Howard Johnstone McMurray (March 3, 1901 – August 14, 1961) was a

U.S. Representative The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they c ...

from

Wisconsin Wisconsin () is a state in the upper Midwestern United States. Wisconsin is the 25th-largest state by total area and the 20th-most populous. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake M ...

, educator, and businessman.'Wisconsin Blue Book 1944,' Biographical Sketch of Howard J. McMurray, pg. 23 Born near Mount Hope, Kansas, in

Harvey County, Kansas Harvey County (county code HV) is a county located in the U.S. state of Kansas. As of the 2020 census, the county population was 34,024. Its county seat and most populous city is Newton. History In 1854, the Kansas Territory was organized ...

, McMurray attended the public school, Berea Academy at

Berea, Kentucky Berea is a home rule-class city in Madison County, Kentucky, in the United States. The town is best known for its art festivals, historic restaurants and buildings, and as the home to Berea College, a private liberal arts college. The population ...

, and high school at

Madison, Wisconsin Madison is the county seat of Dane County and the capital city of the U.S. state of Wisconsin. As of the 2020 census the population was 269,840, making it the second-largest city in Wisconsin by population, after Milwaukee, and the 80th-lar ...

. He graduated from the

University of Wisconsin–Madison The University of Wisconsin–Madison (University of Wisconsin, Wisconsin, UW, UW–Madison, or simply Madison) is a public land-grant research university in Madison, Wisconsin. Founded when Wisconsin achieved statehood in 1848, UW–Madison ...

in 1936. He engaged in the life insurance business 1923–1928, and was an executive with air transport companies 1928–1935. He was a teacher of political science at the

1936–1942. McMurray was elected as 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 ...

to the Seventy-eighth Congress (January 3, 1943 – January 3, 1945) as the representative of

Wisconsin's 5th congressional district Wisconsin's 5th congressional district is a congressional district of the United States House of Representatives in Wisconsin, covering most of Milwaukee's northern and western suburbs. It presently covers all of Washington and Jefferson count ...

. A confidential 1943 analysis of the

House Foreign Affairs Committee The United States House Committee on Foreign Affairs, also known as the House Foreign Affairs Committee, is a standing committee of the U.S. House of Representatives with jurisdiction over bills and investigations concerning the foreign affairs o ...

by Isaiah Berlin for the British Foreign Office described McMurray as McMurray was not a candidate for renomination in 1944, but was an unsuccessful Democratic candidate for election to the

United States Senate The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and pow ...

in 1944 and again in 1946. He is best known for his 1946 campaign in which he lost in a landslide to the Republican candidate, Joseph McCarthy. He was also a notable academic, serving as lecturer in political science at the

University of Wisconsin–Madison A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United Stat ...

in 1945 and 1946, Professor of political science at Occidental College,

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from 1947 to 1949, and as Professor of government,

University of New Mexico The University of New Mexico (UNM; es, Universidad de Nuevo México) is a public research university in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Founded in 1889, it is the state's flagship academic institution and the largest by enrollment, with over 25,400 ...

, from 1949 until his death in Albuquerque, New Mexico, August 14, 1961. He was interred in Fairview Park Cemetery.

Notes

Sources

{{DEFAULTSORT:McMurray, Howard J. 1901 births 1961 deaths People from Harvey County, Kansas University of Wisconsin–Madison alumni University of Wisconsin–Madison faculty Occidental College faculty University of New Mexico faculty Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Wisconsin 20th-century American politicians