John Alexander MacPherson (1833 - 1894)

Born 15 Oct 1833 in Limestone Plains, New South Wales, Australia

Died 17 Feb 1894 at age 60 in Surrey, England, United Kingdom

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Preceded by James McCulloch

John Alexander MacPherson 7th Premier of Victoria 20 September 1869-9 April 1870

Succeeded by James McCulloch

Biography

John MacPherson is Notable.

Premier of the Colony of Victoria in 1869-70.

John Alexander MacPHERSON was born on 15 October 1833 in Limestone Plains, Colony of New South Wales^[1]. His parents were John MacPHERSON and Helen WATSON.

Louisa Elizabeth FETHERSTONHAUGH and John Alexander McPHERSON were married on 8 July 1858 at Hamilton, Colony of Victoria^[2].

Marriage Notice 14 Jul 1858^[3]

On Thursday, the 8th inst., at Hamilton, by the Rev. Thomas Herron, Louisa, second daughter of Cuthbert Fetherstonhaugh, Esq., Police Magistrate, to John A. Macpherson, Esq., of Croxton, Hamilton.

Their children included:

Helen Curtis MacPHERSON 1859-1931

Mabel Mary MacPHERSON 1861-1937

Fanny Fetherstonhaugh MacPHERSON abt. 1863–1924

Louisa Elizabeth MacPHERSON 1866-1928

Grace Fetherstonaugh MacPHERSON 1868-1935

Jessie Constance MacPHERSON 1871-1957

John Fetherstonhaugh MacPHERSON 1873-1947

John, first entered Parliament in 1861 becoming Premier of Victoria in 1869 (see obituary for details).

In 1878, he retired and took his family on a "tour" and settled in England^[4].

He passed away on 17 February 1894 in Chertsey, Surrey, England^[5] and was buried at the St Marys Churchyard, Thorpe, Runnymede Borough, Surrey, England^[6].

Obituary

MR. J. A. MACPHERSON.

Information was received on Tuesday of the death in London on Saturday last of Mr. John Alexander MacPherson, formerly Chief Secretary and Premier of Victoria. Mr. MacPherson was born in New South Wales, his father being John MacPherson, a very early colonist, who moved to the Western district of Victoria in the forties, taking up Narrin Narrin, near Streathain. Young MacPherson was educated for the bar, passed all the examinations, and was called, but never practised. He took up Croxton Station, near Hamilton, and in 1861 got into Parliament as member for Portland, which seat next year he exchanged for Dundas, his own district. Being a man of pleasant temper, good sense, and genial manners, he soon won the esteem of the members. He fell into line behind Mr. James M'CulIoch, who was then conducting the Darling Grant fight with the Council, but his views and actions were those of a moderate. When the long campaign was over, and even the M'Cullochites were tiring of M'Cullochism, there was a revolt Sir James, as he had now become, filled up two long-standing vacancies in the Cabinet, by taking in Sir Archibald Michie and Mr. George Holfe, old parliamentarians, who had not then seats in the House. The corner party resented the slight, as they called it, and proposed a motion of censure, which the Constitutional party supported, and Sir James M'CulIoch resigned. This was in September, 1869. A stop-gap Ministry was formed, with Mr. MacPherson as Premier. The combination, which contained Mr. Graham Berry -who then got office for the first time -Mr. James M'Kean. Mr. "Teddy" Cohen, Mr. J. T. Smith, Mr. Longmore, &c., was admittedly weak, and early in the ensuing session, viz., in April, 1870, the MacPherson Ministry was voted out of office by the section of the M'CulIoch party from whom they had previously deserted. So high an opinion had Sir James M'CulIoch of Mr. MacPherson, and so good had the feeling always been between them, that the new Premier offered Mr. MacPherson the post of Minister of Lands. It was a blunder to accept the offer, but Mr. MacPherson, with the best faith and with no selfish object, accepted. Next session the M'CulIoch Government was defeated on the property tax. Mr. MacPherson stayed on in the Assembly as a private member, and got back all his old friendships. He thought too modestly of himself to make enemies, and his personal character was too high to provoke criticism. But times were changing. Berryism was arising, and politics becoming bitter, Mr, MacPherson, by the death of his father, had come into a large fortune, so be bid good-bye to political strife and went to Europe with his family. Had he stayed in the colony he was bound to have come to the front again; but he was not ambitious, nor did he value his talents as highly as they deserved. He married Miss Fetherstonhaugh, daughter of the late police magistrate at Hamilton, and leaves a grown-up family consisting of six daughters and one son. He was 60 years of age at the time of his death.

Sources

1. ↑ Department of Justice, New South Wales, Registry of Birth, Deaths and Marriages: Birth. MCPHERSON, JOHN A; 384/1834 V1834384 45A; JOHN; HELEN; JA. https://familyhistory.bdm.nsw.gov.au/
2. ↑ Birth, Deaths and Marriages, Victoria Online Registry. Event: marriages; Registration number 2616 / 1858; Family name: MCPHERSON; Given name(s) John Alexander; Spouse's family name: FETHERSTONHAUGH; Spouse's given name(s) Louisa Elizabeth. https://www.bdm.vic.gov.au/research-and-family-history/search-your-family-history
3. ↑ Family Notices (1858, July 14). The Argus (Melbourne, Vic. : 1848 - 1957), p. 4. Retrieved July 4, 2023, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article7297546
4. ↑ Dorothy Fitzpatrick, 'MacPherson, John Alexander (1833–1894)', Australian Dictionary of Biography, National Centre of Biography, Australian National University, https://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/macpherson-john-alexander-4135/text6621, published first in hardcopy 1974, accessed online 4 July 2023.
5. ↑ General Register Office UK: Deaths. MACPHERSON, JOHN ALEXANDER; Age 60; GRO Reference: 1894 M Quarter in WINDSOR; Volume 02C Page 316. https://www.gro.gov.uk/
6. ↑ Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/51579293/john-alexander-macpherson: accessed 04 July 2023), memorial page for John Alexander Macpherson (10 Oct 1833–17 Feb 1894), Find a Grave Memorial ID 51579293, citing St Marys Churchyard, Thorpe, Runnymede Borough, Surrey, England; Maintained by Wertypop (contributor 46806984).

See also:

• Wikipedia : Wikipedia:John_Alexander_MacPherson
• Wikidata: Item Q3180886, en:Wikipedia