User:Porturology/Donald Macdonald (Australian politician)

Donald Peter Macdonald (3 August 1886 – 3 November 1962) was an Australian politician and clergyman. He a member of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly between 1941 and 1947 and was an Independent member of parliament.

Early Life
Lethbridge was born in London and was the stockbroker. With his family he emigrated to Sydney at an early age and was educated at Newington College and the University of Sydney. He graduated with a Master of Arts (Divinity) from the University of Glasgow and was ordained as a Presbyterian minister in 1911. He initially ministered at Minard in Argyll and Bute but returned to New South Wales and took locum appointments at Coonamble, Gilgandra and Ultimo before being given a permanent position at Scots Kirk, Mosman in 1915. The next year, Macdonald was given leave to serve as a chaplain with the First Australian Imperial Force in France, where he was awarded the Efficiency Decoration. He had one son who was a war correspondent killed at the Battle of Monte Cassino. After leaving parliament, Macdonald retired to a farm in the Mudgee area. He was awarded the MBE in 1962. He had a number of books published in 1909, 1915 and 1930.

State Parliament
Macdonald had a conservative philosophy and a member of the United Australia Party (UAP) over many years but had become distressed by the links between big business and the party. He entered parliament as the Independent UAP member for Mosman after winning the seat at the 1941 state election. He defeated the sitting UAP member General Herbert Lloyd in a campaign marked by bitter attacks against Lloyd who had accepted a position as Director-General of Recruiting without resigning from parliament. . This impression was heightened when Lethbridge joined Labor members and rebel United Australia Party members in August 1939 to pass a motion of no confidence in the Premier Bertram Stevens which brought down Stevens' government. Lethbridge's vote gave Stevens' opponents their 1 vote victory. However, Lethbridge generally voted with the conservative parties and after 1939 he was considered to be a conservative independent. He retained the seat with this designation until he joined the nascent Liberal Party in July 1946. . The next month he resigned from parliament to contest the seat of Division of Riverina at the 1946 federal election as the Liberal candidate. He came third behind the Labor Party's incumbent Joseph Langtry and the Country Party's Hugh Roberton. He contested the by-election for Corowa, caused by his resignation, as the Liberal candidate but was easily defeated by the endorsed Country Party candidate Ebenezer Kendell. Lethbridge then retired from public life. He did not hold caucus, parliamentary or ministerial office.