George Murray (British Army officer)

Sir George Murray, GCB, GCH, FRS (6 February 1772 – 28 July 1846) was a British soldier and politician from Scotland.

Background and education

Murray was born in George, 3rd Earl of Cromartie.

Military career

In 1789, Murray obtained a commission into the 71st Foot,^[1] reaching the rank of captain in 1794, and seeing service in Flanders (1794–95),^[1] the West Indies, England and Ireland. In 1799 he was made a lieutenant-colonel, entering the Quartermaster General's Department and making his considerable reputation as Quartermaster General (1808–11) during the Peninsular War, under the Duke of Wellington, and receiving promotion to Colonel in 1809.^[1] After a brief period as Quartermaster General in Ireland, Murray returned to the Peninsular Campaign as Major-General (1813–14), and was invested with the Order of the Bath in 1813.^[1] During the Peninsular War he was present at the battles of A Coruña, Talavera, Busaco, Fuentes de Oñoro, Vittoria, Nivelle, Nive, Orthez and Toulouse. His Peninsular Gold Medal had six clasps - only the Duke of Wellington, with nine clasps, Sir Dennis Pack and Lord Beresford, with seven each, had more clasps to their medal.^[2]

He was briefly in Canada from December 1814 to May 1815 where he was appointed provisional Lieutenant-Governor of Upper Canada and reviewed the defences of Canada.^[1] He quickly returned to Europe following Napoleon's escape from Elba, but arrived too late to take part in the Battle of Waterloo.

After cessation of hostilities, Murray was based in France as Chief of Staff to the Army of Occupation and, thereafter, he was appointed Governor of the Royal Military College, Sandhurst in 1819.^[1] He was awarded an honorary degree by the University of Oxford in 1820 and was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society in 1824. In 1825 he married Lady Louisa Erskine, widow of Sir James Erskine of Torrie (1772–1825). Subsequently he was made Lieutenant-General of the Ordnance and then Commander-in-Chief, Ireland, but in 1828 he resigned the position and became Colonial Secretary.^[1] He was later Master-General of the Ordnance from 1834^[3] to 1835 and again between 1841 and 1846.^[1]

Political career

Murray was a Tory and later Conservative in politics. He was Member of Parliament for Perthshire from 1824–1832 and from 1834 until he retired in 1835. He served as Secretary of State for War and the Colonies from 1828 to 1830.^[1] He also contested Westminster in 1837 and Manchester in both 1839 and 1841, without success.

Other public appointments

Murray was also President of the

Cabinet of Prime Minister Sir Robert Peel (1834–1835) Prime Minister of the United Kingdom Leader of the House of Commons Chancellor of the Exchequer Sir Robert Peel Lord Chancellor The Lord Lyndhurst Lord President of the Council The Earl of Rosslyn Foreign Secretary Leader of the House of Lords The Duke of Wellington Home Secretary Henry Goulburn First Lord of the Admiralty The Earl de Grey Lord Privy Seal The Lord Wharncliffe Secretary of State for War and the Colonies The Earl of Aberdeen Master-General of the Ordnance Sir George Murray President of the Board of Trade Master of the Mint Alexander Baring President of the Board of Control The Earl of Ellenborough Paymaster of the Forces Sir Edward Knatchbull Secretary at War John Charles Herries

Presidents of the Royal Geographical Society 19th century Frederick John Robinson, 1st Viscount Goderich George Murray Sir John Barrow, 1st Baronet William Richard Hamilton George Bellas Greenough Roderick Murchison Charles Abbot, 2nd Baron Colchester W. J. Hamilton William Henry Smyth Roderick Murchison Francis Egerton, 1st Earl of Ellesmere Frederick William Beechey Roderick Murchison Bingham Baring, 2nd Baron Ashburton Roderick Murchison Sir Henry Rawlinson, 1st Baronet Henry Bartle Frere Sir Henry Rawlinson, 1st Baronet Rutherford Alcock Thomas Baring, 1st Earl of Northbrook Henry Bruce, 1st Baron Aberdare John Campbell, Marquess of Lorne Richard Strachey Mountstuart Elphinstone Grant Duff Sir Clements Robert Markham 20th century George Taubman Goldie Leonard Darwin George Curzon, 1st Marquess Curzon of Kedleston Douglas Freshfield Thomas Holdich Francis Younghusband Lawrence Dundas, Earl of Ronaldshay David George Hogarth Charles Close William Goodenough Percy Zachariah Cox Henry Balfour Philip Chetwode, 1st Baron Chetwode George Clark Francis Rodd, 2nd Baron Rennell Harry Lindsay James Wordie James Marshall-Cornwall Roger Nathan, 2nd Baron Nathan Raymond Priestley Dudley Stamp Gilbert Laithwaite Edmund Irving Edward Shackleton, Baron Shackleton Duncan Cumming John Hunt, Baron Hunt Michael Wise Vivian Fuchs George Bishop Roger Chorley, 2nd Baron Chorley Crispin Tickell George Jellicoe, 2nd Earl Jellicoe John Palmer, 4th Earl of Selborne 21st century Ronald Urwick Cooke Neil Cossons Gordon Conway Michael Palin Judith Rees

Lieutenant Governors of Ontario Post-Confederation (1867–present) Stisted Howland Crawford D. A. Macdonald J. B. Robinson Campbell Kirkpatrick Gzowski Mowat Clark Gibson Hendrie Clarke Cockshutt Ross Mulock H. A. Bruce Matthews Lawson Breithaupt MacKay Rowe W. R. Macdonald McGibbon Aird Alexander Jackman Weston Bartleman Onley Dowdeswell Province of Canada (1841–66)* Clitherow Jackson Bagot Metcalfe Cathcart J. Bruce E. W. Head Monck Upper Canada (1791–1841) Simcoe Russell Hunter Grant Gore Brock Sheaffe de Rottenburg Drummond Murray F. P. Robinson Smith Maitland Colborne Bond Head Arthur Thomson British Province of Quebec (1759–91)* Amherst Murray Carleton Haldimand Carleton (2nd time) * The Crown's representative from 1759 to 1791, and from 1841 to 1866 held the office and rank of Governor-General.

• Hansard 1803–2005: contributions in Parliament by Sir George Murray
• Sir George Murray at electricscotland.com

External links

• Who's Who of British Members of Parliament: Volume I 1832–1885, edited by M. Stenton (The Harvester Press 1976)

References

The Murray River and Mount Murray in eastern Australia, the Murray River in Western Australia and Murray House in Hong Kong are named after him. The city of Perth, Western Australia was named in his honour after his parliamentary constituency Perthshire.^[6]

[5] The Memorials to Governors in the Chapel of the present-day

Legacy

Muray was married to Lady Louisa Erskine (1777-1842), sister of his fellow general, Kensal Green Cemetery, London. His substantial papers and maps were given to the National Library of Scotland by a great-niece in 1913.

Personal life

[4]