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 the 1919 New Year Honours.[3] In 1924 he married Muriel Davis. He was knighted in 1932[4][5] and was a Deputy Lieutenant for Banffshire from 1948.[6]

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[7] and was severely wounded. He later served with the administrative staff of the Royal Air Force.[4]

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[8] 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[9] 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[10] 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[11] 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.[12] 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[13] 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[14] 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[15] 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.[9]

References
  1. Scotland, Select Births and Baptisms, 1564-1950
  2. London, England, Freedom of the City Admission Papers, 1681-1930
  3. "No. 31098". The London Gazette (Supplement). 31 December 1918. p. 94.
  4. '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
  5. "No. 33804". The London Gazette. 1 March 1932. pp. 1418–9.
  6. "No. 38252". The London Gazette. 2 April 1948. p. 2165.
  7. "No. 28918". The London Gazette. 29 September 1914. p. 7705.
  8. Whitaker's Almanack, 1920
  9. British parliamentary election results 1918–1949, Craig, F.W.S.
  10. The Times, 17 November 1922
  11. The Times, 8 December 1923
  12. The Times House of Commons, 1929
  13. Oliver and Boyd's Edinburgh Almanack, 1927
  14. The Times, 1 June 1929
  15. Whitaker's Almanack, 1939
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