James Murray (April 29, 1842 – January 16, 1900) was a merchant and politician

Newfoundland Newfoundland and Labrador is the easternmost province of Canada, in the country's Atlantic region. The province comprises the island of Newfoundland and the continental region of Labrador, having a total size of . As of 2025 the population ...

. He represented Burgeo-LaPoile in the

Newfoundland and Labrador House of Assembly The Newfoundland and Labrador House of Assembly () is the Unicameralism, unicameral deliberative assembly of the General Assembly of Newfoundland and Labrador of the province of Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. It meets in the Confederation Bu ...

from 1889 to 1894 as an

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Early life and business career

Murray was born in St. John's, the son of James Murray and Elizabeth Stacey. Murray married Jennie Ritchie. He formed a commission agency and importing company in partnership with his brother. Murray became sole owner after his brother died in 1874. He later expanded into the fishery supply business.

Politics and later life

Murray ran unsuccessfully for the district of Burgeo and La Poile in 1882, where he campaigned as "the Fisherman's Friend." In a series of subsequent articles published in the Evening Telegram, Murray blamed his defeat on the undue influence of merchants and clergyman in using threats to sway the vote. He was eventually elected in

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after the introduction of the

secret ballot The secret ballot, also known as the Australian ballot, is a voting method in which a voter's identity in an election or a referendum is anonymous. This forestalls attempts to influence the voter by intimidation, blackmailing, and potential vote ...

. Murray was re-elected in 1893. He continued to campaign as "the Fisherman's Friend," which D. W. Prowse opined was "the only comic element" in a generally acerbic election. Murray's victory was overturned in 1894 alongside most of his Liberal colleagues through the Corrupt Practices Act. The resulting political instability exacerbated the 1894 financial crisis which, together with the effects of the Great Fire of 1892, led to the failure of Murray's business. He would make an attempt to regain his seat in the subsequent 1897 election, but he was unsuccessful. Following his ousting from political office, Murray became a publisher of periodicals, releasing the ''Anti-Confederate'' and ''Centenary Magazine''. He died at home in St. John's on January 16, 1900.

References

19th-century members of the Newfoundland House of Assembly 1843 births 1900 deaths Newfoundland Colony people {{Newfoundland-politician-stub