MACPHERSON, JOHN ALEXANDER (1833-1894), premier of Victoria,

was born in 1833 or early in 1834 as he died aged 60 on 17 February 1894 (death notice, The Argus, 23 February 1894). He came of a squatting family and having studied law was admitted to the Victorian bar, but did not practise. He was elected a member of the legislative assembly for Portland in 1864, and in the following year for Dundas. He held this seat for 12 years. When the second McCulloch (q.v.) ministry was defeated in September 1869, Macpherson formed a ministry which was in office until 9 April 1870. The third McCulloch ministry then came in and Macpherson was included in it as president of the board of lands and works. This ministry was defeated in June 1871 and Macpherson was not in office again until McCulloch formed his fourth ministry in October 1875 when he was chief secretary. He was elected unopposed at the election held in May 1877 when the McCulloch party had a crushing defeat, but shortly afterwards retired from politics. He died in England on 17 February 1894.