Alfred James Murdoch (1877–1960) was an New Zealand

New Zealand

New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...

 politician, first as an Independent Liberal

New Zealand Liberal Party

The New Zealand Liberal Party is generally regarded as having been the first real political party in New Zealand. It governed from 1891 until 1912. Out of office, the Liberals gradually found themselves pressed between the conservative Reform Party and the growing Labour Party...

 (Wood, p. 89) then of the United Party, and from 1943

New Zealand general election, 1943

The 1943 New Zealand general election was a nationwide vote to determine the shape of the New Zealand Parliament's 27th term. With the onset of World War II, elections were initially postponed, but it was eventually decided to hold a general election in September 1943, around two years after it...

 the National Party

New Zealand National Party

The New Zealand National Party is the largest party in the New Zealand House of Representatives and in November 2008 formed a minority government with support from three minor parties.-Policies:...

. He was Minister of Agriculture

Minister of Agriculture (New Zealand)

The Minister of Agriculture is a ministerial portfolio in the government of New Zealand. the Minister of Agriculture is David Carter, of the New Zealand National Party...

 and Minister of Mines from 1930 to 1931 in the United Government of New Zealand

United Government of New Zealand

The United Government of New Zealand was the government of New Zealand from 1928 to 1931, defeating the long-lived Reform Government. The United Party had been formed in 1927 from the remnants of the Liberal Party under Sir Joseph Ward, who had made a political comeback. But Ward was in poor health...

.

He represented the Marsden

Marsden (New Zealand electorate)

Marsden is a former parliamentary electorate, in the Whangarei District in the Northland Region of New Zealand.-Population Centres:The electorate was mixed urban and rural, around the city of Whangarei.-History:...

 electorate in Northland from 1922

New Zealand general election, 1922

The New Zealand general election of 1922 was held on Monday, 6 December in the Māori electorates, and on Tuesday, 7 December in the general electorates to elect a total of 80 MPs to the 21st session of the New Zealand Parliament...

 to 1925

New Zealand general election, 1925

The New Zealand general election of 1925 was held 4 November to elect a total of 80 MPs to the 22nd session of the New Zealand Parliament...

 when he was defeated by William Jones

William Jones (New Zealand)

William Jones was a Reform Party Member of Parliament in New Zealand.He won the Northland electorate of Marsden in the 1925 general election, defeating Alfred Murdoch, but was defeated by Murdoch in the next general election in 1928,-References:...

 of Reform

New Zealand Reform Party

The Reform Party, formally the New Zealand Political Reform League, was New Zealand's second major political party, having been founded as a conservative response to the original Liberal Party...

. He won the seat back in 1928

New Zealand general election, 1928

The New Zealand general election of 1928 was held on Tuesday, 13 November in the Māori electorates, and on Wednesday, 14 November in the general electorates to elect a total of 80 MPs to the 23rd session of the New Zealand Parliament...

 but lost it in 1935

New Zealand general election, 1935

The 1935 New Zealand general election was a nationwide vote to determine the shape of the New Zealand Parliament's 25th term. It resulted in the Labour Party's first electoral victory, with Michael Joseph Savage becoming the first Labour Prime Minister...

 to James Barclay

James Gillespie Barclay

James Gillespie Barclay was a New Zealand politician of the Labour Party. He was a cabinet minister in the First Labour Government from 1941 to 1943; Minister of Agriculture and Minister of Marketing, and in 1943 Minister of Lands also....

 of Labour

New Zealand Labour Party

The New Zealand Labour Party is a New Zealand political party. It describes itself as centre-left and socially progressive and has been one of the two primary parties of New Zealand politics since 1935....

. In 1943

New Zealand general election, 1943

The 1943 New Zealand general election was a nationwide vote to determine the shape of the New Zealand Parliament's 27th term. With the onset of World War II, elections were initially postponed, but it was eventually decided to hold a general election in September 1943, around two years after it...

 he again won the seat back, and helt it until he retired in 1954

New Zealand general election, 1954

The 1954 New Zealand general election was a nationwide vote to determine the shape of the New Zealand Parliament's 31st term. It saw the governing National Party remain in office, but with a slightly reduced majority...

.