James E. Murray | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Murray in 1949 | |
| United States Senator fromMontana | |
| In office November 7, 1934 – January 3, 1961 | |
| Preceded by | John E. Erickson |
| Succeeded by | Lee Metcalf |
| Personal details | |
| Born | James Edward Murray (1876-05-03)May 3, 1876 St. Thomas, Ontario, Canada |
| Died | March 23, 1961(1961-03-23) (aged 84) |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Children | William Daniel Murray |
| Alma mater | New York University(LLB) |
James Edward Murray (May 3, 1876 – March 23, 1961) was an American politician andUnited States senator fromMontana, and aliberal leader of theDemocratic Party. He served in the United States Senate from 1934 until 1961.
Born on a farm nearSt. Thomas, Ontario, Canada, Murray graduated fromSt. Jerome's College inBerlin, Ontario, in 1897. That same year his father died and he went to live with a wealthy uncle inButte, Montana,James Andrew Murray, who owned valuable copper mines. His uncle sent him to New York to study law. He graduated from the law department ofNew York University in 1900, the same year he became an American citizen. He was admitted to the bar in 1901, and commenced practice in Butte, where he also engaged in banking and the management of his uncle's properties.[1]
He practiced law in Butte and in 1906 was elected to one term asSilver Bow County attorney. Murray feuded with local officials and judges, and returned to private practice. Active in the Democratic Party, Murray worked closely with labor unions to build his political base. In 1921, he and his mother inherited over $10 million from his late uncle. He dabbled in Irish politics, and reenteredMontana politics when theGreat Depression soured the Montana economy in the 1930s.[2][3]
Until 1987, his family ownedThe Murray Hotel inLivingston, Montana's downtown historic district.[4]
Murray was county attorney ofSilver Bow County, Montana, from 1906 to 1908, and became chairman of the State advisory board of thePublic Works Administration from 1933 to 1934.
When Senator Thomas Walsh died in 1933, Democratic GovernorJohn E. Erickson resigned and had himself appointed to the seat, despite his weak political base. Murray defeated Erickson in the 1934 special primary for the remainder of Walsh's term, and won the special general election that November; he was elected on the platform of "one hundred per-cent support" of PresidentFranklin D. Roosevelt. Murray was elected to a full term in 1936, and re-elected in 1942, 1948 and 1954.
Murray was a staunch liberal and aggressive supporter of theNew Deal Coalition. He broke with Montana's senior senator,Burton K. Wheeler, when Murray backed Roosevelt's attempt to pack the Supreme Court in 1937; unlike Wheeler, Murray gave up his isolationism in foreign affairs, and backed Roosevelt's aggressive foreign policy against Germany and Japan in 1939-1941.[1]
In April 1943 a confidential analysis of theSenate Foreign Relations Committee by British scholarIsaiah Berlin for the BritishForeign Office succinctly characterized Murray as:
In February 1944, Murray joined with Democratic SenatorWalter F. George of Georgia to introduce an industrial demobilization bill to Congress. The bill supported plans for terminating war contracts and the disposal of surplus government property. The bill was passed on May 4.[6]
Senator Murray worked closely with President Roosevelt to enact the president's Second Bill of Rights. President Roosevelt detailed significant numbers of Executive Branch staff to Murray's committees that were working on the president's agenda. Congressional backlash to this tactic is credited as part of the motivation to pass theLegislative Reorganization Act of 1946.[7]
After the war, conservatives controlled Congress, so Murray had little success with his proposals to expand Social Security, provide free medical care for the aged, expand federal aid to education, or create a Missouri Valley Authority with the federal control over Montana's water resources patterned after theTennessee Valley Authority. Instead, Congress adopted the Pick-Sloan Plan with flood control by the Army Corps of Engineers, the Bureau of Reclamation, and private development.
As Chairman of the Interior and Insular Affairs Committee in the 1950s, Murray was more successful in promoting federal development of hydroelectric power through large dams throughout the West. He used his chairmanship of the Senate's Interior Committee to secure Western water projects that led to congressional approval and funding for large dams in Montana at Canyon Ferry on theMissouri River, Yellowtail on theBighorn River, Hungry Horse on theFlathead River, and Libby on theKootenai River.[8]
Murray served as chairman of theCommittee on Education and Labor, co-chairman of the Joint Committee on Labor-Management Relations, chairman of theCommittee on Labor and Public Welfare, and also served on theCommittee on Interior and Insular Affairs.
In his later years, Murray was reported to have suffered from senility and his son, running his office for him in the 1950s, told him how to vote.[9] He did not seek re-election in 1960.
Murray died in Butte[10] less than three months after leaving office and was interred in Holy Cross Cemetery.[11]
| Party political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Democratic nominee forU.S. Senator fromMontana (Class 2) 1934,1936,1942,1948,1954 | Succeeded by |
| U.S. Senate | ||
| Preceded by | U.S. senator (Class 2) from Montana 1934 – 1961 Served alongside:Burton K. Wheeler,Zales Ecton,Mike Mansfield | Succeeded by |
| Political offices | ||
| Preceded by | Chairman of theSenate Labor and Public Welfare Committee 1951 – 1953 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Chairman of theSenate Interior and Insular Affairs Committee 1955 – 1961 | Succeeded by |
| Class 1 |  | |
|---|---|---|
| Class 2 | ||
| Public Lands (1816–1921) | | |
|---|---|---|
| Public Lands and Surveys (1921–1947) | ||
| Interior and Insular Affairs (1947–1977) | ||
| Energy and Natural Resources (1977–) | ||
| Education/Education and Labor (1869–1947) | | |
|---|---|---|
| Labor and Public Welfare (1947–1977) | ||
| Labor and Human Resources (1977–1999) | ||
| Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (1999–present) | ||
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| People | |
| Other | |
