Thomas Murray (January 18, 1836 – July 29, 1915) was a businessman and political figure in the Ottawa Valley. He represented Renfrew North in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario from 1870 to 1871, from 1879 to 1882 and from 1883 to 1890 and Pontiac in the House of Commons of Canada as a Liberal member in 1891 and 1892 and from 1900 to 1904.[1]
Thomas Murray | |
|---|---|
| Member of Parliament for Pontiac | |
| In office 1900–1904 | |
| Preceded by | William Joseph Poupore |
| Succeeded by | Gerald Brabazon |
| In office 1891–1892 | |
| Preceded by | John Bryson |
| Succeeded by | John Bryson |
| Ontario MPP | |
| In office 1883–1890 | |
| Preceded by | William Balmer McAllister |
| Succeeded by | Arunah Dunlop |
| In office 1879–1882 | |
| Preceded by | Thomas Deacon |
| Succeeded by | William Balmer McAllister |
| In office 1869–1871 | |
| Preceded by | John Supple |
| Succeeded by | Thomas Deacon |
| Constituency | Renfrew North |
| Personal details | |
| Born | January 18, 1836 Goulbourn Township, Upper Canada |
| Died | July 29, 1915 (aged 79) Pembroke, Ontario, Canada |
| Political party | Liberal |
| Spouse(s) | Jane Copeland(m. 1855), Emma Alice Foran (m. 1901) |
| Occupation | Businessman |
He was born in Goulbourn Township in 1836,[1] the son of James Murray, an Irish immigrant,[2] and Elizabeth Burrows.[3] He was a merchant in Ottawa and then Pembroke, trading in lumber and furs.[2] He served on the town council for Pembroke and also served as reeve.[1] He was elected to the 1st Parliament of Ontario after the death of John Supple; he was defeated in the election that followed in 1871 but elected again in 1879.[4] He resigned his seat in the provincial parliament in 1882 to run unsuccessfully for a seat in the federal parliament; he was reelected in 1883. His younger brother William represented Renfrew North in the House of Commons.[1] In 1884, Thomas and William registered a claim on a nickel deposit near Sudbury which became the Murray Mine, the first nickel mine established in the area.[5]
Murray was married twice: to Jane Copeland in 1855 and to Emma Alice Foran in 1901. He died in Pembroke at the age of 79.[3]
Electoral history edit
Federal edit
| 1872 Canadian federal election: Pontiac | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |||||
| Liberal–Conservative | William McKay Wright | 1,604 | 54.80 | |||||
| Unknown | Thomas Murray | 1,323 | 45.20 | |||||
| Total valid votes | 2,927 | 100.00 | ||||||
| Source: Canadian Elections Database[6] | ||||||||
| 1878 Canadian federal election: Pontiac | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |||||
| Conservative | John Poupore | 1,381 | 54.05 | |||||
| Unknown | Thomas Murray | 1,174 | 45.95 | |||||
| Total valid votes | 2,555 | 100.00 | ||||||
| 1891 Canadian federal election: Pontiac | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | ||||
| Liberal | Thomas Murray | 1,100 | 41.01 | +4.52 | ||||
| Unknown | H.M. McLean | 795 | 29.64 | |||||
| Conservative | John Bryson | 787 | 29.34 | -34.16 | ||||
| Total valid votes | 2,682 | 100.00 | ||||||
| By-election on 26 June 1892
On election being declared void, 9 May 1892 | |||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Conservative | John Bryson | ?? | |||
| Liberal | Thomas Murray | ?? | |||
| 1900 Canadian federal election: Pontiac | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | ||||
| Liberal | Thomas Murray | 1,798 | 52.65 | +12.27 | ||||
| Conservative | Gerald Hugh Brabazon | 1,617 | 47.35 | -12.27 | ||||
| Total valid votes | 3,415 | 100.00 | ||||||
Provincial edit
| Ontario provincial by-election, October 22, 1869: Renfrew North Resignation of John Supple | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | ||||
| Liberal | Thomas Murray | 518 | 53.40 | +25.23 | ||||
| Conservative | Thomas Deacon | 452 | 46.60 | −25.14 | ||||
| Total valid votes | 970 | 100.0 | −13.24 | |||||
| Liberal gain from Conservative | Swing | +25.18 | ||||||
| Source: History of the Electoral Districts, Legislatures and Ministries of the Province of Ontario[7]: 324 | ||||||||
| 1871 Ontario general election: Renfrew North | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | ||||
| Conservative | Thomas Deacon | 640 | 56.74 | +11.67 | ||||
| Liberal | Thomas Murray | 488 | 43.26 | −11.67 | ||||
| Turnout | 1,128 | 74.31 | 19.62 | |||||
| Eligible voters | 1,518 | |||||||
| Conservative gain from Liberal | Swing | +11.67 | ||||||
| Source: Elections Ontario[8] | ||||||||
| 1879 Ontario general election: Renfrew North | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | ||||
| Liberal | Thomas Murray | 1,066 | 52.56 | +6.00 | ||||
| Conservative | Thomas Deacon | 962 | 47.44 | −6.00 | ||||
| Total valid votes | 2,028 | 72.07 | −4.64 | |||||
| Eligible voters | 2,814 | |||||||
| Liberal gain from Conservative | Swing | +6.00 | ||||||
| Source: Elections Ontario[9] | ||||||||
References edit
- ^ a b c d Thomas Murray – Parliament of Canada biography
- ^ a b Rose, George McLean (1886). A Cyclopæedia of Canadian biography being chiefly men of the time ... pp. 761–2.
- ^ a b Johnson, J.K. (1968). The Canadian Directory of Parliament 1867-1967. Public Archives of Canada.
- ^ Member's parliamentary history for the Legislative Assembly of Ontario
- ^ Nickel:Canadian Tributes
- ^ Sayers, Anthony M. "1872 Federal Election". Canadian Elections Database. Archived from the original on 3 February 2024.
- ^ Lewis, Roderick (1968). Centennial Edition of a History of the Electoral Districts, Legislatures and Ministries of the Province of Ontario, 1867–1968. OCLC 1052682.
- ^ "Data Explorer". Elections Ontario. 1871. Retrieved 31 March 2024.
- ^ "Data Explorer". Elections Ontario. 1879. Retrieved 19 April 2024.