Murdoch McKenzie Wood

Major Sir Murdoch McKenzie Wood OBE, DL (19 July 1881[1][2] – 11 October 1949) was a Scottish Liberal politician.

Not to be confused with Murdoch Mackenzie (cartographer).

McKenzie Wood, circa 1923

Background

He was the second son of James Wood of Cullen, Banffshire, and Christina McKenzie.[1] He was educated at Fordyce Academy and Edinburgh University. He was awarded the OBE in 1919. In 1924 he married Muriel Davis. He was a Deputy Lieutenant for Banffshire and was knighted in 1932.[3]

Professional career

He received a call to the bar by Gray's Inn in 1910. He was on the editorial staff of the Daily Mail. In World War I he served with the Gordon Highlanders and was severely wounded. He later served with the administrative staff of the Royal Air Force.[3]

Political career

He was the unsuccessful Liberal Party parliamentary candidate for the Unionist seat of Ayr Burghs in 1918 where the intervention of a Labour Party candidate prevented what would otherwise have been a rare gain for the Liberals;

General election 1918: Ayr Burghs[4] Electorate 31,379

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±
	Unionist	Sir George Younger	9,565	49.1
	Liberal	Maj. Murdoch McKenzie Wood	5,410	27.7
	Labour	Campbell Stephen	4,534	23.2	n/a
Turnout				62.2
Majority			4,155	21.4
	Unionist hold		Swing

He entered Parliament as Liberal MP for Aberdeenshire Central at a by-election in April 1919. This was a notable gain for the opposition Liberals against a Unionist candidate supported by the Coalition Government;

1919 Aberdeenshire and Kincardineshire Central by-election[5] Electorate 26,315

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±
	Liberal	Murdoch McKenzie Wood	4,950	37.5	−9.9
	Unionist	Leybourne Francis Watson Davidson	4,764	36.1	-16.5
	Labour	Joseph Forbes Duncan	3,482	26.4	+26.4
Majority			186	1.4	6.6
Turnout				50.1	−
	Liberal gain from Unionist		Swing	+3.3

He was comfortably re-elected at the following general election;

General election 1922: Aberdeenshire and Kincardineshire Central[6] Electorate 28,573

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±
	Liberal	Murdoch McKenzie Wood	9,779	60.1	+22.6
	Unionist	Robert Workman Smith	6,481	39.9	+3.8
Majority			3,298	20.2	+13.6
Turnout			16,260	56.9
	Liberal hold		Swing	+6.8

Following re-union between Asquith and Lloyd George, he was comfortably re-elected at the next election;

General election 1923: Aberdeenshire and Kincardineshire Central[7] Electorate 28,329

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±
	Liberal	Murdoch McKenzie Wood	9,818	53.6
	Unionist	Robert Workman Smith	8,507	46.4
Majority			1,311	7.2
Turnout				64.7
	Liberal hold		Swing

He served as the Scottish Liberal Whip from 1923–1924.[8] At the following general election, a Labour candidate intervened and split the anti-Unionist vote, which cost him his seat;

General election 1924: Aberdeenshire and Kincardineshire Central[9] Electorate 28,658

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±
	Unionist	Sir Robert Workman Smith	9,130	44.4	-2.0
	Liberal	Murdoch McKenzie Wood	7,639	37.2
	Labour	J. Newman	3,791	18.4
Majority			1,491	7.2
Turnout				71.7	+7.0
	Unionist gain from Liberal		Swing

He switched to contest Banffshire for the 1929 United Kingdom general election. He comfortably re-gained a seat the Liberals had lost in 1924;

General election 1929: Banffshire[10] Electorate 32,868

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±
	Liberal	Murdoch McKenzie Wood	9,278	44.3
	Unionist	William Paterson Templeton	6,720	32.0
	Labour	Alasdair Alpin MacGregor	4,982	23.7
Turnout				63.8
Majority			2,558	12.3
	Liberal gain from Unionist		Swing

In 1931, following the formation of the National Government, he was returned unopposed at the general election as a supporter of the new administration. He was an unpaid Assistant Government Whip from 1931–1932. When the Liberal party left the National Government he continued in the role of Scottish Liberal Whip from 1932–1934. In 1935 he was defeated at Banffshire;

General election 1935: Banffshire[11] Electorate 32,518

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±
	Unionist	Sir John Edmund Ritchie Findlay	11,771	51.3	n/a
	Liberal	Sir Murdoch McKenzie Wood	11,168	48.7	n/a
Turnout				70.5	n/a
Majority			603	2.6	n/a
	Unionist gain from Liberal		Swing	n/a

He did not stand for parliament again.[5]

External links

• Hansard 1803–2005: contributions in Parliament by Murdoch McKenzie Wood

References

1. Scotland, Select Births and Baptisms, 1564-1950
2. London, England, Freedom of the City Admission Papers, 1681-1930
3. 'WOOD, Major Sir Murdoch McKenzie', Who Was Who, A & C Black, an imprint of Bloomsbury Publishing plc, 1920–2007; online edn, Oxford University Press, Dec 2012 ; online edn, Oct 2012 accessed 22 April 2014
4. Whitaker's Almanack, 1920
5. British parliamentary election results 1918–1949, Craig, F.W.S.
6. The Times, 17 November 1922
7. The Times, 8 December 1923
8. The Times House of Commons, 1929
9. Oliver and Boyd's Edinburgh Almanack, 1927
10. The Times, 1 June 1929
11. Whitaker's Almanack, 1939

Parliament of the United Kingdom
Preceded by Alexander Theodore Gordon	Member of Parliament for Aberdeenshire Central 1919–1924	Succeeded by Robert Workman Smith
Preceded by William Paterson Templeton	Member of Parliament for Banffshire 1929–1935	Succeeded by John Edmund Ritchie Findlay