Charles Edward Murray (August 16, 1928 – May 29, 2009) was speaker of the

Tennessee House of Representatives The Tennessee House of Representatives is the lower house of the Tennessee General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Tennessee. Constitutional requirements According to the state constitution of 1870, this body is to consis ...

for two terms, from 1987 to 1991. A

Democrat Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (United States) (D) **Democratic ...

and a native of

Decherd, Tennessee Decherd is a city in Franklin County, Tennessee, United States. The population was 2,246 at the 2000 census and 2,361 at the 2010 census. History Peter Decherd came to the area in 1831 from Franklin County, Virginia and set up a plantation. In t ...

, he was widely regarded as a protégé of

Ned Ray McWherter Ned Ray McWherter (October 15, 1930April 4, 2011) was an American businessman and politician who served as the 46th Governor of Tennessee, from 1987 to 1995. Prior to that, he served as Speaker of the Tennessee House of Representatives from 19 ...

, the previous speaker, who became Tennessee governor in 1987. A native of

, Murray attended Franklin County public schools, the University of the South, Middle Tennessee State University, and Nashville School of Law. He worked as a

lawyer A lawyer is a person who practices law. The role of a lawyer varies greatly across different legal jurisdictions. A lawyer can be classified as an advocate, attorney, barrister, canon lawyer, civil law notary, counsel, counselor, solic ...

. He was first elected to the state House in 1970, representing the 39th District, and served from 1971 to 1991. He did not seek re-election in 1990, and was subsequently appointed claims commissioner for Middle Tennessee by McWherter. He retired from that office in 1995.Associated Press
Former House Speaker Ed Murray dies of cancer
, June 1, 2009; retrieved from WATE-TV website, June 7, 2009 Murray died May 29, 2009, in

The Villages, Florida The Villages is a census-designated place (CDP) in central Florida. It is in Sumter and Marion counties, Florida, United States. It shares its name with a broader master-planned age-restricted community that spreads into portions of Lake Count ...

, where he had made his home since 2004.

References

External links

Tennessee Blue Book
1928 births 2009 deaths People from Franklin County, Tennessee Speakers of the Tennessee House of Representatives Democratic Party members of the Tennessee House of Representatives 20th-century American politicians People from The Villages, Florida {{Tennessee-politician-stub