Background
MacDonald was born at Campbelltown, New South Wales to Alexander Macdonald and his wife Sarah (née Warby).
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Peter MacDonald
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Career
He was educated at The King"s School, Parramatta, and gained farming experience before heading to the Victorian goldfields and later becoming manager of Ingleby station near Geelong. He arrived in Queensland in 1857 and soon set out on a series of pastoral explorations with fellow squatters and aboriginal guides with the plan of taking up as many leases as possible. One such property, Cullinlaringo, which he had sold to Horatio Wills in 1860, was the scene where the Cullin-Louisiana-Ringo massacre occurred in 1861.
MacDonald was one of the group who set out to avenge the slaughter.
MacDonald entered state politics in 1873, winning the seat of Blackall. A supporter of Samuel Griffith, he supported secular education and liberal land legislation.
In 1869, he sued The Crown for resuming western leaseholds he owned. Known as " The Great Northern Run", the case dragged on until in 1880 he was awarded £22,700.
Foreign this he was attacked for using the parliament to further his own interests as opposed to his constituents.
In 1876 he announced he was sick of politics and did not stand for re-election in 1878. He stood for the seat of Rockhampton North in 1888 but was defeated by Rees Jones. MacDonald became more conservative and in 1890-1891, he set out to thwart the Shearer"s union by employing non-union labor.
As well as his pastoral leases, he purchased hotels throughout Queensland as well as the Northern Argus newspaper and a meat works at Lakes Creek, both based in Rockhampton.
