James David "Jim" MacDonald (28 June 1917 – 6 March 1989) was an Australian politician.

Born in Bathurst

Bathurst, New South Wales

-CBD and suburbs:Bathurst's CBD is located on William, George, Howick, Russell, and Durham Streets. The CBD is approximately 25 hectares and surrounds two city blocks. Within this block layout is banking, government services, shopping centres, retail shops, a park* and monuments...

, MacDonald married Valdree Mae Drewe, with whom he had three sons. He enlisted in the Australian Imperial Force

Australian Imperial Force

The Australian Imperial Force was the name given to all-volunteer Australian Army forces dispatched to fight overseas during World War I and World War II.* First Australian Imperial Force * Second Australian Imperial Force...

 in 1940, serving in New Guinea

New Guinea

New Guinea is the world's second largest island, after Greenland, covering a land area of 786,000 km2. Located in the southwest Pacific Ocean, it lies geographically to the east of the Malay Archipelago, with which it is sometimes included as part of a greater Indo-Australian Archipelago...

 and the South Pacific until he was discharged in 1946. On his return he founded J. D. MacDonald Engineering Company, of which he was chairman and managing director. In 1955 he was elected to the Victorian Legislative Assembly

Victorian Legislative Assembly

The Victorian Legislative Assembly is the lower house of the Parliament of Victoria in Australia. Together with the Victorian Legislative Council, the upper house, it sits in Parliament House in the state capital, Melbourne.-History:...

 as the Liberal

Liberal Party of Australia

The Liberal Party of Australia is an Australian political party.Founded a year after the 1943 federal election to replace the United Australia Party, the centre-right Liberal Party typically competes with the centre-left Australian Labor Party for political office...

 member for Burwood

Electoral district of Burwood

The electoral district of Burwood is an electorate for the Victorian Legislative Assembly in Australia. It is located approximately 13 kilometres east of Melbourne, and covers an area of 24 km². It includes the suburbs of Ashburton, Ashwood, Box Hill South, and parts of Burwood, Camberwell,...

, transferring to Glen Iris

Electoral district of Glen Iris

The Electoral district of Glen Iris was an electoral district of the Victorian Legislative Assembly.-Members of Glen Iris:-See also:*Parliaments of the Australian states and territories*List of members of the Victorian Legislative Assembly...

in 1967. He served as a parliamentary secretary from 1955 to 1976 and Chairman of Committees from 1969 to 1970. He left politics in 1976.