In the 1904 Queensland state election, the sitting Ministerialist Thomas Bridges faced a formidable opponent in the person of Sir Arthur Rutledge.
Rutledge had been a Wesleyan minister in New England and solicitor in Brisbane, before entering the Queensland parliament, where he rose to the office of Attorney-General and accepted a knighthood in 1903.
As part of his strategy to become Premier, Rutledge decided to not to recontest his seat of Maranoa but rather contest 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.
[2] 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.
This humiliating loss ended Rutledge's political career, and he accepted an appointment as district judge.