Victor Murdock (March 18, 1871 – July 8, 1945) was an American politician and

newspaper editor An editor-in-chief (EIC), also known as lead editor or chief editor, is a publication's editorial leader who has final responsibility for its operations and policies. The editor-in-chief heads all departments of the organization and is held account ...

who served as a

U.S. Representative The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the bicameral United States Congress; it is the lower house, with the U.S. Senate being the upper house. Together, the House and Senate have the authority under Article One of th ...

from

Kansas Kansas ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Nebraska to the north; Missouri to the east; Oklahoma to the south; and Colorado to the west. Kansas is named a ...

Life

Victor Murdock was born in

Burlingame, Kansas Burlingame is a city in Osage County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 971. History Burlingame was originally established as Council City and was a stop on the Santa Fe Trail. The Council City po ...

to ''Marshall Murdock'' – editor of the Osage County Chronicle, and ''Victoria Mayberry Murdock''. In 1872, the family moved to Wichita, where Victor Murdock received his common school education and began learning the printing trade. At the age of 15, Victor Murdock became a reporter. In 1890, he married Mary Pearl Allen and spent some time in Chicago where he worked on the Inter-Ocean. Later in 1894, he became the ''Managing Editor'' of the

Wichita Eagle ''The Wichita Eagle'' is a daily newspaper published in Wichita, Kansas, United States. Originating in the early 1870s, shortly after the city's founding, it is owned by The McClatchy Company and is the largest newspaper in Wichita and the surr ...

until the year 1903. In 1892, he reported on the Representative and future president William McKinley's campaign for governor of Ohio. Murdock was covering the Kansas legislature when he decided to run for a vacancy in the United States House of Representatives and was elected to follow Chester I. Long, who had resigned to take a Senate seat on May 26, 1903. He took office on November 9, 1903. During the

1912 United States presidential election United States presidential election, Presidential elections were held in the United States on November 5, 1912. The History of the United States Democratic Party, Democratic ticket of governor Woodrow Wilson of New Jersey and governor Thomas R. M ...

, he left the Republican Party to support and join former President

Theodore Roosevelt Theodore Roosevelt Jr. (October 27, 1858 – January 6, 1919), also known as Teddy or T.R., was the 26th president of the United States, serving from 1901 to 1909. Roosevelt previously was involved in New York (state), New York politics, incl ...

's Progressive Party and was the party's choice for Speaker of the House in

1912 This year is notable for Sinking of the Titanic, the sinking of the ''Titanic'', which occurred on April 15. In Albania, this leap year runs with only 353 days as the country achieved switching from the Julian to Gregorian Calendar by skippin ...

. Murdock served in Congress until March 3, 1915. He was elected as chairman of the Progressive Party in 1914 and 1916. In 1916, when Theodore Roosevelt refused to run, the Progressive Party nominated Murdock for president, but he did not appear on the ballot. Murdock worked as a war correspondent in 1916 and in 1917, he was appointed to the

Federal Trade Commission The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is an independent agency of the United States government whose principal mission is the enforcement of civil (non-criminal) United States antitrust law, antitrust law and the promotion of consumer protection. It ...

by President

Woodrow Wilson Thomas Woodrow Wilson (December 28, 1856February 3, 1924) was the 28th president of the United States, serving from 1913 to 1921. He was the only History of the Democratic Party (United States), Democrat to serve as president during the Prog ...

. Murdock served to that role until his resignation in 1924 to become the editor for

The Wichita Eagle ''The Wichita Eagle'' is a daily newspaper published in Wichita, Kansas, United States. Originating in the early 1870s, shortly after the city's founding, it is owned by The McClatchy Company and is the largest newspaper in Wichita and the surr ...

, until his death in Wichita on July 8, 1945.

References

External links

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Biographical Directory of the United States Congress

1936 photo of Victor Murdock making a speech in Wichita, Kansas
{{DEFAULTSORT:Murdock, Victor 1871 births 1945 deaths People from Burlingame, Kansas Politicians from Wichita, Kansas American newspaper reporters and correspondents Kansas Progressives (1912) American war correspondents American newspaper editors Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Kansas Federal Trade Commission personnel Woodrow Wilson administration personnel Harding administration personnel 20th-century members of the United States House of Representatives Candidates in the 1914 United States Senate elections