Herbert George McPhail ( 11 February 1878 – 20 September 1951) was a member of both the Queensland Legislative Council and Queensland Legislative Assembly.^[1]

McPhail was born at Brisbane, Queensland, to Robert McPhail and his wife Fanny (née Challenger) and was educated at Brisbane Normal School.^[1]

McPhail entered politics at the 1915 state election, winning the seat of Windsor for the Labor and defeating the sitting member, Hugh Macrossan.^[2] He held the seat for one term before losing to Charles Taylor in 1918.^[3]

When the Labour Party starting forming governments in Queensland, it found much of its legislation being blocked by a hostile Council, where members had been appointed for life by successive conservative governments. After a failed referendum in May 1917,^[4] Premier Ryan tried a new tactic, and later that year advised the Governor, Sir Hamilton John Goold-Adams, to appoint thirteen new members whose allegiance lay with Labour to the Council.^[5]

In 1920, the new Premier Ted Theodore appointed a further fourteen new members to the Council^[6] with McPhail amongst the appointees.^[1] He served for seven months before resigning in September 1920 only to be reappointed fourteen months later and remaining in the Council until it was abolished in March 1922.^[1]

McPhail died in Brisbane in September 1951^[1] and was cremated at Mount Thompson Crematorium.^[7]