John Smith Murdoch

John Smith Murdoch CMG (29 September 1862 – 21 May 1945)[1] was a Scottish architect who practised in Australia from the 1880s until 1930.

[3] Murdoch was educated at the Parish school at Rafford and at Forres Academy and received his architectural training in Scotland.

[3] 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.

[12][13] In 1904 Murdoch transferred to the Commonwealth Department of Home Affairs in Melbourne, as a Senior Clerk.

[11][3] 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.

[2] However, he had no enthusiasm for the project, saying expenditure on it could not be justified at the time; and he thought the whole idea was a waste of money.