Name Alfred Murdoch | ||
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Alfred James (Fred) Murdoch (1877–1960) 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.
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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 Whangarei.
Political career
Murdoch unsuccessfully contested the Marsden electorate in the 1919 election as an independent Liberal against the incumbent from the Reform Party, Francis Mander. Mander retired at the 1922 election, and Murdoch was elected. At the next election in 1925, Murdoch was defeated by William Jones of the Reform Party, but he defeated Jones in turn in 1928 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 1935 by James Barclay of the Labour Party. In 1943, Murdoch, now standing for the National Party, defeated Barclay and won the electorate back, and held it until he retired in 1954.
Murdoch died in 1960.