# Murdoch McKenzie Wood

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

## Background

He was the second son of James Wood of Cullen, Banffshire, and
Christina McKenzie. He was educated at Fordyce Academy and Edinburgh University. He was awarded the OBE in the 1919 New Year Honours. In 1924 he married Muriel Davis. He was knighted in 1932 and was a Deputy Lieutenant for Banffshire from 1948.

## 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.

## 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 Electorate 31,379 :
| Party | 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 | Turnout | Turnout | | 62.2 | |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 4,155 | 21.4 | |
| | Unionist hold | 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 Electorate 26,315 :
| Party | 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 | Majority | Majority | 186 | 1.4 | 6.6 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | | 50.1 | − |
| | Liberal gain from Unionist | Liberal gain from Unionist | Swing | +3.3 | |
He was comfortably re-elected at the following general election;
General election 1922: Aberdeenshire and Kincardineshire Central Electorate 28,573 :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | Murdoch McKenzie Wood | 9,779 | 60.1 | +22.6 |
| | Unionist | Robert Workman Smith | 6,481 | 39.9 | +3.8 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 3,298 | 20.2 | +13.6 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 16,260 | 56.9 | |
| | Liberal hold | 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 Electorate 28,329 :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Liberal | Murdoch McKenzie Wood | 9,818 | 53.6 |
| | Unionist | Robert Workman Smith | 8,507 | 46.4 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 1,311 | 7.2 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | | 64.7 |
| | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Swing | |
He served as the Scottish Liberal Whip from 1923 to 1924. 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 Electorate 28,658 :
| Party | 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 | Majority | Majority | 1,491 | 7.2 | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | | 71.7 | +7.0 |
| | Unionist gain from Liberal | 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 Electorate 32,868 :
| Party | 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 | Turnout | Turnout | | 63.8 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 2,558 | 12.3 |
| | Liberal gain from Unionist | 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 to 1932. When the Liberal party left the National Government he continued in the role of Scottish Liberal Whip from 1932 to 1934. In 1935 he was defeated at Banffshire;
General election 1935: Banffshire Electorate 32,518 :
| Party | 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 | Turnout | Turnout | | 70.5 | n/a |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 603 | 2.6 | n/a |
| | Unionist gain from Liberal | Unionist gain from Liberal | Swing | n/a | |
He did not stand for parliament again.