James Murray (British Army officer, born 1721)

James Murray
Portrait of James Murray as a young man by Allan Ramsay (1742) (Scottish National Portrait Gallery, Edinburgh)
Born	(1721-01-21)21 January 1721 Ballencrieff, East Lothian Scotland
Died	18 June 1794(1794-06-18) (aged 73) Battle, East Sussex, England
Allegiance	Kingdom of Great Britain
Service/branch	British Army
Years of service	1736–1789?
Rank	General
Unit	3rd Scots Regiment; Wynyard's Marines
Commands held	15th Regiment of Foot (1749–
Battles/wars	War of the Austrian Succession: Battle of Cartagena de Indias (War of Jenkins' Ear), Siege of Ostend, Raid on Lorient French and Indian War: Raid on Rochefort, Siege of Louisbourg, Gulf of St. Lawrence Campaign (1758) Battle of the Plains of Abraham, Battle of Sainte-Foy Invasion of Minorca, 1781
Relations	Patrick Murray, 5th Lord Elibank (brother) Patrick Ferguson (nephew)
Other work	Governor of the Province of Quebec (1760–1768) Governor of Minorca (1778–1782) Governor of Kingston-upon-Hull (1783)

War of the Austrian Succession:

(War of Jenkins' Ear),

French and Indian War:

General James Murray (21 January 1721, Ballencrieff, East Lothian, Scotland – 18 June 1794, Battle, East Sussex) FRS was a British soldier, whose lengthy career included service as colonial administrator and governor of the Province of Quebec and later as Governor of Minorca from 1778 to 1782. His term in Quebec was notably successful, and marked with excellent relationships with the conquered French-Canadians, who were reassured of their traditional rights and customs.

He was a younger son of Alexander Murray, 4th Lord Elibank, and his wife Elizabeth(Betty) Stirling. His brother was Alexander Murray who served in Nova Scotia. Educated in Haddington and Selkirk, he began his military career in 1736 in the 3rd Scots Regiment in Dutch service. In 1740 he served as a second lieutenant in Wynyard’s Marines, under his brother Patrick Murray, 5th Lord Elibank, in the unsuccessful attack on Cartagena. He returned as a captain in 1742. He served as Captain of the grenadier company of the 15th Regiment of Foot during the War of the Austrian Succession, being severely wounded during the Siege of Ostend in 1745, and distinguishing himself in the Raid on Lorient in 1746. In December 1748, he married Cordelia Collier, of Hastings.