The Lord Murray of Epping Forest | |
|---|---|
| General-Secretary of the TUC | |
| In office 1973–1984 | |
| Preceded by | Vic Feather |
| Succeeded by | Norman Willis |
| Assistant General-Secretary of the TUC | |
| In office 1969–1973 | |
| Preceded by | Vic Feather |
| Succeeded by | Norman Willis |
| Member of theHouse of Lords | |
| Life peerage 14 February 1985 – 20 May 2004 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Lionel Hodskinson (1922-08-02)2 August 1922 Hadley, Shropshire, England |
| Died | 20 May 2004(2004-05-20) (aged 81) Loughton, Essex, England |
| Party | Labour |
| Other political affiliations | CPGB |
| Spouse | [1] |
| Children | 4, includingDavid Murray |
| Alma mater | New College, Oxford |
Lionel Murray, Baron Murray of Epping Forest,OBE, PC (2 August 1922 – 20 May 2004) was a BritishLabour Party politician andtrade union leader. He served as theGeneral Secretary of the Trades Union Congress from 1973 to 1984.
Murray was born inHadley,Shropshire, the son of a young unmarried woman, Lorna Hodskinson, and was brought up by a local nurse, Mary Jane Chilton.[2] He attendedWellington Grammar School, read English atQueen Mary College, London, and then joined theBritish Army.[3]
In theSecond World War Murray wascommissioned in theKing's Shropshire Light Infantry in April 1943 and took part in theNormandy landings on D-Day. Six days later, Murray was badly wounded and in October 1944 was invalided out of the army with the rank oflieutenant.[4]
Murray worked at an engineering works inWolverhampton as storekeeper, before leaving to sellTheDaily Worker on street corners and joining theCommunist Party. Whilst sellingThe Daily Worker, he encountered his former headmaster, who informed him he was wasting his time. Determined to improve himself, shortly afterwards Murray gained a place atNew College, Oxford, where he graduated with a First inPPE after two years' study under tutors including the future MPDick Crossman andSir John Hicks.[5]
Murray started as a manager for aLiverpool catering firm. He was aTrades Union Congress (TUC) employee from 1947, when he joined as an assistant in the economics department. Seven years later he was promoted to head of the department. He was elected assistant general-secretary in 1969.
In 1970 he was invited to deliver the Marlow (Scotland) Lecture to theInstitution of Engineers and Shipbuilders in Scotland. He chose the subjectTrade Unions and the State – 1964 to 1970 in Retrospect.[6]
He becameGeneral Secretary of the TUC in 1973, leading it during theWinter of Discontent and the confrontations withMargaret Thatcher's government.
Murray married Heather Woolf, a nurse, in 1945. The couple had two daughters and two sons, the younger of whom,David, pursued a successful career in theRoyal Air Force. They lived inLoughton, Essex.
Murray served as a TUC officer until his retirement in 1984, three years early. Upon his retirement in early May 1984, he made the following statement – "There are places to go, books to read, flowers to smell and trees to look at. I would like to walk through Epping Forest".[citation needed]
Murray played an active role in the Methodist Church and served as alay preacher. Murray died in hospital in 2004 from septicaemia andpneumonia.[7]
Murray was appointedOfficer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the1966 New Year Honours.[8]
Sworn of thePrivy Council in 1976,[9] he was created alife peer asBaron Murray of Epping Forest, ofTelford in theCounty of Shropshire, on 14 February 1985.[10] The Murray Hall in Loughton was named after him, and ablue plaque to him was unveiled on the family house, 29 The Crescent, in January 2019.
| Trade union offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Assistant General Secretary of the TUC 1969 – 1973 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | General Secretary of the TUC 1973 – 1984 | Succeeded by |
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