Keith Murdoch | |
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| Born | Keith Arthur Murdoch 12 August 1885 |
| Died | 4 October 1952 (aged 67) Langwarrin, Melbourne, Australia |
| Nationality | Australian |
| Education | London School of Economics |
| Occupation | Journalist |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 4, including Rupert |
| Parents |
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Sir Keith Arthur Murdoch (12 August 1885 – 4 October 1952) was an Australian journalist and media proprietor who was the founder of the Murdoch media empire. He amassed significant media holdings in Australia which after his death were expanded globally by his son Rupert.
Murdoch was born in Melbourne, the son of a Presbyterian minister. He began his journalism career with The Age in 1903, eventually becoming a parliamentary reporter. In 1915, he moved to England as editor of Hugh Denison's overseas cable service, where he rose to prominence as a war correspondent during World War I. Murdoch's attacks on the Allied high command's conduct in the Gallipoli campaign brought him to the attention of senior British politicians and press barons, including Lord Northcliffe who served as a mentor. He also became a confidant of Australian prime minister Billy Hughes, although they fell out by the end of the war.
In 1921, Murdoch returned to Melbourne as chief editor of The Herald, beginning a long association with its holding company The Herald and Weekly Times Ltd (HWT). He would become managing director in 1928 and chairman in 1942, overseeing a significant expansion of the company into interstate newspaper markets and commercial radio. Murdoch established a monopoly in the Adelaide newspaper market in 1931 and in 1933 established The Courier-Mail as Brisbane's daily newspaper; he also controlled The West Australian for several years. Murdoch co-founded the Australian Associated Press (AAP) in 1935 and was the inaugural chairman of Australian Newsprint Mills. During World War II he briefly served as Director-General of Information.
Outside of his business activities Murdoch was an art collector, serving as chairman of the National Gallery of Victoria and endowing a chair of fine arts at the University of Melbourne. He had four children with his wife Elisabeth, a prominent philanthropist. He retired in 1949, dying of cancer in 1952. In his final years he sold out of HWT and invested heavily in The News, an Adelaide tabloid. Its holding company News Limited formed the basis for his only son Rupert's global media empire.