| James Bennett | |
| Constituency Mp: | Gippsland |
| Parliament: | Australian |
| Predecessor: | George Wise |
| Successor: | George Wise |
| Term Start: | 31 May 1913 |
| Term End: | 5 September 1914 |
| Birth Date: | 1874 |
| Birth Place: | South Australia |
| Nationality: | Australian |
| Party: | Liberal |
| Otherparty: | People's] |
| Occupation: | Farmer |
James Bennett (1874 – 23 November 1951) was an Australian farmer and politician. He was one of the founders of Victoria's People's Party and served a single term in the House of Representatives from 1913 to 1914. He represented the Victorian seat of Gippsland and sat as a Liberal in parliament.
Bennett was born in 1874 in South Australia, either in Rapid Bay or Glenelg.[1] [2] He grew up on the Yorke Peninsula, leaving school at the age of 13. He and his parents moved to the Mallee region of Victoria two years later, settling on a 2000acres property located 6miles outside of Warracknabeal. Bennett bought his own farm in 1900, during the Federation Drought.[1] He grew experimental varieties of wheat and conducted scientific tests on the effectiveness of different varieties of fertiliser, in cooperation with the state agricultural department.[3] [4] He was involved with various farmers' advocacy groups.[1]
Bennett was one of the co-founders of the People's Party in 1910, serving as the inaugural honorary secretary.[5] He became a paid organiser for the party.[1] In July 1912, he was selected as the endorsed candidate of the People's Party and the Australian Women's National League (AWNL) for the Division of Gippsland.[6] He defeated the incumbent independent member George Wise at the 1913 federal election on a swing of 12.7 points.[2] However, Wise reversed the result at the 1914 election on a swing of 6 points, winning by 610 votes.[7] He was a supporter of preferential voting,[8] and was described by Melbourne's Punch as "sound and reliable - a farmers' representative for a farmers' seat".[1]
Bennett later worked in Melbourne as a real estate agent and builder. He died on 21 November 1951.[7]