{{Short description|New Zealand politician}} {{Use dmy dates|date=October 2014}} {{Use New Zealand English|date=October 2014}} {{Infobox officeholder | honorific_prefix = The Honourable | name = Alfred Murdoch | honorific_suffix = | image = Alfred Murdoch.jpg | caption = | constituency_MP1 = Marsden | parliament1 = New Zealand | term_start1 = 7 December 1922 | term_end1 = 4 November 1925 | predecessor1 = Francis Mander | successor1 = William Jones | term_start2 = 14 November 1928 | term_end2 = 27 November 1935 | predecessor2 = William Jones | successor2 = Jim Barclay | term_start3 = 25 September 1943 | term_end3 = 13 November 1954 | predecessor3 = Jim Barclay | successor3 = Don McKay | birth_date = {{Birth date|1877|04|18|df=y}} | birth_place = Onehunga, New Zealand | death_date = {{Death date and age|1960|06|01|1877|04|18|df=y}} | death_place = New Zealand | spouse = | party = Liberal (1919–28)<br>United (1928–36)<br>National (1936–60) }}
'''Alfred James (Fred) Murdoch''' (18 April 1877 – 1 June 1960) was a New Zealand politician, first as an Independent Liberal then of the United Party, and from 1943 the National Party. He was Minister of Agriculture and Minister of Mines from 1930 to 1931 in the United Government of New Zealand.
==Biography== ===Early life=== Murdoch was born in 1877 in Onehunga. He trained as a school teacher and taught at Onehunga, Northcote, Hikurangi, Mata, and Ruataka. He retired from teaching in 1919 and became a farmer, breeding Jersey cattle. For a time, he was the chairman of the New Zealand Dairy Board, and he belonged to the Chamber of Commerce in Whangārei.{{sfn|Gustafson|1986|p=335}}
===Political career=== {{NZ parlbox header|nolist=true|align=left}} {{NZ parlbox |start = {{NZ election link year|1922}} |end = 1925 |term = 21st |electorate = {{NZ electorate link|Marsden}} |party = Independent Liberal }} {{NZ parlbox break}} {{NZ parlbox |start = {{NZ election link year|1928}} |end = 1931 |term = 23rd |electorate = Marsden |party = United Party (New Zealand) }} {{NZ parlbox |start = {{NZ election link year|1931}} |end = 1935 |term = 24th |electorate = Marsden |party = United Party (New Zealand) }} {{NZ parlbox break}} {{NZ parlbox |start = {{NZ election link year|1943}} |end = 1946 |term = 27th |electorate = Marsden |party = New Zealand National Party }} {{NZ parlbox |start = {{NZ election link year|1946}} |end = 1949 |term = 28th |electorate = Marsden |party = New Zealand National Party }} {{NZ parlbox |start = {{NZ election link year|1949}} |end = 1951 |term = 29th |electorate = Marsden |party = New Zealand National Party }} {{NZ parlbox |start = {{NZ election link year|1951}} |end = 1954 |term = 30th |electorate = Marsden |party = New Zealand National Party }} {{End}} Murdoch unsuccessfully contested the {{NZ electorate link|Marsden}} electorate in the {{NZ election link|1919}} as an independent Liberal against the incumbent from the Reform Party, Francis Mander.{{sfn|Gustafson|1986|p=335}}{{sfn|Wilson|1985|p=218}} Mander retired at the {{NZ election link|1922}},{{sfn|Wilson|1985|p=218}} and Murdoch was elected.{{sfn|Wilson|1985|p=222}} At the next election in {{NZ election link year|1925}}, Murdoch was defeated by William Jones of the Reform Party, but he defeated Jones in turn in {{NZ election link year|1928}} when he stood for the United Party.{{sfn|Wilson|1985|pp=209, 222}} Murdoch was Minister of Agriculture, and Minister of Mines, in the United Government under George Forbes from May 1930 to September 1931.{{sfn|Wilson|1985|p=81}}
After two parliamentary terms, Murdoch was defeated in {{NZ election link year|1935}} by Jim Barclay of the Labour Party.{{sfn|Wilson|1985|pp=182, 222}} In {{NZ election link year|1943}}, Murdoch, now standing for the National Party, defeated Barclay and won the electorate back, and held it until he was deselected ahead of the {{NZ election link|1954}}.{{sfn|Wilson|1985|pp=182, 222}}
In 1953, Murdoch was awarded the Queen Elizabeth II Coronation Medal.{{sfn|Taylor|Coddington|1994|p=418}}
In early 1954, the 77-year-old Murdoch was challenged for the National nomination by William Rodney Lewin Vallance, the deputy mayor of Whangarei. Vallance won a postal ballot of members, an outcome which split the Marsden National Party into two feuding factions. After it emerged that Vallance was in trouble with his taxes he was in turn deselected and replaced by Don McKay, the chairman of the Marsden electorate committee. Vallance ran as an independent candidate and split the vote, almost costing National the seat. Murdoch was only the second sitting National MP to not win reselection.{{sfn|Gustafson|1986|p=235}}
Murdoch died in 1960.{{sfn|Gustafson|1986|p=335}}
==Notes== {{Reflist}}
==References== {{Refbegin}} *{{cite book |first = Michael |last = Bassett |author-link = Michael Bassett |title = Three party politics in New Zealand, 1911–1931 |place = n.p. |publisher = Historical Publications |year = 1982 |isbn = 0-86870-006-1}} *{{cite book |last = Gustafson |first = Barry |author-link = Barry Gustafson |title = The First 50 Years : A History of the New Zealand National Party |year = 1986 |publisher = Reed Methuen |location = Auckland |isbn = 0-474-00177-6}} *{{cite book |last1=Taylor |first1=Alister |last2=Coddington |first2=Deborah |authorlink1=Alister Taylor |authorlink2=Deborah Coddington |title=Honoured by the Queen – New Zealand |year=1994 |publisher=New Zealand Who's Who Aotearoa |location=Auckland |isbn=0-908578-34-2}} *{{cite book |last= Wilson |first= Jim | author-link=Jim Wilson (librarian) |title= New Zealand Parliamentary Record, 1840–1984 |edition= 4th |orig-year= First ed. published 1913 |year= 1985 |publisher=V.R. Ward, Govt. Printer |location= Wellington |oclc=154283103}} *{{cite book |editor-last=Wood |editor-first=G.A. |title=Ministers and Members of the New Zealand Parliament |year=1996 |publisher=Otago University Press |location=Dunedin}} {{Refend}}
{{s-start}} {{s-par | nz}} {{s-bef | before = Francis Mander}} {{s-ttl | rows=3 | title = Member of Parliament for Marsden|years=1922–1925<br><br>1928–1935<br><br>1943–1954}} {{s-aft | after = William Jones}} {{s-bef | before = William Jones}} {{s-aft | after = Jim Barclay}} {{s-bef | before = Jim Barclay}} {{s-aft | after = Don McKay}} |- {{s-ppo}} {{s-bef|before=Alfred Ransom}} {{s-ttl|title=Senior Whip of the Liberal Party| years = 1928–1930<br><br>1931–1936|rows=2}} {{s-aft | after = George Munns}} |- {{s-bef|before=George Munns}} {{s-non|reason=Party disestablished}} {{end}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Murdoch, Alfred}} Category:1877 births Category:1960 deaths Category:New Zealand National Party MPs Category:Members of the Cabinet of New Zealand Category:United Party (New Zealand) MPs Category:Independent MPs of New Zealand Category:Unsuccessful candidates in the 1919 New Zealand general election Category:Unsuccessful candidates in the 1925 New Zealand general election Category:Unsuccessful candidates in the 1938 New Zealand general election Category:Unsuccessful candidates in the 1935 New Zealand general election Category:Members of the New Zealand House of Representatives Category:New Zealand MPs for North Island electorates Category:Ministers of agriculture of New Zealand
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