Walter Murdoch facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Walter Murdoch
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Murdoch (left) and family at Point Lonsdale, Victoria, in 1910. His wife, Violet Catherine Murdoch (née Hughston) is upper centre. The girl centre right is his daughter, Catherine and the boy (lower right) is William (Will) Murdoch (1900–1950).
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Walter Logie Forbes Murdoch
17 September 1874 Rosehearty, Scotland, UK
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| Died | 30 July 1970 (aged 95) |
| Citizenship | British Australian |
| Alma mater | University of Melbourne |
| Occupation | Academic |
| Spouse(s) | Violet Catherine Hughston |
| Children | 3, including Catherine King |
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Sir Walter Logie Forbes Murdoch (born September 17, 1874 – died July 30, 1970) was a very smart and funny Australian writer and university professor. He helped start the English department at the University of Western Australia (UWA) in Perth, Western Australia. He also served as the head of the university, called the Chancellor.
Walter Murdoch was part of the well-known Murdoch family in Australia. His daughter, Catherine King, became a famous radio broadcaster. He was also the uncle of Sir Keith, a journalist, and the great-uncle of Rupert Murdoch, who owns many media companies around the world.
To honor Sir Walter, a university in Perth was named Murdoch University after him. The suburb around the university, also in Perth, is called Murdoch.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Walter Murdoch was born in Rosehearty, Scotland, on September 17, 1874. He was the youngest of 14 children! His father, Rev. James Murdoch, was a minister. Walter spent his first ten years in Scotland, England, and France.
In 1884, his family moved to Melbourne, Australia. Walter went to Camberwell Grammar School and Scotch College. He then studied at the University of Melbourne, where he excelled in logic and philosophy.
After teaching at schools for a few years, Walter started his university career in 1904. He became an assistant lecturer in English at the University of Melbourne. He began writing essays, and his first one, "The new school of Australian poets," was published in 1899. From 1905, he wrote a weekly column called "Books and Men" for The Argus newspaper, using the pen name "Elzevir." On December 22, 1897, Walter married Violet Catherine Hughston, who was also a teacher.
University Career
In 1911, Walter Murdoch hoped to become the head of the English department at Melbourne University. However, the job went to someone from overseas, Sir Robert Wallace. Walter then worked full-time for The Argus newspaper for a year.
Soon after, he was chosen to be a founding professor at the University of Western Australia (UWA). He started teaching classes in 1913 in simple tin sheds in Perth.
A Voice for the Community
Even after moving to Perth, Walter Murdoch stayed friends with many writers and thinkers from Melbourne. His biographer, John La Nauze, noted that Walter felt a bit isolated in Perth. However, he worked hard to connect the university with the wider community.
Walter was known for helping his students and younger colleagues. He also cared about people who were struggling and often supported causes that seemed unpopular.
Connecting with People
Walter's main way of reaching the public was through his column in The West Australian newspaper. He wrote for the "Life and Letters" page every other Saturday.
From 1933, he also gave talks on the radio and spoke at public events. This made him very popular in Western Australia. People from all walks of life read his writing. His biographer said that "No other writer in the history of Australian letters has built so wide a reputation on the basis of the essay as a form of communication."
His essays were for everyday people, not just academics. His "Elzevir" articles also appeared in The Argus again from 1919. Later, his essays were published across Australia through the Melbourne Herald newspaper network, which was led by his nephew Keith Murdoch. Many of his essays were collected into books like Speaking Personally (1930). For almost 20 years starting in 1945, he wrote a weekly "Answers" column. These "little essays" answered various questions and were read by many people in Australia and New Zealand.
Walter Murdoch wrote one "real book" called Alfred Deakin: A Sketch (1923). It was about a former Australian Prime Minister. He also edited two important collections of Australian writing: The Oxford Book of Australasian Verse (1918) and, with Henrietta Drake-Brockman, Australian Short Stories (1951).
Community and Political Views
Besides teaching, Walter Murdoch stayed involved with the University of Western Australia even after he stopped being a professor in 1939. He was the Chancellor of the university from 1943 to 1948. He received special honors, becoming a Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George (CMG) in 1939 and a Knight Commander (KCMG) in 1964. The university also gave him an honorary degree in 1948.
He was involved in many community groups. He led the local League of Nations Union and the Kindergarten Union. He also supported women's rights.
Standing Up for Beliefs
During a tough economic time, some people in Western Australia wanted to separate from the rest of Australia. Walter Murdoch strongly disagreed with this idea.
Later, in 1950–51, he bravely spoke out against a plan to ban the Communist Party of Australia (CPA). He wrote a famous essay called "I am going to vote No." In it, he explained why he opposed the government's attempt to outlaw the CPA in the 1951 referendum.
Murdoch believed it was wrong to punish people for their thoughts. He wrote:
The Government is asking the citizens of Australia to give it powers which I do not believe that any government ought to possess....The question turns on a very simple question. Have we the right to punish a person for his opinions? If we punish anyone for breaking the law of the land, or for conspiring with others to break the law, that is justice; if we punish anyone for holding opinions with which we disagree, that is persecution.
Later Life and Legacy
In his final years, Walter Murdoch became quite private. He had trouble hearing and seeing, but his mind remained sharp. In 1962, he married Barbara Marshall Cameron, who was his secretary and nurse. He loved Italy and visited it several times.
In July 1970, just before he passed away, the Premier of Western Australia, David Brand, sent him a message. The Premier announced that the state's second university would be named after him. Walter was very grateful and joked, "it had better be a good one!" He died on July 30, 1970, at the age of 95.
Today, Murdoch University and the suburb of Murdoch are named in his honor. There is also a special walk dedicated to Sir Walter at the university's library.
Published Works
- Loose Leaves (1910)
- The Struggle for Freedom (6th edition) (1911): A history of British and Australian democracy, for schools.
- The Oxford Book of Australasian Verse (editor) (1918)
- Alfred Deakin: A sketch (1923)
- Speaking Personally (1930)
- Saturday Mornings (1931)
- Moreover (1932)
- The Wild Planet (1934)
- Lucid Intervals (1936)
- The Spur of the Moment (1939)
- Steadfast: a commentary (1941)
- The Collected Essays of Walter Murdoch (1945)
- Australian Short Stories (editor) (1951)
- Answers (1953)
- Selected Essays (1956)
- 72 Essays: A Selection (1947)
- On Rabbits, Morality, etc.: Selected writings of Walter Murdoch (edited by Imre Salusinszky, foreword by Rupert Murdoch) (2011)
