MacDuff was born in
Wellington, New Zealand on 11 December 1905. He was educated at
Wellington College before studying at
Victoria University College. He subsequently worked a barrister and solicitor. Shortly after arriving in Fiji, MacDuff became Acting Solicitor-General. He served as a District Magistrate between 1946 and 1948, before becoming a Chief Magistrate, a post he held until relocating to
Kenya to serve as a
puisne judge in 1953. MacDuff returned to Fiji in 1962 to become Chief Justice, a role he held until his death at his home in
Suva the following year. ==References==