George H. Murray

George Henry Murray (June 7, 1861 – January 6, 1929) was a Nova Scotia politician who served as the eighth premier of Nova Scotia for 26 years and 188 days, the longest unbroken tenure for a head of government in Canadian history.

Early life and career

Murray was born in Grand Narrows, Nova Scotia.
He was a member of the North British Society.

Despite his later political longevity, Murray's early political career was marked by inability to get elected. He lost five consecutive elections at the federal and provincial level before he finally won a seat. Despite his electoral failures he was highly regarded within the Nova Scotia Liberal Party and was nominated by Nova Scotia Premier William Stevens Fielding as his successor after Fielding left provincial politics in 1896 to join the federal cabinet of Prime Minister Sir Wilfrid Laurier. Murray was sworn in as premier and took a seat in the Nova Scotia House of Assembly when he was acclaimed as a candidate in Victoria County.

Premier of Nova Scotia

As premier, Murray was a practitioner of brokerage politics. His government continued the public works projects of his predecessor, particularly in the area of railways by doubling the province's track mileage within a decade, as well as road and bridge construction. His government was instrumental in improving the province's postsecondary education system, particularly in agricultural and vocational education by the founding of the Nova Scotia Agricultural College at Bible Hill as well as the Nova Scotia Technical College in Halifax.

In 1906, the Liberals instituted prohibition. The Murray government also introduced workers' compensation in 1916 and instituted women's suffrage in 1918.

The Murray government also introduced progressive labour legislation such as the Factories Act in 1908 and the act for workman's compensation for injuries on the job in 1915. In the area of public health, thit appointed public health officers, established county health clinics, and founded a research hospital for tuberculosis patients.

After almost three decades in power, Murray retired from politics in January 1923. He twice declined the offer of knighthood and twice refused earlier offers to join the federal cabinet of Canadian Prime Minister Sir Wilfrid Laurier. He died in Montreal.

His son George Belcher Murray later served in the provincial assembly.

See also

* Edith Archibald

References

Biography at the ''Dictionary of Canadian Biography Online''

{{DEFAULTSORT:Murray, George
Nova Scotia Liberal Party MLAs
Premiers of Nova Scotia
People from the Cape Breton Regional Municipality
1861 births
1929 deaths
Nova Scotia political party leaders