John Montgomery Templeton

John Montgomery Templeton CMG (20 May 1840 – 10 June 1908) was a Scottish Australian businessman.

Political life

Templeton attempted to enter parliament two times. He was elected to the Victorian Legislative Assembly seat of Benalla and Yarrawonga at an 1893 by-election, and received the same number of votes as the other candidate, Thomas Kennedy. Templeton was declared the winner on the returning officer's casting vote, and Kennedy then petitioned the clerk of the Legislative Assembly against the return, citing electoral irregularities and Templeton's position in the colonial militia and as an official liquidator possibly representing an office of profit under the crown. The assembly's Committee of Elections and Qualifications found that Templeton did not hold an office of profit, but declared the election void due to the failure to provide an electoral roll to the Devenish polling booth.[1] Montgomery and Kennedy contested the resulting by-election, which Kennedy won.

In 1903, Templeton was one of the unsuccessful candidates for the Senate at the federal election.

References

  1. ^ "THE BENALLA ELECTION". The Age. No. 12, 070. Victoria, Australia. 2 November 1893. p. 5. Retrieved 22 January 2018 – via National Library of Australia.