William H. Murray | |
|---|---|
 Murray,c. 1910s | |
| 9th Governor of Oklahoma | |
| In office January 12, 1931 – January 15, 1935 | |
| Lieutenant | Robert Burns |
| Preceded by | William J. Holloway |
| Succeeded by | Ernest W. Marland |
| Proprietor of theAguairenda Colony, Bolivia | |
| In office 1923 – August 6, 1928 | |
| President | Bautista Saavedra Felipe Segundo Guzmán Hernando Siles |
| Preceded by | Position established |
| Succeeded by | Colony charter revoked |
| Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromOklahoma | |
| In office March 4, 1913 – March 3, 1917 | |
| Preceded by | District created |
| Succeeded by | Tom McKeown |
| Constituency | At-large (1913–1915) 4th district (1915–1917) |
| 1stSpeaker of the Oklahoma House of Representatives | |
| In office 1907–1909 | |
| Governor | Charles N. Haskell |
| Preceded by | Position established |
| Succeeded by | Ben Wilson |
| Member of theOklahoma House of Representatives from theJohnston County district | |
| In office 1907–1909 | |
| Preceded by | Position established |
| Succeeded by | J. M. Ratliff |
| Personal details | |
| Born | William Henry Davis Murray (1869-11-21)November 21, 1869 Collinsville, Texas, U.S. |
| Died | October 15, 1956(1956-10-15) (aged 86) Tishomingo, Oklahoma, U.S. |
| Resting place | Tishomingo City Cemetery 34°13′38.6″N96°40′43.3″W / 34.227389°N 96.678694°W /34.227389; -96.678694 (William H. Murray Burial Site) |
| Party | Democratic |
| Spouse | Mary Alice Hearrell Murray |
| Children | 5, includingJohnston Murray |
| Parents |
|
| Profession | Teacher,lawyer |
William Henry Davis "Alfalfa Bill"Murray (November 21, 1869 – October 15, 1956) was an Americaneducator,lawyer, andpolitician who served as the firstSpeaker of the Oklahoma House of Representatives, aU.S. Congressman from Oklahoma, and as the 9thGovernor of Oklahoma. He was aSouthern Democratic member of theDemocratic Party who opposed theNew Deal and supportedracial segregation.
Murray started his political career with several failed runs for political office in his home state ofTexas before moving toIndian Territory where he marriedMary Alice Hearrell Murray, the niece ofChickasaw Nation GovernorDouglas H. Johnston. Although notAmerican Indian, he was appointed by Johnston as the Chickasaw delegate to the 1905 Convention for the proposedState of Sequoyah and later he was elected as a delegate to and president of the 1906Oklahoma Constitutional Convention for the proposed state ofOklahoma.
Murray was elected as a representative and the firstSpeaker of the Oklahoma House of Representatives after statehood. He also was elected asU.S. Representative (D-Oklahoma), serving between 1913 and 1917.
In the 1920s, he traveled South America attempting to start a colony. He eventually negotiated a contract for a colony with the Bolivian government under PresidentBautista Saavedra in 1922, but the colony,Aguairenda, was largely unsuccessful. PresidentHernando Siles eventually cancelled the colony's lease in 1928 after it failed to become profitable and Murray returned to Oklahoma.
After returning to Oklahoma, he was elected the ninthgovernor of Oklahoma, serving from 1931 to 1935. During his tenure as governor in years of theGreat Depression, he established a record for the number of times he used theNational Guard to perform duties in the state and for declaring martial law at a time of unrest.
In his later life, Murray published a three-volume memoir and several books which containedracist andantisemitic claims. HistorianReinhard H. Luthin described hispopulist campaign tactics and rhetoric asdemagoguery. His son,Johnston Murray, was later elected Governor of Oklahoma.
William Henry Davis Murray was born on November 21, 1869, inCollinsville, Texas.[note 1] He was born to Uriah Dow Thomas Murray, agrist mill worker, and Bertha Elizabeth (Jones). Uriah Murray was born in Tennessee in 1839, moved toTexas in 1852, and was descended fromScottish immigrants. He had two older brothers: John Shade Murray and George Thomas Murray. He had a younger sister and brother who died in infancy. His mother died when he was two years old and in 1873 his father remarried to Mollie Green, a widow fromMontague, Texas.[4]
After the marriage, Murray moved with his father and brothers toMontague, Texas.[5] Uriah opened a grocery store and butcher shop and had seven more children with Mollie Green. On September 18, 1881, he ran away from home with his two older brothers. He worked pickingcotton, chopping wood, and as a bricklayer before attending public school in Keeter.[6] Murray attended College Hill Institute inSpringtown, Texas, and started selling books to pay for school. He graduated from College Hill with a teaching degree in 1889 and began teaching in a public school inParker County, Texas.[7] During this time he attended aCampbellite church, but was not particularly religious.[8]
Murray became politically active and joined the Farmers' Alliance and theDemocratic Party, and was a vocal critic of thePeople's Party.[9][10] In 1890, he was a delegate to Texas State Democratic Convention.[11] In 1891, he wrote forThe Farmer's World, a Dallas newspaper.[12] In 1892, he ran theTexas Senate againstOscar Branch Colquitt andGeorge Taylor Jester, coming in third in the Democratic primary.[13] In late 1893, he launchedThe Corsicana Daily News andThe Navarro County News with his brother George.[14] In 1894, he again lost a race for the Texas Senate to Colquitt.[15]
Afterreading the law and passing the Texasbar exam in 1897, he moved toFort Worth, Texas and began practicing law.[15] He later worked as a writer for theFort Worth Gazette.[10] He was a skilled orator and campaigned forJames Stephen Hogg when the latter ran for Governor of Texas.[10][11]
On March 28, 1898, Murray moved toTishomingo, the capital of theChickasaw Nation in theIndian Territory (now eastern Oklahoma), where he quickly became a political and legal advisor toDouglas H. Johnston, the Governor of theChickasaw Nation.[16] After he married Johnston's nieceMary Alice Hearrell Murray on July 19, 1899, he was allowed to practice in Chickasaw courts and started a law practice with Chickasaw Senator M. V. Cheadle.[16][17] The couple had five children, includingJohnston Murray.[18]
He acquired his nickname "Alfalfa" around 1902 while working as a political operative for Palmer S. Moseley, gubernatorial candidate for theOklahoma Territory. Murray frequently toured to give talks to local farmers about politics and farming. He often referred to a large tract ofalfalfa which he cultivated. Arthur Sinclair, who heard one of his speeches, reported to the editor of the TishomingoCapital-Democrat that he had just seen "Alfalfa Bill" deliver one of his finest speeches. The name stuck with Murray for the rest of his life.[citation needed]
In 1905, tribal governments inIndian Territory organized a convention to create a constitution for the proposedState of Sequoyah. Governor Johnston appointed Murray to represent the Chickasaw at the convention inMuskogee.[19] 55 delegates convened for the constitutional convention, with 40Native American delegates, 14 white delegates, and oneBlack delegate. The delegates drafted a constitution, which in a referendum was overwhelmingly approved by a 56,279 to 9,073 vote, although half of the qualified voters did not participate in the election.[20] The Sequoyah Constitution produced by the convention was 35,000 words with 18 articles heavily influenced by theProgressive Era.[21]
Trying to avoid two new states that might be dominated by Democrats, Republican PresidentTheodore Roosevelt opposed separate statehood for Sequoyah and Oklahoma. Roosevelt insisted that the Indian andOklahoma territories had to be admitted as one state –Oklahoma.[22] In response to Congress's passage of theEnabling Act in 1906, the people of the two territories held a joint convention.[23]
Chickasaw Governor Johnson encouraged Murray to campaign for the new Oklahoma Constitutional Convention and he defeatedC. A. Skeen in the Democratic primary to be a delegate for District 104, which included Tishomingo. In the general election, he received 1,309 votes to the Republican candidate Martin Cheadle's 748 votes and the Socialist candidates James D. French's 113 votes. Of the 112 delegates elected, 99 were Democrats, 12 were Republicans and one was elected as and independent.[24] 55 each were from Indian Territory and Oklahoma Territory with theOsage Nation electing the final two.[25]
At the convention inGuthrie, Murray worked closely withRobert L. Williams and again withCharles N. Haskell.[26]
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Murray was elected by the delegates in 1906 as the President of the Constitutional Convention by a vote of 97 to 11 over RepublicanP. B Hopkins.[27] He kept Haskell close to him, with one newspaper reported Haskell was the "power behind the throne".[28] TheOklahoma Constitution produced under their guidance was substantially based on elements of the Sequoyah Constitution.[23]
During the Sequoyah Constitutional Convention, Murray supported includingsegregated schools in the constitution.[29] During the Oklahoma Constitutional Convention, Murray fired allAfrican American clerks and white janitors and rehired them with the white workers as clerks and the African American workers as janitors.[30] Murray also supported including segregated schools in the Oklahoma Constitution, as well as anti-miscegenation clauses. According to biographer Keith Bryant Jr., Murray believedAfrican Americans should be taught "agriculture, mechanics, and industrial jobs" because they were "a failure as a soldier, doctor, and lawyer."[31] He also opposed efforts by more radical members to include provisions preventing African Americans from voting in the state.[32]
The first draft of the state constitution includedJim Crow regulations for schools and railroads, as well as anti-miscegenation clauses.[33] According to Bryant, Murray and Haskell were sympathetic to the inclusion of the provisions, but they ultimately supported their removal after Oklahoma Territory GovernorFrank Frantz announced President Roosevelt would not support the new constitution if they were included.[34]
With the state constitution in place, elections were held in 1907 for offices of the new state government. Murray was elected as a state representative and, after being admitted to office, as the firstSpeaker of the Oklahoma House of Representatives.[35] His allyCharles Haskell was elected as the state's first governor.
As a speaker, Murray often opposed the progressive work ofKate Barnard, Commissioner of Charities and Corrections,[36] supported anti-corporate legislation,[37] and pushed forJim Crow laws similar to those in southern states to limit the rights ofAfrican Americans.[38]
"We should adopt a provision prohibiting the mixed marriages of negroes with other races in this State, and provide for separate schools and give the Legislature power to separate them in waiting rooms and on passenger coaches, and all other institutions in the State … As a rule they are failures as lawyers, doctors and in other professions…I appreciate the old-time ex-slave, the old darky – and they are the salt of their race – who comes to me talking softly in that humble spirit which should characterize their actions and dealings with the white man".[39][page needed]
Murray also supported the creation of five agricultural high schools that later became junior colleges. Four were named after his friends and the fifth was named after himself.[40] Some of these junior colleges still live on as the modern dayCameron University,Connors State College, andMurray State College.[41] Murray left the state legislature after one term and did not seek re-election in 1908.[42]
In 1910, Murray ran for governor but lost in theDemocratic primary toLee Cruce.[37] In 1912, Murray lead the Oklahoma delegation to the1912 Democratic National Convention, where he supportedWoodrow Wilson.[43] Also that year, he was elected to theUnited States House of Representatives representingOklahoma's at-large congressional seat.[44] During his first term he opposed theFederal Reserve Act.[43] He won re-election in 1914, but lost in 1916. He ran in the1918 Oklahoma gubernatorial election and lost theDemocratic primary.[45]
Murray first visited South America in early 1919, seeing Panama, Peru, Bolivia, Argentina, and Paraguay. He was considering starting a colony of Americans decided on the sparsely settledGran Chaco.[46] Murray believed "Anglo-Saxon and Germanic races" should settle the area. Murray purchased 500,000 acres at 10 cents per acre with the requirement he settle 200 American families on the land. Between December 1919 and March 1920, he signed up 271 families for his colony. United States Secretary of StateRobert Lansing warned Murray that the border dispute between Bolivia and Paraguay made the area he was settling particularly dangerous, but Murray continued his plan until Paraguay built a fort across the river from his claim. Murray returned $50,000 to colonists who had signed up and lost about $5,000 of his own money.[47]
In July 1921, he met with PresidentAugusto Leguia of Peru and negotiated a 240,000 acre colony where he planned to settle 160 families. The Peruvian government promised to build a road provide access to the land.[47] However, the road was never built and Murray abandoned the colony.[48]
In 1922, he negotiated withBautista Saavedra's government for a colony in Bolivia, this time in theTarija Department twelve miles north ofYacuiba.[48] He received 42,000 acres under a 99-year lease for $1,800. He agreed to settle 25 families by December 31, 1925, and the colony had its export taxes waived. While Saavedra supported the colony,Flores Adolfo from the Tarija Department argued against the colony being built on traditional Indian lands in his district.[49] Proponents of the colony advocated it as a buffer between Paraguay and was approved by theBolivian Congress in 1923.[50]
Colonists were required to follow the laws of Bolivia and a code of laws personally written by Murray. Amongst Murray's laws were a ban on brothels and saloons, a requirement to build a poultry shed within two years, a law that Murray owned all agriculture equipment, and a requirement he must personally approve all land transfers. Any change to the laws required a majority vote and Murray's consent.[51] He barred colonists who were members oflabor unions,socialists,Republicans, or born outside the United States. 41 families signed up with 15 leaving on May 4, 1924. About 80 colonists boarded theOroya in New Orleans before sailing throughHavana, thePanama Canal, toAntofagasta, Chile. The caravan then traveled by rail toTartagal and then on foot to theTarija Department through theAndes Mountains. The group arrived atAguairenda, the colony site, on June 18, 1924.[52]
The colonists immediately discovered much of the best land in the area was already leased by local Indigenous people.[53] Colonists, mostly living in the school run by the local Catholic mission, were dissatisfied with the colony's poor living conditions.[54] Most colonists left by the end of 1924 and Murray returned home in June 1925 to recruit more colonists.[55][56] Later that year he shifted to trying to recruit Indians from their village at El Palmer.[56] With the shift in strategy, the colony grew to nearly 400 and ran Bolivia's firstcotton gin.[57] Conflict in the Bolivian Legislature led PresidentHernando Siles to demand he create a profitable cotton colony or relinquish his concession. His lease was cancelled on August 6, 1928, and Murray transitioned to raising cattle before finally leavingAguairenda on July 24, 1929.[58] He returned to Oklahoma on August 24, 1929.[59]
After attending a "Constitutional Convention Reunion" in 1929, Murray announced another campaign for governor on his wife's birthday: January 9, 1930.[60][44] The primary election included candidates such asA. S. J. Shaw,Martin E. Trapp,Everette B. Howard, andFrank M. Bailey.[61] He advanced to a runoff (the first after the state approved arunoff election law) alongside Frank Buttram.[62] During the runoff campaign,The Daily Oklahoman, the AltusTimes-Democrat, andFarmer-Stockman all opposed Murray's campaign withThe Daily Oklahoman'sEdith Cherry Johnson writing especially harsh columns accusing him ofdemagoguery.[63] At the state Democratic convention, Murray tightened his control over the party and secured a party resolution encouraging aboycott ofThe Daily Oklahoman and theTimes-Democrat. TheTulsa Tribune criticized theDemocratic Party's boycott as "un-Democratic and un-American."[64]
Murray won the Democratic nomination, defeating Buttram, the son of a tenant farmer and oil millionaire.[65][66] He easily defeated Republican Ira Hill, a formerRough Rider, in the November election.[67] His campaign slogan, at a time of theGreat Depression and theDust Bowl, railed against "The Three C's –Corporations,Carpetbaggers, andCoons".[68]
Murray was inaugurated as the ninth Governor of Oklahoma on January 12, 1931, and filled state jobs with many of his political allies and members of theOklahoma Constitutional Convention.[69] During his campaign for governor, he promised to crack down on corruption and favoritism for the rich, to abolish half the clerk jobs at the State House, to appoint no family members, to reduce the number of state-owned cars from 800 to 200, never to use convict labor to compete with commercial labor, and not to abuse the power of pardon. Once in office, he appointed wealthy patrons and 20 of his relatives to high office, purchased more cars, used prisoners to make ice for sale and clean the capitol building, and violated several other campaign promises. When the State Auditor pointed out that 1,050 new employees had been added to the state payroll, Murray simply said, "Just damned lies". For each abuse of power, Murray claimed a mandate from "the sovereign will of the people".[70]
During his tenure, he clashed with Oklahoma Superintendent of Public Instruction John Vaughn over his proposed education reforms.[71] He ordered an investigation intoWilliam Bizzell alleging theUniversity of Oklahoma suffered from "flagrant immorality and corruption. Bizzell was charged, but charges were later dropped.[72] He fired the presidents forCentral State College,Langston University,Southeastern State College,Northwestern State College,Northeastern Oklahoma Junior College, andMurray State College.[73]
Due to the severity of the depression, Murray relied on theOklahoma National Guard to enforce the state's laws through the use ofmartial law. Murray did this in spite ofimpeachment threats from theOklahoma Senate.[74] During his tenure as governor, Murray called out the Guard and charged them with duties ranging from policing ticket sales atUniversity of Oklahoma football games to patrolling the oil fields.[75] He also used the national guard to enforcesegregation and prevent Black families from moving into predominantly white neighborhoods.[76]
Murray also used the Guard during the"Toll Bridge War" between Oklahoma and Texas.[10] A joint project to build a free bridge across theRed River onU.S. Highway 75 betweenDurant, Oklahoma andDenison, Texas turned into a major dispute when theGovernor of Texas blocked traffic from entering his state on the new bridge.[74] The Red River Bridge Company of Texas owned the original toll bridge and had a dispute over its purchase deal. Murray sent the Guard to reopen the bridge in July 1931. Texas had to retreat when lawyers determined that Oklahoma had jurisdiction over both banks of the river.[citation needed]
Murray used the Guard to reduce oil production in the hopes of raising prices. Because of the vast quantity of newly opened wells in Texas and Oklahoma, oil prices had sunk below the costs of production.[74] Murray and three other governors met inFort Worth, Texas to demand lower production. When the Oklahoma producers did not comply, on August 4, 1931, Murray called out the Guard, declared martial law, and ordered that some 3,000 oil wells be shut down.[citation needed]
By the end of his administration in 1935, Murray had used the National Guard on 47 occasions and declared martial law more than 30 times. As the state constitution prevented governors from succeeding themselves in office, Murray could not run for reelection and left office on January 15, 1935.[citation needed]
He faced the harsh problems of the Great Depression. Under the previous Governor,William J. Holloway, the state government had accumulated a deficit of over $5,000,000 in its effort to encourage jobs and provide welfare. Mass unemployment, mortgage foreclosures, the deficit, and bank failures haunted Murray's administration. In 1931, the legislature appropriated $600,000 for emergency necessities. Through money collected from state employees, businessmen, and his own salary, Murray financed programs to feed Oklahoma's poor. No federal relief program had yet been instituted. Murray became a national leader for the victims of the Depression, and called for a national council for relief to be held atMemphis, Tennessee in June 1931.[74]
Thegovernment of Oklahoma faced failure, not only because of the massive deficit, but because many of Oklahoma's citizens could not pay their debts. To speed the collection of funds, at Murray's urging the Legislature created the Oklahoma Tax Commission. This three-member commission was responsible for the collection and administration of taxes, licenses and fees from all citizens. The new agency established safeguards against tax evasion and helped to stem the drain on the state's tax revenue.[74] In 1933, he supported the abolition of Oklahoma's stateproperty tax, leaving that tax revenue for local governments.[77]
By 1934, he was an anti-New Dealer.[78]
In August 1931, Murray launched a campaign for the1932 United States presidential election inOkmulgee, Oklahoma.[79] His slogan was "Bread, butter, bacon, and beans".[80] He testified in front of the United States Congress in January 1932 on the effects of theGreat Depression in Oklahoma and dominated the 1932 Oklahoma Democratic State Convention, earning theOklahoma Democratic Party's support for his campaign.[81] He railed againstWall Street and demanded cash bonuses for veterans.[82]
He campaigned againstFranklin Delano Roosevelt claiming he suffered fromsyphilis.[83]Huey Pierce Long, Jr., the formergovernor of Louisiana andU.S. senator, recalled visiting Murray in his hotel room at the1932 Democratic National Convention inChicago:
"Alfalfa Bill" was very gracious … While we talked at length, he dwelt upon the virtue in the possible candidacies of everybody exceptFranklin Roosevelt and himself, even suggesting me as a candidate. He understood thefavorite son game. I soon saw that I was fencing with a past master in politics. Had I listened to him very long, he would have been at work to make a favorite son candidate out of me. I was then moving Heaven and earth to keep down other favorite son candidates. … Favorite son moves were the most dangerous things we had to fight. …[84]
He was introduced at the1932 Democratic National Convention byHenry S. Johnston and received little support outside the Oklahoma delegation.[82]
In 1938, Murray ran for governor, and lost in the Democratic primary.[11] Later that year, he tried to run for theUnited States Senate as anIndependent, but his nominating petitions were rejected. In 1940, he ran again for the United States House of Representatives againstWilliam C. Rogers on isolationism and a new old age pension without tax increases.[85] In 1942, he ran for the Senate again and lost in the Democratic primary.[86]
His wife,Mary Alice Hearrell Murray, died in Oklahoma City on August 28, 1938. Her body lay in state in the Oklahoma Capitol on the afternoon of August 29, 1938; she was the first woman to receive the honor. She was buried in Tishomingo the following day.[87]
After his retirement, Murray became widely known for his radicalracist,antisemitic, andconspiracy views.[10][83] Murray supportedStrom Thurmond's insurgentDixiecrat bid for the presidency againstHarry S. Truman andThomas E. Dewey in1948.[88] In 1948, he chaired a Dixiecrat state convention in Oklahoma.[89]
Murray's son,Johnston Murray, had followed his father into Democratic Party politics.[10] The senior Murray administered the oath of office to his son in 1951 after he was elected as the state's fourteenth governor.[74]
He was inducted into theOklahoma Hall of Fame in 1951.[90]
Murray did not live long past his son's governorship. He died on October 15, 1956, of astroke andpneumonia. He is buried in Tishomingo.[91]
In June 2020, Murray Hall and North Murray Hall atOklahoma State University were "un-named" and a search for new names began.[94][95]
In the 21st century, Murray's legacy has drawn criticism from historians, such as William Savage Jr, because he supportedracist andantisemitic policies, and because he publishedsegregationist books.[83] He supported the passage of the firstJim Crow laws in Oklahoma and he advocated thedeportation ofJewish people toMadagascar.[96]
In 1892, Murray's first run for political office was for theTexas Senate. He placed third at a district nominating convention, behindOscar Branch Colquitt andGeorge Jester.[97]
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Oscar Branch Colquitt | 1,441 | 53.9% | |
| Democratic | William H. Murray | 1,232 | 46.1% | |
| Total votes | 2,673 | 100.00 | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Lee Cruce | 54,262 | 43.8 | |
| Democratic | William H. Murray | 40,166 | 32.4 | |
| Democratic | Leslie P. Ross | 26,792 | 21.6 | |
| Democratic | Brant Kirk | 2,514 | 2.0 | |
| Total votes | 123,734 | 100.00 | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | William H. Murray | 39,140 | 12.0% | |
| Democratic | Joseph B. Thompson | 31,887 | 9.7% | |
| Democratic | Claude Weaver | 26,923 | 8.2% | |
| Democratic | Fred P. Branson | 22,182 | 6.8% | |
| Democratic | William M. Franklin | 21,427 | 6.5% | |
| Democratic | Leslie P. Ross | 20,288 | 6.2% | |
| Democratic | James B. A. Robertson | 18,252 | 5.5% | |
| Democratic | Moman Pruiett | 15,650 | 4.8% | |
| Democratic | R. E. Echols | 13,556 | 4.1% | |
| Democratic | Frank Adams | 12,320 | 3.7% | |
| Democratic | N. B. Hays | 11,804 | 3.6% | |
| Democratic | J. Y. Callahan | 10,215 | 3.1% | |
| Democratic | Leslie G. Niblack | 9,601 | 2.9% | |
| Democratic | William T. Field | 8,965 | 2.7% | |
| Democratic | B. V. Cummins | 7,281 | 2.2% | |
| Democratic | George Bowman | 6,264 | 1.9% | |
| Democratic | W. J. Campbell | 6,215 | 1.9% | |
| Democratic | Patrick James Goulding | 6,009 | 1.8% | |
| Democratic | Robert Lee Adderton | 5,351 | 1.6% | |
| Democratic | Jack G. Harley | 5,096 | 1.5% | |
| Democratic | O. Brown | 4,792 | 1.4% | |
| Democratic | Charles Adler | 4,518 | 1.3% | |
| Democratic | M. F. Eggerman | 4,189 | 1.2% | |
| Democratic | D. R. Carpenter | 4,077 | 1.2% | |
| Democratic | Ben Bouldin | 3,645 | 1.1% | |
| Democratic | W. F. Gilmer | 2,515 | 0.7% | |
| Democratic | Augustus E. Ivey | 1,905 | 0.5% | |
| Democratic | William W. Janes | 1,897 | 0.5% | |
| Total votes | 325,964 | 100.00 | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | William H. Murray | 121,202 | 16.2% | ||
| Democratic | Claude Weaver | 121,186 | 16.2% | ||
| Democratic | Joseph B. Thompson | 120,346 | 16.1% | ||
| Republican | Alvin D. Allen | 87,409 | 11.7% | ||
| Republican | James L. Brown | 87,264 | 11.7% | ||
| Republican | Emory Brownlee | 86,092 | 11.5% | ||
| Socialist | Oscar Ameringer | 41,229 | 5.5% | ||
| Socialist | J. T. Cumbie | 41,070 | 5.5% | ||
| Socialist | J. Luther Langston | 41,020 | 5.5% | ||
| Democraticgain from | Swing | N/A | |||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | James B. A. Robertson | 48,568 | 45.0 | |
| Democratic | William H. Murray | 24,283 | 22.5 | |
| Democratic | William Lee Alexander | 22,670 | 21.0 | |
| Democratic | Frank M. Gault | 4,904 | 4.5 | |
| Democratic | William A. Durant | 4,164 | 3.8 | |
| Democratic | Frank P. Davis | 2,030 | 1.8 | |
| Democratic | J. O. McCollister | 1,300 | 1.2 | |
| Total votes | 107,919 | 100.00 | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | William H. Murray | 134,243 | 39.4 | |
| Democratic | Frank Buttram | 69,501 | 20.4 | |
| Democratic | E. B. Howard | 50,671 | 14.8 | |
| Democratic | M. E. Trapp | 38,641 | 11.3 | |
| Democratic | A. S. J. Shaw | 25,572 | 7.5 | |
| Democratic | Frank M. Bailey | 15,832 | 4.6 | |
| Democratic | Jess L. Pullen | 3,480 | 1.0 | |
| Democratic | E. R. Powers | 1,438 | 0.4 | |
| Democratic | L. M. Overton | 1,191 | 0.3 | |
| Total votes | 340,569 | 100.00 | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | William H. Murray | 220,250 | 63.6 | |
| Democratic | Frank Buttram | 69,501 | 36.3 | |
| Total votes | 346,088 | 100.00 | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | William H. Murray | 301,921 | 59.0 | +4.0% | |
| Republican | Ira A. Hill | 208,575 | 40.7 | −3.7% | |
| Independent | B. G. Bingham | 537 | 0.1 | N/A | |
| Independent | John Franing | 287 | 0.0 | −0.4% | |
| Democratichold | Swing | +4.0% | |||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Leon C. Phillips | 179,139 | 30.1 | |
| Democratic | William S. Key | 176,034 | 29.6 | |
| Democratic | William H. Murray | 148,395 | 24.9 | |
| Democratic | Jack C. Walton | 45,760 | 7.7 | |
| Democratic | Ira M. Finley | 37,107 | 6.2 | |
| Democratic | William M. Edwards | 2,557 | 0.4 | |
| Democratic | John W. Davis | 2,205 | 0.3 | |
| Democratic | J. M. Cole | 1,410 | 0.2 | |
| Democratic | T. W. Bickel | 1,088 | 0.1 | |
| Total votes | 593,695 | 100.00 | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Joshua B. Lee (inc.) | 188,279 | 53.31% | |
| Democratic | Orel Busby | 96,647 | 27.36% | |
| Democratic | William H. Murray | 36,925 | 10.45% | |
| Democratic | Wilbur Wright | 7,799 | 2.21% | |
| Democratic | Dan Nelson | 5,428 | 1.54% | |
| Democratic | Paul V. Beck | 5,014 | 1.42% | |
| Democratic | Mark Long | 4,707 | 1.33% | |
| Democratic | George H. Brasler | 3,200 | 0.91% | |
| Democratic | Lily Allen Lasley | 2,855 | 0.81% | |
| Democratic | Clay Woodrow England | 2,328 | 0.66% | |
| Total votes | 353,182 | 100.00% | ||
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by None | Speaker of the Oklahoma House of Representatives 1907–1909 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Governor of Oklahoma January 12, 1931 – January 15, 1935 | Succeeded by |
| U.S. House of Representatives | ||
| Preceded by None | Member of the U.S. House of Representatives fromOklahoma's at-large congressional seat 1913–1915 | Succeeded by At-large district eliminated |
| Preceded by | Member of the U.S. House of Representatives fromOklahoma's 4th congressional district 1915–1917 | Succeeded by |
| Party political offices | ||
| Preceded by | Democratic nominee forGovernor of Oklahoma 1930 | Succeeded by |
| Territorial(1890–1907) |  | |
|---|---|---|
| State(since 1907) | ||
Italics indicate acting governors | ||
| 1st district |   | |
|---|---|---|
| 2nd district | ||
| 3rd district | ||
| 4th district | ||
| 5th district | ||
| 6th district | ||
| 7th district | ||
| 8th district | ||
| At-large | ||
| Territory | ||
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| People | |
| Other | |
