brisbane City Council election: Windsor Ward ^[3]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Citizens	James Joseph Ryan
Total formal votes
Informal votes
Registered electors
Turnout

Wynnum

1949 Brisbane City Council election: Wynnum Ward ^[3]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Citizens	Willie Russel McNeille Howard
	Labor	Dorrie Cloherty
	Communist	K. K. Watson
	Independent	S. Green
	Wynnum People's Party	S. R. Ewart
Total formal votes
Informal votes
Registered electors
Turnout

Analysis

The results of the election was considered an omen of a very successful result for the Queensland People's Party (QPP) in the coming state election within the metropolitan seats within Brisbane. A QPP victory was predicted in every seat but Brisbane, and it was suggested by the party that the safe Labor federal seat of Griffith may become marginal. These predictions did not come to pass. ^{[31] [32]}

References

1. "Record Civic election roll". The Courier-Mail. 1 April 1949. p. 4. Retrieved 6 May 2025.
2. "Chandler & Party Should Go Back But Majority Smaller". Brisbane Telegraph. 29 April 1948. p. 5. Retrieved 6 May 2025.
3. "VOTE C.M.O." The Courier-Mail. 30 April 1949. p. 4. Retrieved 5 May 2025.
4. "C.M.O. Returned In Brisbane Election". Townsville Daily Bulletin. 2 May 1949. p. 1. Retrieved 6 May 2025.
5. "FINAL FIGURES IN CITY POLL". Truth. 1 May 1949. p. 43. Retrieved 7 May 2025.
6. "Vote details in all wards". Sunday Mail. 1 May 1949. p. 1. Retrieved 7 May 2025.
7. "This is how they voted". Sunday Mail. 1 May 1949. p. 5. Retrieved 7 May 2025.
8. "She Will Be AlderMAN". Brisbane Telegraph. 6 December 1948. p. 8. Retrieved 7 May 2025.
9. Hacker, Diane (2012). "Mary Hyacinthe Petronel White (1900–1984)". Australian Dictionary of Biography. Archived from the original on 8 January 2025. Retrieved 7 May 2025.
10. "FIGURE 1 IS ALL YOU NEED". The Courier-Mail. 30 April 1949. p. 1. Retrieved 7 May 2025.
11. "In The Balance". Brisbane Telegraph. 29 April 1949. p. 4. Retrieved 7 May 2025.
12. "Tomorrow's election". The Courier-Mail. 29 April 1949. p. 2. Retrieved 7 May 2025.
13. "C.M.O. Is Silent On Selection". Brisbane Telegraph. 23 November 1949. p. 9. Retrieved 7 May 2025.
14. "5 C.M.O. men seek Lab. seats". The Courier-Mail. 7 December 1948. p. 1. Retrieved 7 May 2025.
15. "ALDERMAN SAYS PAY IS "FAR TOO SMALL"". Brisbane Telegraph. 11 March 1949. p. 2. Retrieved 7 May 2025.
16. "C.M.O. Alderman out of election". The Courier-Mail. 11 March 1949. p. 3. Retrieved 7 May 2025.
17. "Plebiscites for Labour civic team". Sunday Mail. 24 October 1948. p. 5. Retrieved 7 May 2025.
18. "Many factors make record civic puzzle". The Courier-Mail. 30 April 1949. p. 3. Retrieved 7 May 2025.
19. "DR. FELIX DITTMER ENDORSED". Maryborough Chronicle. 1 September 1948. p. 1. Retrieved 6 May 2025.
20. McGuire, John (1996). "Max Nordau Julius (1916–1963)". Australian Dictionary of Biography. Archived from the original on 6 November 2024. Retrieved 6 May 2025.
21. "Advertising". The Courier-mail . No. 2924. Queensland, Australia. 6 April 1946. p. 8. Retrieved 30 June 2025– via National Library of Australia.
22. "Albert Leslie (Alby) Graham (1905–1996)". Australian Society for the Study of Labour History. 2023. Archived from the original on 19 March 2025. Retrieved 7 May 2025.
23. "Brisbane Woman's Election". Truth. 1 May 1949. p. 2. Retrieved 7 May 2025.
24. "Candidates For B.C.C. Elections". Worker . Vol. 66, no. 3536. Queensland, Australia. 25 April 1955. p. 4. Retrieved 30 June 2025– via National Library of Australia.
25. "1965 Life Membership for Wynnum Rugby League Lady". Seagulls Forever. 24 March 2020. Archived from the original on 26 March 2025. Retrieved 7 May 2025.
26. "Dr. Dittmer Candidate For Mayor". The Courier-Mail. 1 July 1948. p. 3. Retrieved 6 May 2025.
27. "LABOUR LEADER WINS S. BRISBANE". Townsville Daily Bulletin. 9 May 1949. p. 2. Retrieved 7 May 2025.
28. "RECORD TO CHANDLER". The Courier-Mail. 7 May 1949. p. 3. Retrieved 7 May 2025.
29. "How Voting Stands Now". The Courier-Mail. Brisbane, QLD. 3 May 1949. Retrieved 5 May 2025.
30. "Entrants cover big range". The Courier-Mail. 25 April 1949. p. 5. Retrieved 6 May 2025.
31. "2 Labour men gain ground". The Courier-Mail. 3 May 1949. p. 3. Retrieved 5 May 2025.
32. "Precis of results of Queensland state elections 1932 to 2012" (PDF). Parliament of Queensland. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2 June 2024. Retrieved 6 May 2025.