Thomas Patrick Murray (June 10, 1880 – October 1, 1981) was an Ontario lumber merchant and political figure. Born in Barry's Bay, he held a number of jobs prior to founding a lumber firm in 1902. A local politician for nearly a decade before being elected to the Legislative Assembly of Ontario as the member from Renfrew South, he served in the Assembly for 16 years, before being defeated in the 1945 provincial election.

Early life

Murray was of Scottish descent, although his father had emigrated from Ireland and settled in Sherwood Township in 1865. Thomas was born June 10, 1880, in

Barry's Bay, Ontario Barry's Bay is a community in the township of Madawaska Valley, Ontario, Canada, located two hours west of Ottawa on the shores of Kamaniskeg Lake, with a 2016 population of 1,259. History The Algonquin people named the area Kuaenash Ne-ishi ...

. He worked as "a wood chopper, lumberjack, railway laborer, farmer, log maker and manufacturing lumberman" prior to establishing his own lumber firm, M & T. Murray, with a mill in Martin's Siding in 1902. By 1952 the company operated three mills in Barry's Bay, Combermere, and Madawaska. Founded with his brother Michael, the duo partnered with John Omanique in 1912 to form the Murray and Omanique Lumber Co. The company was dissolved in 1929 and Murray's interest was renamed Murray Brothers, as his brothers Charles and Dan joined the business. He was active as an athlete and was involved in local baseball for over three decades. He married Hannah Kiely in 1910 and had nine children.

Political career

Despite growing up in a Conservative family, Murray was a member of the Ontario Liberal Party. He served on the municipal council for three years, beginning in 1921, before being elected

reeve Reeve may refer to: Titles *Reeve (Canada), an elected chief executive of some counties, townships, and equivalents *Reeve (England), an official elected annually by the serfs to supervise lands for a lord *High-reeve, a title taken by some Englis ...

in 1924 of the Sherwood, Jones, and Burns townships that made up the then-unincorporated village of Barry's Bay. In the 1929 Ontario provincial election, he ran for a seat in the

Legislative Assembly of Ontario The Legislative Assembly of Ontario (OLA, french: Assemblée législative de l'Ontario) is the legislative chamber of the Canadian province of Ontario. Its elected members are known as Members of Provincial Parliament (MPPs). Bills passed by ...

in the Renfrew South riding against incumbent

Thomas Moore Costello Thomas Moore Costello (April 27, 1883 – October 29, 1954) was a lawyer, judge and political figure in Ontario. He represented Renfrew Southin the Legislative Assembly of Ontario from 1926 to 1929 as a Conservative member. He was born in Bru ...

of the Conservative Party, who had held the seat since 1926. Murray won by a narrow margin. Amid the

Great Depression The Great Depression (19291939) was an economic shock that impacted most countries across the world. It was a period of economic depression that became evident after a major fall in stock prices in the United States. The economic contagio ...

, and serving under a Conservative majority, Murray supported a provincial Depression-relief initiative to improve Renfrew County roads that improved the local infrastructure significantly. He was reelected three times, in

1934 Events January–February * January 1 – The International Telecommunication Union, a specialist agency of the League of Nations, is established. * January 15 – The 8.0 1934 Nepal–Bihar earthquake, Nepal–Bihar earthquake strik ...

1937 Events January * January 1 – Anastasio Somoza García becomes President of Nicaragua. * January 5 – Water levels begin to rise in the Ohio River in the United States, leading to the Ohio River flood of 1937, which continues into Fe ...

, and

1943 Events Below, the events of World War II have the "WWII" prefix. January * January 1 – WWII: The Soviet Union announces that 22 German divisions have been encircled at Stalingrad, with 175,000 killed and 137,650 captured. * January 4 – ...

, before being defeated by Conservative

James Shannon Dempsey James Shannon Dempsey (February 9, 1887 – October 24, 1955) was a Canadian politician who was a Member of Provincial Parliament in Legislative Assembly of Ontario The Legislative Assembly of Ontario (OLA, french: Assemblée législative ...

in the 1945 election.

Later life

Murray returned to his lumber business following his defeat, but also remained active athletically, playing curling at a regional senior's level. Murray turned 100 in June 1980 and received a personalized birthday card from Wayne Gretzky. He died October 1, 1981, in Barry's Bay, at the age of 101. His grandson, Sean Conway, served as an MPP for

Renfrew North Renfrew North (also known as Renfrew North—Nipissing East) was a federal electoral district represented in the House of Commons of Canada from 1867 to 1979. It was located in the province of Ontario. It was created by the British North Americ ...

from 1975 to 1999, and for Renfrew—Nipissing—Pembroke from 1999 until his 2003 retirement. The Thomas P. Murray Recreational Trails in Barry's Bay are named in his honor.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Murray, Thomas Patrick 1880 births 1981 deaths 20th-century Canadian businesspeople Canadian centenarians Canadian people of Irish descent Canadian people of Scottish descent Men centenarians Ontario Liberal Party MPPs People from Renfrew County