John Joseph McDonald

John Joseph McDonald (25 March 1904 – 24 February 1959) was Labor Party Member of the Tasmania House of Assembly for the electorate of Bass from 9 June 1934 until his resignation on 16 April 1945. He was the son of James McDonald and the brother of Thomas Raymond McDonald, both also members of the Tasmanian Parliament.^[1]

John Joseph McDonald
Member of the Tasmanian House of Assembly for Bass
In office 9 June 1934 – 16 April 1945
Personal details
Born	(1904-03-25)25 March 1904 Gormanston, Tasmania, Australia
Died	24 February 1959(1959-02-24) (aged 54) Launceston, Tasmania, Australia
Political party	Labor Party
Domestic partner	Marjorie Holgate
Relations	James McDonald (father) Thomas Raymond McDonald (brother)
Military service
Allegiance	Australia
Branch/service	Australian Army
Years of service	1940–1943
Rank	Lieutenant
Unit	1st Motor Brigade

From 1940 to 1943, during World War II, McDonald served in the Australian Army with the 1st Motor Brigade, and was discharged with the rank of lieutenant.^[2]

McDonald, then a bookmaker,^[3] was sentenced to ten years imprisonment in 1951 for the manslaughter in Burnie of his then de facto wife Marjorie Holgate (also known as Marjorie McDonald).^[4] John McDonald was released in April 1956, and then served as a public service clerk in the Public Works Department at Poatina until his death.^[5]

References

1. Members of the Parliament of Tasmania https://www.parliament.tas.gov.au/resources/about-parliament/historyindex/members/mcdonaldj427. Retrieved 24 July 2022. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
2. MCDONALD, JOHN JOSEPH, WW2 Nominal Roll.
3. "Bookmaker On Murder Charge". The Sydney Morning Herald. National Library of Australia. 8 February 1951. p. 7. Retrieved 25 July 2011.
4. The Argus (Melbourne), 17 April 1951, page 20.
5. Bennett, Scott & Bennett, Barbara (1980). Biographical register of the Tasmanian Parliament, 1851–1960 (PDF). ANU Press. p. 105. ISBN 9780994637413.

Further reading

• Hughes, Colin A.; Graham, B. D. (1976). Voting for the South Australian, Western Australian and Tasmanian Lower Houses, 1890–1964. Canberra: Australian National University. ISBN 0-7081-1334-6.