Alexander McCracken (7 May 1856 – 25 August 1915), an influential sports administrator with the Essendon Football Club, was the first president of the Victorian Football League.

Family

The son of Robert McCracken (1813-1885), the brewer and first president of the Essendon Football Club, and Margaret McCracken (1831-1905), née Hannay, Alexander McCracken was born in Melbourne on 7 May 1856. His brother John (1853-1879) became Essendon's first team captain, and his cousin Coiler McCracken (1848-1915), became Essendon's second captain. Alexander McCracken married Mary Elizabeth (1863-1938), a daughter of John Murray Peck — co-founder of Cobb and Co, and vice-president of the Essendon Football Club from 1898 to 1905 — on 19 July 1884. The has two sons, and three daughters: Alec Lindsay McCracken (1885-1959), Joy Margaret Louisa McCracken (1886-1945), Murray Robert McCracken (1888-1964), Jean Mary McCracken (1890-1983), and Madge Huntington McCracken (1891-1967).

Education

He attended Melbourne's Scotch College in East Melbourne from 1869 to 1871.

McCracken's Brewery

He was the head of McCracken Brewery, until May 1907 when the company, along with five other brewing firms, was merged into Carlton & United Breweries Limited. He was appointed a Director of the new company.

Football

Alex McCracken played a number of times for the Essendon Football Club in the four pre-VFA years (1873-1876) with his brother, John, and his cousin, Coiler, and also in the club's first season in the VFA 1877, when the team was captained by his cousin.

Organisations and Associations

He was deeply involved in various sporting/social.commercial organizations as administrator, founder, and/or patron, including:

Politics

In 1894 McCracken, as a Free-Trade Democratic Association candidate, stood against the incumbent MLA, Alfred Deakin (Independent), for the Victorian Legislative Assembly seat of Essendon and Flemington. Soundly defeated by Deakin — "The easy win of Mr Deakin in Essendon and Flemington was somewhat of a surprise, for it was expected that Mr M'Cracken would run him much more closely than he did. [At the declaration of the poll] Mr Deakin's majority of nearly 2 to 1 was received with loud cheering." (The Argus, 21 September 1894) — McCracken did not attempt to enter politics ever again.

Properties

The Essendon football Club was refused the use of Windy Hill and played its first few seasons (probably near Filson St) on Robert McCracken's "Ailsa". He built a mansion home called "North Park", now the Columban Mission, on the south side of Woodland St, Essendon. Alexander had a country estate called "Cumberland"; and it was, with the Inverness Hotel and Alister Clark's "Glenara", a venue for after hunt celebrations until the Oaklands Hunt Club bought "Sherwood" in Somerton Rd. After Alexander's death, the Johnsons of "Glendewar", across the creek from "Cumberland" moved into Alexander's property.

Death

He died at his North Essendon residence, "North Park", on 25 August 1915 and was buried on 27 August 1915, in a private ceremony, at Melbourne General Cemetery.

"Legends of Essendon"

McCracken was one of the inaugural 10 "Legends" of the Essendon Football Club Hall of Fame.

Footnotes