William Francis Murray

For the Ottawa lawyer with the same name, see Will Murray.

William Francis Murray (September 7, 1881 – September 21, 1918) was a U.S. Representative from Massachusetts and the Postmaster of Boston.

William Francis Murray
William Francis Murray circa 1912[1]
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Massachusetts
In office March 4, 1911 – September 28, 1914
Preceded by	John A. Keliher
Succeeded by	Peter Francis Tague
Constituency	9th district (1911–13) 10th district (1913–14)
Massachusetts Executive Council
In office 1910–1911
Massachusetts House of Representatives
In office 1907–1908
City of Boston Common Council
In office 1904–1904
Personal details
Born	(1881-09-07)September 7, 1881 Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.
Died	September 21, 1918(1918-09-21) (aged 37) Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.
Political party	Democratic
Alma mater	Harvard College Harvard Law School
Profession	Attorney
Military service
Years of service	1898
Rank	Corporal
Unit	United States Volunteer Signal Corps
Battles/wars	Spanish–American War

Born in Boston, Massachusetts, Murray attended the public schools and the Boston Latin School. He graduated from Harvard University in 1904 and Harvard Law School in 1906. He practiced law in Boston. He served as a United States Volunteer Signal Corps corporal during the Spanish-American War. He served as a member of the Boston Common Council in 1904 and 1905. He served as a member of the State House of Representatives in 1907 and 1908. He served as a member of the Governor's council in 1910

Election to Congress

Murray was elected as a Democrat to the Sixty-second and Sixty-third Congresses. He served as a Member of Congress from March 4, 1911, until September 28, 1914, when he resigned, having been appointed postmaster of Boston.

Postmaster of Boston

On June 19, 1914, President Wilson nominated Murray for the position of Postmaster of Boston.^[2] The Senate Confirmed the nomination on July 16, 1914.^[3] Murray served as postmaster from October 1, 1914, until his death on September 21, 1918.

Death

In the Autumn of 1918, Murray contracted the Spanish flu^[4] and died from pneumonia at Boston City Hospital at 11:40 on the night of September 21, 1918.^[5]

Burial

Murray was interred in Holyhood Cemetery, the Chestnut Hill section of Brookline, Massachusetts.^[6]