He was a liberal member of the Victorian Legislative Assembly from 1902 to 1904, representing the electorate of Footscray.
[1] McDonald was born in Inverness, Scotland and migrated to Victoria with his family in 1854, settling in Footscray, where he remained for the rest of his life.
He was a contractor by trade, working as a carpenter on the Williamstown railway line and Bendigo railway line then as a builder at Footscray.
[2] McDonald was elected to the Legislative Assembly at a June 1902 by-election, defeating John Lemmon by 38 votes.
[3][4] The Footscray seat was abolished for the 1904 election, and McDonald instead unsuccessfully contested Flemington.