William McKendree Murrell (August 20, 1854 – March 23, 1935) was an American politician and lawyer from Virginia. He served as a member of the

Virginia House of Delegates The Virginia House of Delegates is one of the two parts of the Virginia General Assembly, the other being the Senate of Virginia. It has 100 members elected for terms of two years; unlike most states, these elections take place during odd-numbe ...

, representing Campbell County from 1893 to 1894.

Early life

William McKendree Murrell was born on August 20, 1854, in

Rustburg Rustburg is a census-designated place (CDP) in and the county seat of Campbell County, Virginia, United States. The population was 1,431 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Lynchburg Metropolitan Statistical Area. The public high school in Rus ...

, Campbell County, Virginia, to Frances Cornelia (née Smithson) and John Cobbs Murrell. His father was a lawyer. He studied at private schools in Campbell County. Murrell was a student at the Classical and Commercial School in Lynchburg. His teacher was C. L. C. Minor. Murrell graduated from Roanoke College in 1874, third in his class. He received a medal in oratory at his commencement. Murrell attended the

University of Virginia School of Law The University of Virginia School of Law (Virginia Law or UVA Law) is the law school of the University of Virginia, a public research university in Charlottesville, Virginia. It was founded in 1819 by Thomas Jefferson as part of his "academical v ...

, but did not graduate in the class of 1876 due to illness. He was a member of the

Pi Delta Theta Pi Delta Theta () was a national collegiate sorority operating in the United States from February 14, 1926 until it was absorbed by Delta Sigma Epsilon in September 1941. Baird's Manual is also available online hereThe Baird's Manual Online Archi ...

fraternity.

Career

In 1877, Murrell started practicing law in

. He practiced with his father until his father's death on June 6, 1879. Murrell then practiced law alone. On May 24, 1879, Murrell was elected as commonwealth's attorney of Campbell County. He served in that role for almost 40 years. On November 1, 1892, Murrell opened a second law office in Lynchburg. Murrell was 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 ...

. Murrell served as a member of the

, representing Campbell County, from December 6, 1893, to March 8, 1894.

Personal life

Murrell married Flora Scott Withers on November 21, 1882. They had five children, Arthur Koiner, William McKendree Jr., Frances Payne, Robert Woodson Withers and Dandridge. Murrell died on March 23, 1935, at his home in Lynchburg. He was buried at Spring Hill Cemetery.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Murrell, William McKendree 1854 births 1935 deaths People from Campbell County, Virginia People from Lynchburg, Virginia Roanoke College alumni County and city Commonwealth's Attorneys in Virginia Democratic Party members of the Virginia House of Delegates 19th-century American lawyers 20th-century American lawyers 19th-century American legislators