Murdoch Alexander MacPherson, (1891–1966) was a Canadian politician, Attorney-General of Saskatchewan under Conservative

Premier Premier is a title for the head of government in central governments, state governments and local governments of some countries. A second in command to a premier is designated as a deputy premier. A premier will normally be a head of governm ...

James T.M. Anderson from 1929 to 1932.

Early life and education

Born at MacPherson House on

Cape Breton Island Cape Breton Island (french: link=no, île du Cap-Breton, formerly '; gd, Ceap Breatainn or '; mic, Unamaꞌki) is an island on the Atlantic coast of North America and part of the province of Nova Scotia, Canada. The island accounts for 18. ...

, MacPherson attended law school at

Dalhousie University Dalhousie University (commonly known as Dal) is a large public research university in Nova Scotia Nova Scotia ( ; ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is one of the three Maritime provinces and one of the fou ...

, Halifax, Nova Scotia.

Military and legal career

He served in World War I and commanded a company of the 10th Battalion at

Battle of Vimy Ridge The Battle of Vimy Ridge was part of the Battle of Arras, in the Pas-de-Calais department of France, during the First World War. The main combatants were the four divisions of the Canadian Corps in the First Army, against three divisions o ...

where he came out unscathed. He was wounded by shellfire, however, at Arleux, near

Arras Arras ( , ; pcd, Aro; historical nl, Atrecht ) is the prefecture of the Pas-de-Calais Departments of France, department, which forms part of the regions of France, region of Hauts-de-France; before the regions of France#Reform and mergers of ...

a few days later. MacPherson Avenue in Regina, Saskatchewan was later named in his honour, and is an official memorial of the Canadian Department of National Defence. After the war he practiced law in Saskatchewan and eventually became a Queen's Counsel (Q.C.).

Political career

MacPherson was first elected to the Saskatchewan legislative assembly in 1924, and remained a member of the Legislative Assembly until his defeat in the 1934 provincial election that wiped out the Conservative Party. He was called to

Ottawa Ottawa (, ; Canadian French: ) is the capital city of Canada. It is located at the confluence of the Ottawa River and the Rideau River in the southern portion of the province of Ontario. Ottawa borders Gatineau, Quebec, and forms the core ...

late in the term of the

R.B. Bennett Richard Bedford Bennett, 1st Viscount Bennett, (July 3, 1870 – June 26, 1947), was a Canadian lawyer, businessman, philanthropist, and politician who served as the 11th prime minister of Canada from 1930 to 1935. Bennett was born in ...

government to assist in creating the

Farm Credit Corporation Farm Credit Canada (FCC; known as Farm Credit Corporation until 2001) is Canada's largest agricultural term lender. This organization's purpose is to enhance rural Canada by providing specialized and personalized financial services to farming ope ...

. In 1959, he headed a Royal Commission: the MacPherson Commission. In 1938 and again in

1942 Events Below, the events of World War II have the "WWII" prefix. January * January 1 – WWII: The Declaration by United Nations is signed by China, the United Kingdom, the United States, the Soviet Union, and 22 other nations, in wh ...

, he was a candidate at the federal Conservative leadership conventions, coming in second place on both occasions.

Personal life

In May 1961, he received an honorary Doctor of Civil Law degree from the University of Saskatchewan. One of his three sons, Murdoch Alexander MacPherson Jr., known as "Sandy", born in 1916, was a pillar of the local Progressive Conservative Party and of the non-concurring First Presbyterian congregation. He served as a justice of the Saskatchewan Court of Queen's Bench from 1961 to 1981; during this time, he sat on the custody case of Colin Thatcher. M.A.'s second son, Ian, served in the Indian Army during the Second World War and after being promoted to the rank of acting Lieutenant-Colonel, was killed in action near Mawlu in Burma in April 1944. He is memorialized in Michael Calvert's book "Prisoners of Hope." Another son, Donald K. MacPherson (always referred to and addressed as "D.K. MacPherson"), was a successful Saskatchewan labour lawyer and later Chief Justice of the Saskatchewan Court of Queen's Bench. D.K.'s son, Les MacPherson, is a retired columnist for the ''Saskatoon Star-Phoenix'' newspaper.

External links

Brief biography from MacPherson Leslie & Tyerman LLP Lawyers
- This firm is the present-day successor of the law firm that MacPherson founded in 1920 in Regina
University of Saskatchewan archives
- Information on MacPherson's honorary degree
Notice on MacPherson Avenue, Regina, Saskatchewan
- From Canadian Dept. of National Defence, Department of History and Heritage {{DEFAULTSORT:Macpherson, Murdoch 1891 births 1966 deaths Attorneys-General of Saskatchewan Schulich School of Law alumni Progressive Conservative Party of Saskatchewan MLAs Canadian King's Counsel Progressive Conservative Party of Canada leadership candidates