Len Murray, Baron Murray of Epping Forest
| The Right Honourable The Lord Murray of Epping Forest OBE PC | |
|---|---|
| General-Secretary of the TUC | |
|
In office 1973–1984 | |
| Preceded by | Vic Feather |
| Succeeded by | Norman Willis |
| Assistant General-Secretary of the TUC | |
|
In office 1969–1973 | |
| Preceded by | Vic Feather |
| Succeeded by | Norman Willis |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Lionel Hodskinson 2 August 1922 Hadley, Shropshire |
| Died |
20 May 2004 (aged 81) Loughton, Essex |
| Nationality | British |
| Political party | Labour |
| Other political affiliations | Communist |
| Spouse(s) | Heather née Woolf m. 1945 (later Heather, The Lady Murray of Epping Forest)[1] |
| Children | Four, including David Murray |
Lionel Murray, Baron Murray of Epping Forest OBE PC (2 August 1922 – 20 May 2004) was a British Labour politician and trade union leader.
Early life
Lionel was born in Hadley, Shropshire, the son of a young unmarried woman, Lorna Hodskinson, and was brought up by a local nurse, Mary Jane Chilton.[2] He attended Wellington Grammar School in Wellington, Shropshire and read English at Queen Mary University of London, but left after a year because of the emphasis on Anglo-Saxon language. He briefly became a teacher but found he was unsuitable and then joined the British Army.
Army
Murray was commissioned in the King's Shropshire Light Infantry in April 1943 and took part in the Normandy landings on D-Day. Six days later Murray was badly wounded and in October 1944 was invalided out of the army with the rank of lieutenant.[3]
Demobilisation
Murray worked at an engineering works in Wolverhampton as storekeeper, before leaving to sell The Daily Worker on street corners and joining the Communist Party. While selling The Daily Worker, he encountered his former headmaster, who informed him he was wasting his time. Determined to improve himself, shortly afterwards Murray gained a place at New College, Oxford where he graduated with a First in PPE after two years' study under tutors including future MP Dick Crossman and Sir John Hicks.[4]
Career
Murray started as a manager for a Liverpool catering firm. He was a Trades Union Congress (TUC) employee from 1947, when he joined as an assistant in the economics department. Seven years later he was promoted to head of the department. He was elected assistant general-secretary in 1969.
In 1970 he was invited to deliver the Marlow (Scotland) Lecture to the Institution of Engineers and Shipbuilders in Scotland. He chose the subject Trade Unions and the State - 1964 to 1970 in Retrospect.
He became General Secretary of the TUC in 1973, leading it during the Winter of Discontent and confrontations with Margaret Thatcher's government.
Personal life
Murray married Heather Woolf, a nurse, in 1945. The couple had two daughters and two sons, the younger of whom, David, pursued a successful career in the Royal Air Force.[5] They lived in Loughton, Essex.
Appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the 1966 New Year Honours[6] list, Murray served as a TUC officer until his retirement in 1984, three years early. Upon his retirement in early May 1984, he made the following statement - "There are places to go, books to read, flowers to smell and trees to look at. I would like to walk through Epping Forest".
Sworn into the Privy Council in 1976, he was created a life peer as Baron Murray of Epping Forest, of Telford in the County of Shropshire, on 14 February 1985.[7] He also served as a Methodist local preacher.[8] Murray died in hospital in 2004 from emphysema and pneumonia.
References
- ↑ www.friendsofeppingforest.org.uk
- ↑ Edward J. Davies, "The Origins of some Trade Unionists", Notes and Queries, 259(2014):570-73.
- ↑ www.unithistories.com
- ↑ Independent obituary: Lord Murray of Epping Forest
- ↑ A genealogical survey of the peerage of Britain as well as the royal families of Europe, www.thepeerage.com
- ↑ The London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 43854. p. 13. 1 January 1966.
- ↑ The London Gazette: no. 50048. p. 2799. 27 February 1985.
- ↑ www.loughton-tc.gov.uk
External links
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Vic Feather |
Assistant General-Secretary of the TUC 1969–1973 |
Succeeded by Norman Willis |
| Preceded by Vic Feather |
General-Secretary of the TUC 1973–1984 |
Succeeded by Norman Willis |