William H. Murray
| William H. Murray | |
|---|---|
Murray circa 1913
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| 9th Governor of Oklahoma | |
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In office January 12, 1931 – January 15, 1935 |
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| Lieutenant | Robert Burns |
| Preceded by | William J. Holloway |
| Succeeded by | Ernest W. Marland |
| Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Oklahoma's At-large district | |
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In office March 4, 1913 – March 3, 1915 |
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| Preceded by | (district created) |
| Succeeded by | (district eliminated) |
| Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Oklahoma's 4th district | |
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In office March 4, 1915 – March 3, 1917 |
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| Preceded by | Charles D. Carter |
| Succeeded by | Tom McKeown |
| 1st Speaker of the Oklahoma House of Representatives | |
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In office 1907–1909 |
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| Governor | Charles N. Haskell |
| Preceded by | None |
| Succeeded by | Ben Wilson |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
William Henry Davis Murray November 21, 1869 Collinsville, Texas |
| Died | October 15, 1956 (aged 86) Tishomingo, Oklahoma |
| Resting place | Tishomingo City Cemetery 34°13′38.6″N 96°40′43.3″W / 34.227389°N 96.678694°W |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse(s) | Mary Alice Hearrell Murray |
| Profession | Teacher, lawyer |
| Religion | Methodism |
William Henry Davis "Alfalfa Bill" Murray (November 21, 1869 – October 15, 1956) was an American teacher, lawyer, and politician who became active in Oklahoma before statehood as legal adviser to Governor Douglas H. Johnston of the Chickasaw Nation. Although not American Indian, he was appointed by Johnston as the Chickasaw delegate to the Convention for the proposed State of Sequoyah, and was later elected as a delegate to the 1906 constitutional convention for the proposed state of Oklahoma.
Murray was elected as the first Speaker of the Oklahoma House of Representatives after statehood, as U.S. Representative, and as the ninth Governor of Oklahoma (1931–1935). His campaign was marked by racist appeal and he supported Jim Crow laws. During his tenure as governor in years of the Great Depression, he established a record for the number of times he used the National Guard to perform duties in the state and for declaring martial law.
William Henry Davis Murray was born in the town of Toadsuck, Texas (renamed "Collinsville" in the 1880s), on November 21, 1869. He was born to Uriah Dow Thomas Murray, a farmer, and Bertha Elizabeth Jones. His mother died when he was two years old and, after his father remarried, the family moved to Montague, Texas. At the age of twelve, Murray left home.
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