12 Facts About Charles Howroyd

Charles Richard Howroyd was an Australian politician.

Charles Howroyd was a member of the Tasmanian House of Assembly from 1909 until 1917, representing the Australian Labor Party until leaving the party in the 1916 Labor split.

Charles Howroyd was then elected to the Australian House of Representatives at the 1917 federal election, but died only five days later.

Charles Howroyd initially migrated to Victoria before going into business as a stock and share broker in Hobart, Tasmania.

Charles Howroyd lived in the United States for some years before returning to Melbourne and then Launceston, where he lived from 1898 and worked as a commission agent.

Charles Howroyd was secretary of the Launceston Stock Exchange, founder of the St George's Society in Launceston, a member of the Launceston Hospital board and a justice of the peace.

Charles Howroyd was the secretary of the Federal Protection League from 1900, but was one of the founding members of the Tasmanian branch of the Labor Party when it was established in 1903.

Charles Howroyd was elected to the Tasmanian House of Assembly in 1906 for North Launceston, transferring to the new multi-member seat of Bass in 1909, and topping the poll there in his re-election in 1912.

Charles Howroyd successfully introduced or was heavily involved in the passage of legislation to introduce workers' compensation legislation in Tasmania, restrict shop opening hours, establish an eight-hour day for train drivers, protect deserted wives and establish hydroelectric works in the state.

Charles Howroyd did not achieve ministerial rank, but was secretary of the parliamentary party at the time of the 1916 split.

Charles Howroyd served as a parliamentary member of the state executive and as president of the Launceston Workers' Political League.

Charles Howroyd won the seat, defeating long-serving Labor member King O'Malley, but died suddenly at his home at Inveresk five days after polling day, making him the shortest-serving member of the Australian House of Representatives in history.