Clarke by-election, 1957

A by-election was held for the House of Representatives of Howland constituency of Clarke on June 29, 1957. This was triggered by the resignation of former Prime Minister and Independence Party leader Ben Goodwin, which occurred on May 20, 1957. It was the first by-election to be held in Howland.

It was contested on the same boundaries drawn for Clarke at the 1955 House election. At that election, the Independence Party won the seat over the Social Democrats with 67.33 percent of the vote on a two-party-preferred basis, making it Independence's safest seat. The primary vote was also  in favor of Independence, at 53.17 percent, meaning the incumbent, Ben Goodwin, didn't need to go to preferences to win the seat.

The writ for the by-election was issued on May 23, 1957, with the rolls closing on June 2, 1957. Candidate nominations closed on June 5, 1957, and were announced the following day.

Candidates
A total of six candidates took part in the by-election:
 * Matthew Holness (CDP): businessman, contested Clarke for the Christian Democratic Party at the 1955 election.
 * Jacinta Ivey (PFP): local politican, contested Clarke for the Peace and Freedom Party at the 1955 election.
 * Daniel Jenkins (PRG): attorney, contested Clarke for the Progressives at the 1955 election.
 * Aaron Mulholland (CNS): forest ranger.
 * Craig Powell (IPH): former Senator (1949–1955) and Minister for Trade and Economic Affairs (1949–1953).
 * Howard Torres (HSD): former Senator (1949–1955).