James Murray (Australian politician)

James Murray (9 April 1895 – 19 January 1974) was an Australian politician who served in both houses of the Parliament of Western Australia, as a member of the Legislative Assembly from 1947 to 1950 and as a member of the Legislative Council from 1951 to 1965. He represented the Liberal Party.

The Honourable James Murray
Member of the Legislative Assembly of Western Australia
In office 15 March 1947 – 25 March 1950
Preceded by	Frederick Withers
Succeeded by	Frank Guthrie
Constituency	Bunbury
Member of the Legislative Council of Western Australia
In office 2 June 1951 – 21 May 1965
Preceded by	William Mann
Succeeded by	Vic Ferry
Constituency	South-West Province
Personal details
Born	9 April 1895 Inverness, Scotland
Died	19 January 1974 (aged 78) Nedlands, Western Australia, Australia
Political party	Liberal

Murray was born in Inverness, Scotland, and attended Inverness High School. He came to Australia as a teenager, and in March 1915 enlisted in the Australian Imperial Force. Murray had reached the rank of lieutenant by the war's end, and in June 1918 was wounded in action while fighting in France. After being discharged from the army, he worked at various timbermills in Western Australia's South West, including as a millhand, clerk, and foreman. Murray re-enlisted in the army in 1940, but was able to remain in Western Australia, working as a training officer and in logistics.[1] He entered politics at the 1947 state election, winning the seat of Bunbury from the Labor Party. However, his time in the Legislative Assembly was short-lived, with Labor's Frank Guthrie reclaiming the seat for his party at the 1950 election.[2] Murray re-entered parliament at a 1951 by-election for South-West Province, having worked as a sawmill manager in the meantime. The by-election had been caused by the death of the sitting member, William Mann. Murray remained in parliament until retiring at the 1965 state election. He died in Perth in January 1974, aged 78.[1]

References

1. James Murray – Biographical Register of Members of the Parliament of Western Australia. Retrieved 22 May 2016.
2. Black, David; Prescott, Valerie (1997). Election statistics : Legislative Assembly of Western Australia, 1890-1996. Perth, [W.A.]: Western Australian Parliamentary History Project and Western Australian Electoral Commission. ISBN 0730984095.