Professional Life
Murdoch was educated at the Parish school at Rafford and at Forres Academy and received his architectural training in Scotland. He was articled to the architectural firm Matthews and Mackenzie in 1878. After completing his articles in 1883 he became assistant in the office of Alexander Ross in Inverness before moving to Glasgow to work for Campbell Douglas & Sellars and then for the Glasgow South Western Railway Engineers' Department. In 1884 Murdoch emigrated with his parents to Melbourne in response to the severe depression of the 1880s.
In Melbourne, Murdoch was briefly employed by the architectural firm Reed, Henderson and Smart before being appointed as a draftsman in the Queensland Department of Public Works in 1885. Whilst working for the Public Works Department, Murdoch is said to have designed the Sandgate Post Office (1887) before being retrenched 30 June 1887 due to a downturn in public works.
Murdoch then joined the firm John Hall and Son where he was employed until 1893. Whilst working for John Hall and Son, it is claimed that Murdoch designed the South Brisbane Municipal Chambers (1890-1892), Gladstone Place and several South Brisbane hotels, including Broadway Hotel (1889-90) and Burke's Hotel (1890).
In 1893, Murdoch was re-appointed to the Public Works Department where he worked until 1904. During this time he worked on a great number of public buildings throughout Queensland. The design work produced by the department at this time was somewhat collaborative. Other prominent architects working for the Queensland Public Works Department who may have contributed to design work credited to Murdoch (and vice versa) include Thomas Pye and Alfred Barton Brady.
In 1904 Murdoch transferred to the Commonwealth Department of Home Affairs, Melbourne, as Senior Clerk. Here he was promoted to Architect in 1914 and Chief Architect in 1919-29. He was involved with the planning of Canberra and designed many significant buildings including the Provisional Parliament House, Canberra (1927), the Canberra Hotel (1922-25), the General Post Office, Perth (1923), Spencer Street Post Office and the Former High Court of Australia, Melbourne (1925). He laid out Forrest Place, Perth (1923), and Anzac Square, Brisbane (1926). Murdoch was promoted to Director-General of Works by 1927 and was appointed C.M.G. (Companion of the Order of St. Michael and St. George) to honour his service to the Commonwealth of Australia. Murdoch moved to Canberra with his Department in 1929 and retired later the same year, remaining a member of the Federal Capital Commission until its abolition in 1930.
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