George Murray (British Army officer)

(Redirected from George Murray (Lieutenant-Governor)) British Army general, politician and colonial administrator (1772–1846) "Sir George Murray" redirects here. For early New Zealand ship, see United Tribes of New Zealand § Flag.

The Right HonourableSir George MurrayGCB GCH FRS
George Murray, portrait by John Hoppner

Secretary of State for War and the Colonies
In office 30 May 1828 – 22 November 1830
Monarchs	George IV William IV
Prime Minister	The Duke of Wellington
Preceded by	William Huskisson
Succeeded by	The Viscount Goderich

Personal details
Born	(1772-02-06)6 February 1772 Ochtertyre, Perthshire
Died	28 July 1846(1846-07-28) (aged 74) Belgrave Square, London
Nationality	British
Political party	Tory
Spouse	Louisa Erskine (m. 1825; died 1842)
Children	Louise Georgiana (illegitimate)

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 Ochtertyre, near Crieff in Perthshire, the second son of Sir William Murray, of Ochtertyre, 5th Baronet (see Murray Baronets), and was educated at the Royal High School, Edinburgh and the University of Edinburgh. His mother was Lady Augusta Mackenzie, youngest daughter of the Jacobite George, 3rd Earl of Cromartie. His elder brother was Sir Patrick Murray, 6th Baronet.

An army surgeon, who knew Murray in Dublin in 1825 described his appearance as 'never saw a finer face than his. Indeed, such a pleasing and happy combination of intelligence, sweetness and spirit, with regularity, beauty and a noble cast of features, is rarely to be found in human physiognomies.'

Military career

In 1789, Murray obtained a commission into the 71st Foot, reaching the rank of captain in 1794, and saw service in Flanders (1794–95), 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. 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. 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.

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

After the 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. 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. He was later Master-General of the Ordnance from 1834 to 1835 and again between 1841 and 1846.

Political career

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

Other public appointments

Murray was also President of the Royal Geographical Society (1833–35) and Governor of Edinburgh Castle. On 7 September 1829 he was appointed Governor of Fort George.

Personal life

Murray was married to Lady Louisa Erskine (née Paget) (1777–1842) in 1825, widow of Lieutenant General Sir James Erskine (1772–1825), and sister of his fellow general, Henry, Lord Anglesey after much scandals; which resulted in the couple having one illegitimate daughter born in 1822 when Lady Louisa was still married to Sir James, the daughter was named Louise Georgina (1822-1891).

Murray later brought his daughter to be presented in 1830 and it was reported that the new Queen Adelaide, was ‘very rude to Murray and his daughter, who said afterwards that it was very painful but necessary’. Louise married Lieutenant Henry Boyce of the 2nd Life Guards on 14 Sep 1843, but he died in 1848 and she lived childless, until she died at Bordighera on 25 Feb 1891.

Murray died in July 1846, aged 74, at his house in 5 Belgrave Square and was buried in Kensal Green Cemetery, London. His substantial papers and maps were given to the National Library of Scotland by a great-niece in 1913.

Legacy

The Memorials to Governors in the Chapel of the present-day Royal Military Academy Sandhurst include: In Memory of General the Right Hon. Sir George Murray, G.C.B., G.C H., Colonel 1st Royal Regiment of Foot. Died 28 July 1846, aged 74. He served in Holland, Egypt, Syria, the West Indies, Denmark, and Sweden ; wsLS Q.M.G. in the Peninsula; Commander-in-Chief in Canada; Chief of the Staff of the Army of Occupation in France ; Commander of the Forces in Ireland, and twice Master-General of the Ordnance. He was Governor of this College from 1819 to 1824.

The Murray River and Mount Murray in eastern Australia, the Murray River and Murray County in Western Australia, were named after him. Places in Hong Kong named after him include: Murray House, one of the oldest surviving public buildings in Hong Kong, Murray Building, Murray Road and the former Murray Barracks. The city of Perth, Western Australia was named in his honour after his parliamentary constituency Perthshire.

References

^ Dictionary of Canadian Biography on-line
^ Biographies. "General Sir George Murray, GCB GCH FRS".
Bob Burnham: The British Army Against Napoleon, p259
"No. 19222". The London Gazette. 19 December 1834. p. 2285.
"No. 18614". The London Gazette. 25 September 1829. p. 1766.
"MURRAY, Sir George (1772-1846), of Bleaton, Perth. and 5 Belgrave Square, Mdx. | History of Parliament Online". www.histparl.ac.uk. Retrieved 22 July 2024.
"Major Augustus F. Mockler-Ferryman F.R.G.S., F.Z.S. 'Annals of Sandhurst : a chronicle of the Royal Military College from its foundation to the present day, with a sketch of the history of the Staff College' (London: William Heinemann, 1900)". Archived from the original on 29 July 2018. Retrieved 23 April 2012.
Bolton, Geoffrey (1989). "Perth: A Foundling City". In Pamela Statham (ed.). The Origins of Australia's Capital Cities. Melbourne: Cambridge University Press. p. 142. ISBN 0-521-36242-3.

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

External links

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

Parliament of the United Kingdom
Preceded byJames Drummond	Member of Parliament for Perthshire 1824–1832	Succeeded byThe Earl of Ormelie
Preceded byThe Earl of Ormelie	Member of Parliament for Perthshire 1834–1835	Succeeded byFox Maule
Military offices
New regiment	Colonel of the 7th Battalion, 60th Regiment of Foot 1817–1823	Battalion disbanded
Preceded byThe Lord Hill	Colonel of the 72nd Regiment of Foot 1817–1823	Succeeded bySir John Hope
Preceded bySir Alexander Hope	Governor of the Royal Military College, Sandhurst 1819–1824	Succeeded bySir Alexander Hope
Preceded byThe Earl of Hopetoun	Colonel of the 42nd (Royal Highland) Regiment of Foot 1823–1843	Succeeded bySir John Macdonald
Preceded byThe Viscount Beresford	Lieutenant-General of the Ordnance 1824–1825	Succeeded bySir William Henry Clinton
Preceded byThe Viscount Combermere	Commander-in-Chief, Ireland 1825–1828	Succeeded bySir John Byng
Preceded bySir David Baird	Governor of Inverness 1829–1833	Office abolished
Preceded byThe Lord Lynedoch	Colonel of the 1st, or The Royal Regiment of Foot 1843–1846	Succeeded bySir James Kempt
Political offices
Preceded byWilliam Huskisson	Secretary of State for War and the Colonies 1828–1830	Succeeded byThe Viscount Goderich
Preceded bySir James Kempt	Master-General of the Ordnance 1834–1835	Succeeded bySir Richard Hussey Vivian, Bt
Preceded bySir Hussey Vivian, Bt	Master-General of the Ordnance 1841–1846	Succeeded byThe Marquess of Anglesey

v t e 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 Dumont
Province of Canada (1841–67)*	Clitherow (Deputy) Jackson (Administrator) Bagot Metcalfe Cathcart Elgin 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.

v t e Presidents of the Royal Geographical Society
19th century	F. J. Robinson George Murray John Barrow William R. Hamilton George Greenough Roderick Murchison Charles Abbot William J. Hamilton William Smyth Roderick Murchison Francis Egerton Frederick Beechey Roderick Murchison Bingham Baring Roderick Murchison Henry Rawlinson Henry Frere Rutherford Alcock Thomas Baring Henry Bruce John Campbell Richard Strachey M. E. Grant Duff Clements Markham
20th century	George Goldie Leonard Darwin George Curzon Douglas Freshfield Thomas Holdich Francis Younghusband Lawrence Dundas David George Hogarth Charles Close William Goodenough Percy Cox Henry Balfour Philip Chetwode Francis Rodd Harry Lindsay James Wordie James Marshall-Cornwall Roger Nathan Raymond Priestley Dudley Stamp Gilbert Laithwaite Edmund Irving Edward Shackleton Duncan Cumming John Hunt Michael John Wise Vivian Fuchs George Bishop Roger Chorley Crispin Tickell George Jellicoe John Palmer
21st century	Ron Cooke Neil Cossons Gordon Conway Michael Palin Judith Rees Nicholas Crane Lynda Chalker Nigel Clifford

v t e 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

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