Federal Politics
Reid was elected to the first federal Parliament as the Member for East Sydney at the 1901 election. The Free Trade Party won 28 out of 75 seats in the House of Representatives, and 17 out of 36 seats in the Senate. Labor no longer trusted Reid and gave their support to the Edmund Barton Protectionist Party government, so Reid became the first Leader of the Opposition, a position well-suited to his robust debating style and rollicking sense of humour. In the long tariff debate Reid was at a disadvantage as parliament was sitting in Melbourne and he could not entirely neglect his practice as a barrister in Sydney, as his parliamentary income was less than a tenth of his income from his legal practice. With the rise of the Labor Party, the Free Trade Party had lost much of the middle ground to Barton and his followers, and it was increasingly dependent on conservatives, including militant Protestants.
On 18 August 1903, Reid resigned (the first member of the House of Representatives to do so) and challenged the government to oppose his re-election on the issue of its refusal to accept a system of equal electoral districts. He contested the by-election for East Sydney on 4 September, and won it back. He is the only person in Australian federal parliamentary history to win back his seat at a by-election triggered by his own resignation.
Alfred Deakin took over from Barton as Prime Minister and leader of the Protectionists. At the 1903 election, the Free Trade Party won 24 seats, with the Labor vote increasing mainly at the expense of the Protectionists. In August 1904, when the Watson government resigned, he became Prime Minister. He was the first former state premier to become Prime Minister (the only other to date being Joseph Lyons). Reid did not have a majority in either House, and he knew it would be only a matter of time before the Protectionists patched up their differences with Labor, so he enjoyed himself in office while he could. In July 1905 the other two parties duly voted him out, and he left office with a good grace. The Protectionist vote dropped again with more seats lost at the 1906 election. By this time, Reid had renamed the Free Trade Party the Anti-Socialist Party, and at the election won 26 seats (up two), to Labor on 26 seats (up three). The Deakin government continued with Labor support for the time being, despite only holding 16 seats after losing 10, although with another 5 independent Protectionists.
In 1907-08, Reid strenuously resisted Deakin's commitment to increase tariff rates. In 1908, when Deakin proposed the Commonwealth Liberal Party, a "Fusion" of the two non-Labor parties, Reid stood aside from the leadership. Joseph Cook was made leader until the parties merged.
On 24 December 1909 he resigned from Parliament (he was the first Member to have resigned twice), however his seat was left vacant until the 1910 election. His seat of East Sydney was won by Labor's John West, in an election which saw Labor win 42 of 75 seats, against the CLP on 31 seats. Labor also won a majority in the Senate.
In 1910, Reid was appointed as Australia's first High Commissioner in London.
Read more about this topic: George Reid (Australian Politician)
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