Editing Earle Page (section)

==Later life and death==
Page sought a 17th term in parliament at the [[1961 Australian federal election|1961 election]], having joined Billy Hughes two years earlier as only the second person to serve over 40 years in federal parliament. Two weeks before the election, he experienced stomach pains while visiting the home of [[Ian Robinson (Australian politician)|Ian Robinson]] near [[Coraki, New South Wales]]. His health then dramatically declined and he was admitted to the [[Royal Prince Alfred Hospital]] in Sydney. He was diagnosed with bowel cancer and underwent immediate surgery.<ref>{{cite book |last=Davey |first=Paul |date=2010 |title=Ninety Not Out: The Nationals 1920-2010 |publisher=UNSW Press |page=2 |isbn=978-1742231662 }}</ref> He had been gravely ill even before being admitted to hospital and was too sick to campaign nearly as actively as he had campaigned in the previous four decades. He fought the election anyway, though he scarcely appeared on the hustings.<ref name=adb/>

Page died in hospital on 20 December 1961, aged 81. He was granted a [[state funeral]] at [[St Andrew's Cathedral, Sydney]].{{sfn|Davey|2010|p=3}} At his request, his ashes were scattered over the Clarence River near his home.<ref>{{cite web|title=Earle Page|work=Australia's Prime Ministers|publisher=[[National Archives of Australia]]|url=http://primeministers.naa.gov.au/primeministers/page/after-office.aspx#section5|access-date=22 May 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190311150530/http://primeministers.naa.gov.au/primeministers/page/after-office.aspx#section5|archive-date=11 March 2019|url-status=dead}}</ref> On the same date Page died, the election result in Cowper was declared and recorded his defeat by Labor challenger [[Frank McGuren]], as part of a nationwide swing against the Coalition.{{sfn|Davey|2010|p=3}} The seat had been reported as a Labor gain on election night 11 days earlier; Page died without knowing he had been defeated.<ref name=adb/>

Page had represented Cowper for just four days short of 42 years, making him the longest-serving Australian federal parliamentarian who represented the same seat throughout his career. Only [[Billy Hughes]] and [[Philip Ruddock]] have served in Parliament longer than Page.<ref name="Ruddock aph">{{cite Au Parliament |mpid=0J4 |name=Hon Philip Ruddock MP |access-date=6 November 2021}}</ref> He was the last former prime minister to lose his seat until [[Tony Abbott]] lost his seat of [[Division of Warringah|Warringah]] in [[2019 Australian federal election|2019]], though [[John Howard]] would lose his seat of [[Division of Bennelong|Bennelong]] as a sitting prime minister in [[2007 Australian federal election|2007]].

Page's defeat/death saw the Australian Federal Parliament having no former prime ministers among its members for the first time since the period between Sir Joseph Cook's resignation from Parliament in 1921 to become Australia's High Commissioner to the United Kingdom and Page forcing Billy Hughes' resignation as prime minister in 1923.