the office of Attorney-General and accepted a knighthood in 1903. As part of his strategy to become Premier, Rutledge decided not to re-contest his Maranoa electorate in favour of an electorate closer to Brisbane, and chose the semi-rural seat of Nundah which, he assumed, would be easily won by a man of his political experience, especially as it was already held by a fellow Ministerialist. Many large business houses backed Rutledge, as did the editor of the Brisbane Courier (Rutledge's son-in-law Charles Brunsdon Fletcher was the editor of the Brisbane Courier until 1903). His public meetings were packed with prominent religious and political leaders, in contrast to a low-key campaign run by Bridges based on his community service and commitment to keep the cost of railway tickets low. Contrary to every prediction, Bridges won the election by 253 votes. This humiliating loss ended Rutledge's political career, and he accepted an appointment as district judge. Results |} 103,943 electors were enrolled to vote at the election, but 18 of the 72 seats were uncontested, with 22,677 electors enrolled in those seats. See also Members of the Queensland Legislative Assembly, 1904–1907 References Elections in Queensland 1904 elections in Australia 1900s in Queensland August 1904 events