Victor Murdock (March 18, 1871 – July 8, 1945) was an American politician and

newspaper editor An editor-in-chief (EIC), also known as lead editor or chief editor, is a publication's editorial leader who has final responsibility for its operations and policies. The highest-ranking editor of a publication may also be titled editor, managing ...

who served as a

U.S. Representative The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they c ...

from

Kansas Kansas () is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its capital is Topeka, and its largest city is Wichita. Kansas is a landlocked state bordered by Nebraska to the north; Missouri to the east; Oklahoma to the south; and Colorado to the ...

Life

Victor Murdock was born March 18, 1871, in

Burlingame, Kansas Burlingame is a city in Osage County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 971. History Burlingame was originally established as Council City and was an stop on the Santa Fe Trail. The Council City po ...

to Marshall Murdock, editor of the Osage County Chronicle, and Victoria Mayberry Murdock. In 1872, the family moved to Wichita, where Victor Murdock received his common school education, began learning the printing trade, and at age 15 became a reporter. In 1890, he married Mary Pearl Allen, spent some time in Chicago where he worked on the Inter-Ocean, and then in 1894 became managing editor of the

Wichita Eagle ''The Wichita Eagle'' is a daily newspaper published in Wichita, Kansas, United States. It is owned by The McClatchy Company and is the largest newspaper in Wichita and the surrounding area. History Origins In 1870, ''The Vidette'' was the fi ...

until 1903. In 1892 he reported on Representative and future president William McKinley's campaign for governor of Ohio. Murdock was covering the Kansas legislature when he decided to run for a vacancy in the United States House of Representatives and was elected to follow Chester I. Long, who had resigned to take a Senate seat, on May 26, 1903, taking office on November 9, 1903. During the

1912 United States presidential election The 1912 United States presidential election was the 32nd quadrennial presidential election, held on Tuesday, November 5, 1912. Democratic Governor Woodrow Wilson unseated incumbent Republican President William Howard Taft and defeated former Pr ...

he left the Republican Party to support and join former President

Theodore Roosevelt Theodore Roosevelt Jr. ( ; October 27, 1858 – January 6, 1919), often referred to as Teddy or by his initials, T. R., was an American politician, statesman, soldier, conservationist, naturalist, historian, and writer who served as the 26t ...

Progressive Party Progressive Party may refer to: Active parties * Progressive Party, Brazil * Progressive Party (Chile) * Progressive Party of Working People, Cyprus * Dominica Progressive Party * Progressive Party (Iceland) * Progressive Party (Sardinia), Italy ...

and was the party's choice for Speaker of the House in

1912 Events January * January 1 – The Republic of China (1912–49), Republic of China is established. * January 5 – The Prague Conference (6th All-Russian Conference of the Russian Social Democratic Labour Party) opens. * January 6 ...

. Murdock served in Congress until March 3, 1915. He was elected as chairman of the Progressive Party in 1914 and 1916. In 1916, when Theodore Roosevelt refused to run, the Progressive Party nominated Murdock for president, but he did not appear on the ballot. Murdock worked as a war correspondent in 1916, in 1917 he was appointed to the

Federal Trade Commission The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is an independent agency of the United States government whose principal mission is the enforcement of civil (non-criminal) antitrust law and the promotion of consumer protection. The FTC shares jurisdiction ov ...

by President

Woodrow Wilson Thomas Woodrow Wilson (December 28, 1856February 3, 1924) was an American politician and academic who served as the 28th president of the United States from 1913 to 1921. A member of the Democratic Party, Wilson served as the president of ...

and served until his resignation in 1924 to become the editor for

The Wichita Eagle ''The Wichita Eagle'' is a daily newspaper published in Wichita, Kansas, United States. It is owned by The McClatchy Company and is the largest newspaper in Wichita and the surrounding area. History Origins In 1870, ''The Vidette'' was the fi ...

until his death in Wichita on July 8, 1945.

References

External links

*

Biographical Directory of the United States Congress

1936 photo of Victor Murdock making a speech in Wichita, Kansas
{{DEFAULTSORT:Murdock, Victor 1871 births 1945 deaths People from Burlingame, Kansas Politicians from Wichita, Kansas American newspaper reporters and correspondents Kansas Progressives (1912) American war correspondents American newspaper editors Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Kansas Federal Trade Commission personnel Woodrow Wilson administration personnel Harding administration personnel