Alfred Murdoch

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.

Political career

Murdoch unsuccessfully contested the electorate in the as an independent Liberal against the incumbent from the Reform Party, Francis Mander. Mander retired at the , and Murdoch was elected. At the next election in , Murdoch was defeated by William Jones of the Reform Party, but he defeated Jones in turn in when he stood for the United Party. Murdoch was Minister of Agriculture, and Minister of Mines, in the United Government under George Forbes from May 1930 to September 1931.

After two parliamentary terms, Murdoch was defeated in by Jim Barclay of the Labour Party. In , Murdoch, now standing for the National Party, defeated Barclay and won the electorate back, and held it until he was deselected ahead of the .

In 1953, Murdoch was awarded the Queen Elizabeth II Coronation Medal.

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.

Murdoch died in 1960.