James
Edward Murray, the son of a farmer, was born near Ontario, Canada,
on 3rd May, 1876. After graduating from St. Jerome's College in 1897,
Murray moved to the United States and settled
in Butte, Montana.
Murray
graduated from the law department of New York University in 1900.
He was admitted to the bar in 1901 and commenced practice in Butte,
Montana. In 1906 he became county attorney of Silver Bow County and
chairman of the State advisory board of the Public Works Administration
(1933-34).
A
member of the Democratic Party, Murray
was elected to Congress in November, 1934. Over the next few years
he played a leading role in the campaign to free Tom
Mooney and
Warren Billings.
In 1937 Murray and Jerry O'Connell introduced
a resolution in the Senate calling on Governor Frank
Merriam to pardon Mooney and Billings.
Murray
served as chairman of the Committee on Education and Labor (79th Congress)
and chairman of the Labor and Public Welfare (82nd Congress). James
Edward Murray died in Butte, Montana on 23rd March, 1961.
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