George Murray (civil servant)

The Right Honourable Sir George Murray GCB GCVO ISO
Secretary to the General Post Office
In office 1899–1903
Preceded by	Sir Spencer Walpole
Succeeded by	Henry Babington-Smith

Sir George Herbert Murray GCB GCVO ISO PC (27 September 1849 – 4 April 1936) was a British civil servant.^[1]

Early life and career

Murray was born in Southfleet, Kent, England, the son of the village's rector. He was educated at Harrow School and Christ Church, Oxford. He entered the Foreign Office in 1873 and transferred to HM Treasury in 1880. From 1892 to 1894 he was private secretary to Prime Minister William Ewart Gladstone in his role as First Lord of the Treasury, and remained private secretary to his successor, Lord Rosebery, until 1895.

Later career

In 1897, Murray was appointed chairman of the Board of Inland Revenue.^[2] In 1899 he became secretary to the General Post Office and in 1903 returned to the Treasury as Joint Permanent Secretary, in charge of administrative matters while Sir Edward Hamilton handled the financial affairs. On Hamilton's retirement in October 1907, Murray became sole permanent secretary. In 1909, Murray was involved in lobbying various Crossbench peers in the House of Lords to reject the Chancellor of the Exchequer's proposed budget.^[3] He retired on 23 July 1911.

From 1914, Murray played a prominent part in the management of the Prince of Wales's Fund. In 1915 he became chairman of the committee on the employment of soldiers and sailors disabled in the war. He was also a member of the Haldane Committee, which reported on the machinery of government in 1918

Murray was appointed Companion of the Order of the Bath (CB) in 1894^[4] and Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath (KCB) in the 1899 Birthday Honours,^[5] shortly after joining the Post Office. He was appointed to the Imperial Service Order (ISO) in 1904, and was appointed Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath (GCB) in 1908.^[6] On 19 July 1910 he was appointed to the Privy Council,^[7] entitling him to the style "The Right Honourable". He was appointed Knight Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order (GCVO) in the 1920 New Year Honours.^[8]

Murray's son, Sir Evelyn Murray, also became secretary to the Post Office, the last person to hold the office.

Footnotes

1. Who Was Who: MURRAY, Rt Hon. Sir George Herbert. Who Was Who. 1929–40. A & C Black, Oxford University Press. Retrieved 2010-03-06.
2. The London Gazette: no. 26839. p. 1945. 6 April 1897.
3. McLean, Ian. "The 1909 budget and the destruction of the unwritten British Constitution". History & Policy. United Kingdom: History & Policy. Retrieved 9 December 2010.
4. The London Gazette: no. 26495. p. 1589. 16 March 1894.
5. The Edinburgh Gazette: no. 11101. p. 589. 13 June 1899. Retrieved 3 April 2015.
6. The London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 28151. p. 4642. 23 June 1908.
7. The London Gazette: no. 28396. p. 5137. 19 July 1910.
8. The London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 31712. p. 6. 30 December 1919.

References

• Peden, G. C. "Murray, Sir George Herbert (1849–1936)". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (online ed.). Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/35160. (Subscription or UK public library membership required.)
• Obituary, The Times, 6 April 1936