Thomas Murray (Canadian politician)

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 byWilliam Joseph Poupore
Succeeded byGerald Brabazon
In office
1891–1892
Preceded byJohn Bryson
Succeeded byJohn Bryson
Ontario MPP
In office
1883–1890
Preceded byWilliam Balmer McAllister
Succeeded byArunah Dunlop
In office
1879–1882
Preceded byThomas Deacon
Succeeded byWilliam Balmer McAllister
In office
1869–1871
Preceded byJohn Supple
Succeeded byThomas Deacon
ConstituencyRenfrew North
Personal details
Born(1836-01-18)January 18, 1836
Goulbourn Township, Upper Canada
DiedJuly 29, 1915(1915-07-29) (aged 79)
Pembroke, Ontario, Canada
Political partyLiberal
Spouse(s)Jane Copeland(m. 1855), Emma Alice Foran (m. 1901)
OccupationBusinessman

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

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Federal

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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

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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

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  1. ^ a b c d Thomas Murray – Parliament of Canada biography
  2. ^ a b Rose, George McLean (1886). A Cyclopæedia of Canadian biography being chiefly men of the time ... pp. 761–2.
  3. ^ a b Johnson, J.K. (1968). The Canadian Directory of Parliament 1867-1967. Public Archives of Canada.
  4. ^ Member's parliamentary history for the Legislative Assembly of Ontario
  5. ^ Nickel:Canadian Tributes
  6. ^ Sayers, Anthony M. "1872 Federal Election". Canadian Elections Database. Archived from the original on 3 February 2024.
  7. ^ Lewis, Roderick (1968). Centennial Edition of a History of the Electoral Districts, Legislatures and Ministries of the Province of Ontario, 1867–1968. OCLC 1052682.
  8. ^ "Data Explorer". Elections Ontario. 1871. Retrieved 31 March 2024.
  9. ^ "Data Explorer". Elections Ontario. 1879. Retrieved 19 April 2024.
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