Arthur Murray (April 29, 1851 – May 12, 1925) was a career U.S. Army artillery officer and
major general in the
United States Army. He was notable for his service as
Chief of Artillery for the United States Army Artillery Corps, and the
first Chief of United States Army Coast Artillery.
Murray served primarily in artillery command and staff assignments, with one exception being his command of the
43rd U.S. Volunteer Infantry Regiment during the
Philippine Insurrection. Following his retirement in 1915, Murray returned to active duty during
World War I. He served as commander of the Army's Western Department from 1917 until retiring again in 1918.
Early life and career
Murray was born in
Bowling Green, Missouri, on April 29, 1851. He attended the
United States Military Academy at West Point, New York, ranked second in the Class of 1874. After graduation, he was commissioned as a
second lieutenant
Second lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces, comparable to NATO OF-1 rank.
Australia
The rank of second lieutenant existed in the military forces of the Australian colonies and Australian Army until ...
with the
1st U.S. Artillery
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, serving in
Florida,
South Carolina, and
Rhode Island, and later in
Pennsylvania during the Army's response to the
Great Railroad Strike of 1877. He was promoted to
first lieutenant in June 1878, and in 1880 he graduated first in his class at the U.S. Army Field Artillery School at
Fort Monroe, Virginia.
He served at West Point as an instructor of natural and experimental philosophy between 1881 and 1885, and following a yearlong posting at the
Presidio in San Francisco, California, in 1886, was in 1887 assigned to the
U.S. Army Judge Advocate General's office for the
Department of the Missouri. He later served in the Judge Advocate's office for the
Department of Dakota. Murray studied law during his Judge Advocate General postings and was admitted to the bar.
From 1891 to 1896, Murray was commander of Battery L, 1st Artillery at
Fort Wadsworth, New York. He then served at
Yale University as a professor of military science from 1896 to 1898.
Later career
Spanish-American War
At the outbreak of the
Spanish–American War, Murray was assigned command of Battery A, 1st U.S. Artillery in
Key West. Florida on April 18, 1898. He subsequently served as judge advocate for
First Army Corps on campaign in
Cuba. After the war, Murray held several positions in Cuba as part of the U.S. Army's occupation government before returning to Washington, D.C., in May 1899.
Philippine Insurrection
In August 1899, Murray accepted command of the
43rd United States Volunteer Infantry Regiment with the temporary rank of colonel. He organized the regiment at
Fort Ethan Allen,
Vermont, and led it to the
Philippine Islands in November 1899. The 43rd Infantry was in action during the
Philippine Insurrection between 1900 and 1901, arriving in Manila in late-December 1899, and was present for much of the
bloody counterinsurgency fighting on Luzon, Samar, and Leyte Islands between January and May 1900.
From June 1900 to June, 1901 Murray served as commander of the 1st District of the Department of the Visayas.
Commandant of the School of Submarine Defense
On August 22, 1901, Murray was promoted to
major
Major (commandant in certain jurisdictions) is a military rank of commissioned officer status, with corresponding ranks existing in many military forces throughout the world. When used unhyphenated and in conjunction with no other indicators ...
in the Artillery Corps. From 1901 to 1906, he was commandant of the Army's School of Submarine Defense. The school's purpose was to devise and implement methods of defending American harbors from attack by enemy ships, including the employment of underwater mines and torpedoes. During Murray's tenure, the school was relocated to
Fort Monroe, which was also the home of the U.S. Army's Artillery School.
Her served as president of Torpedo Board beginning on October 3, 1901, and was detailed as member of the Board of Engineers in July 1903. Murray was also in charge of the submarine mine defenses of Long Island, New York; Portland, Maine; Fort Monroe, Virginia; Baltimore, Maryland; and Washington, D.C., during the Army-Navy maneuvers of 1902, 1903, and 1905.
On April 14, 1905, Murray was promoted to
lieutenant colonel
Lieutenant colonel ( , ) is a rank of commissioned officers in the armies, most marine forces and some air forces of the world, above a major and below a colonel. Several police forces in the United States use the rank of lieutenant colone ...
.
Chief of Artillery and retirement
On October 1, 1906, Murray was promoted simultaneously to
colonel and
brigadier general, selected to fill the position of
Chief of Artillery
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Title or rank
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in Washington, D.C.
In 1908, the Artillery Corps was divided into the
Coast Artillery Corps and the
Field Artillery
Field artillery is a category of mobile artillery used to support armies in the field. These weapons are specialized for mobility, tactical proficiency, short range, long range, and extremely long range target engagement.
Until the early 20t ...
, The companies of the Artillery Corps were reorganized as units of either the U.S. Army Field Artillery (mobile light artillery units trained for ground warfare) or U.S Army Coast Artillery (tasked with the defense of static heavy coast artillery installations constructed to defend American harbors). Murray was named the first Chief of Coast Artillery. He used his time in the post on major activities including inspection of the newly-constructed
Taft-era coast artillery defenses of the Philippine Islands, Hawaiian Islands, and Pacific Coast of the United States, and served until March 1911.
Murray was promoted to
major general on March 13, 1911,
and assigned command of the U.S. Army's Western Department. He served in this post until his retirement on December 4, 1915.
Return to service in World War I
Following the
American entry into the First World War, Murray returned to service as a major general on August 21, 1917. He commanded the U.S. Army's Western Department from September 6, 1917, until retiring again in May 1918.
Murray was awarded the
Distinguished Service Medal in recognition of his contributions to the war effort. The citation for the medal reads:
Civilian career
In his early retirement, Murray served as vice chairman of the Central Committee of the
American Red Cross
The American Red Cross (ARC), also known as the American National Red Cross, is a non-profit humanitarian organization that provides emergency assistance, disaster relief, and disaster preparedness education in the United States. It is the desi ...
in Washington, D.C., between December 1915 and December 1916.
In December 1918, Murray was appointed clerk of the
U.S. House Committee on Military Affairs.
Death and burial
Murray died in
Washington, D.C., on May 12, 1925, at the age of 74.
He was buried at
Arlington National Cemetery, in Section 3, Site 1844B.
Personal life
In 1880, Murray married Sara Wetmore De Russy, the daughter of Brigadier General
René Edward De Russy.
His son,
Maxwell Murray
Maxwell Murray (June 19, 1885 – August 4, 1948) was a United States Army officer, who rose to the rank of major general. Murray commanded the 25th Infantry Division during the Attack on Pearl Harbor. He was the son of Major General Arthur ...
, was a career U.S. Army officer who attained the rank of major general.
His daughter, Sara Murray, was the wife of Major General
Henry Conger Pratt
Henry Conger Pratt (September 2, 1882 – April 6, 1966), professionally known as H. Conger Pratt, was a major general in the United States Army. He was awarded a Distinguished Service Medal with one oak leaf cluster, and received awards from I ...
.
His daughter, Carolyn Murray, was married to Ord Preston, a prominent Washington, D.C., businessman who served as president of the Washington Gas Light Company and the Union Trust Company, and also served as a major in the U.S. Army during
World War I.
Awards
*
Distinguished Service Medal
*
Spanish War Service Medal
*
Army of Cuban Occupation Medal
*
Philippine Campaign Medal
*
World War I Victory Medal
References
External links
Arlington National Cemetery
{{DEFAULTSORT:Murray, Arthur
1851 births
1925 deaths
United States Army generals
United States Military Academy alumni
American military personnel of the Spanish–American War
American military personnel of the Philippine–American War
United States Army generals of World War I
Recipients of the Distinguished Service Medal (US Army)
Burials at Arlington National Cemetery
United States Army Coast Artillery Corps personnel
People from Bowling Green, Missouri
Military personnel from Missouri