Richard J. "Rich" Murray (born July 21, 1957) is a

Minnesota Minnesota () is a state in the upper midwestern region of the United States. It is the 12th largest U.S. state in area and the 22nd most populous, with over 5.75 million residents. Minnesota is home to western prairies, now given over to ...

politician serving as the mayor of

Albert Lea, Minnesota Albert Lea is a city in Freeborn County, in southern Minnesota. It is the county seat. Its population was 18,492 at the 2020 census. The city is at the junction of Interstates 35 and 90, about south of the Twin Cities. It is on the shores of ...

, since 2023. From 2011 to 2013, he served as a member of the

Minnesota House of Representatives The Minnesota House of Representatives is the lower house of the Legislature of the U.S. state of Minnesota. There are 134 members, twice as many as the Minnesota Senate. Floor sessions are held in the north wing of the State Capitol in Saint Pa ...

, representing District 27A, which includes all or parts of

Freeborn "Freeborn" is a term associated with political agitator John Lilburne (1614–1657), a member of the Levellers, a 17th-century English political party. As a word, "freeborn" means born free, rather than in slavery or bondage or vassalage. Lilbur ...

and

Mower A mower is a person or machine that cuts (mows) grass or other plants that grow on the ground. Usually mowing is distinguished from reaping, which uses similar implements, but is the traditional term for harvesting grain crops, e.g. with reapers ...

Counties.

Early life, education, and career

Murray graduated from

Mankato State University Minnesota State University, Mankato (MNSU, MSU, or Minnesota State) is a public university in Mankato, Minnesota, United States. It is Minnesota's second-largest university and has over 123,000 living alumni worldwide. Founded in 1868, it is t ...

, receiving his

B.S. A Bachelor of Science (BS, BSc, SB, or ScB; from the Latin ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for programs that generally last three to five years. The first university to admit a student to the degree of Bachelor of Science was the University of ...

in business, and later attended the

University of St. Thomas St. Thomas University or University of St. Thomas may refer to: *Saint Thomas Aquinas University, Colombia *Saint Thomas Aquinas University of the North, Tucumán province, Argentina *St. Thomas University (Canada), Fredericton, New Brunswick *St. ...

, earning his

M.B.A. A Master of Business Administration (MBA; also Master's in Business Administration) is a postgraduate degree focused on business administration. The core courses in an MBA program cover various areas of business administration such as accounti ...

He also served in the

U.S. Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cl ...

. Murray is also an investment advisor and small business owner of ISC Financial Advisors, based in

Minneapolis Minneapolis () is the largest city in Minnesota, United States, and the county seat of Hennepin County. The city is abundant in water, with thirteen lakes, wetlands, the Mississippi River, creeks and waterfalls. Minneapolis has its origins ...

and

Albert Lea Albert Lea may refer to: *Albert Lea, Minnesota, U.S. *Albert Lea Township, Freeborn County, Minnesota, U.S. *Albert Miller Lea Albert Miller Lea (July 23, 1808 – January 16, 1891) was an American engineer, soldier, and topographer with the ...

.Minnesota Legislators Past & Present - Legislator Record - Murray, Rich
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Minnesota House of Representatives

Elections

Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

, Murray was elected to the House in 2010, unseating incumbent Representative Robin Brown by 57 votes after a recount. In 2012, he lost reelection to DFL nominee

Shannon Savick Shannon Savick (born April 12, 1940) is a Minnesota politician and former member of the Minnesota House of Representatives. A member of the Minnesota Democratic–Farmer–Labor Party (DFL), she represented District 27A in southern Minnesota. Ea ...

by 653 votes.

Tenure

Murray was sworn in on January 4, 2011. He served in the 87th Minnesota legislature. He served on the Government Operations and Elections, the Jobs and Economic Development Finance, the State Government Finance, and the Transportation Policy and Finance committees.

Personal life

Murray is married to his wife, Sandy. They have 4 children and reside in

. Active in his community and church through the years, Murray has been a member of the local

Salvation Army Salvation (from Latin: ''salvatio'', from ''salva'', 'safe, saved') is the state of being saved or protected from harm or a dire situation. In religion and theology, ''salvation'' generally refers to the deliverance of the soul from sin and its c ...

Board, the Albert Lea Technical College Foundation Board, the Naeve Healthcare Foundation Board, the Southern Minnesota Judicial Ethics Committee, the Circle of Parenting Child Abuse Prevention Board, the local

United Way United Way is an international network of over 1,800 local nonprofit fundraising affiliates. United Way was the largest nonprofit organization in the United States by donations from the public, prior to 2016. United Way organizations raise funds ...

, and local youth athletics and recreation programs.About Rich Murray
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References

External links

Rep. Murray Web Page

Project Votesmart - Rep. Rich Murray Profile

1957 births Living people People from Albert Lea, Minnesota Republican Party members of the Minnesota House of Representatives 21st-century American legislators 21st-century Minnesota politicians {{Minnesota-politician-stub