George Henry Murray

Murray, George Henry

George Henry Murray, lawyer, politician, premier of Nova Scotia (b at Grand Narrows, NS 7 June 1861; d at Montréal 6 Jan 1929). Murray's unbroken 27 years in power (1896-1923) is a British Empire and Commonwealth record. Leadership of the Nova Scotia Liberal Party fell to Murray when W.S. FIELDING entered the LAURIER Cabinet in 1896. Always cautious, Murray practised a form of brokerage politics, trying both to avoid controversy and to appeal to every constituency. His government continued Fielding's commitment to railway consolidation and road and bridge construction, encouraged agricultural and technical education, took some initial steps in improving the public health system, and co-operated with the federal government in prosecuting the war. His administration's more significant accomplishments included the legislation of PROHIBITION in 1906, the introduction of workers' compensation in 1916, the extension of the vote to women in 1918 and the development of the NS Power Commission in 1919. Faced with postwar economic dislocation, industrial collapse and the continuing mistrust of the province's working class, Murray retired in January 1923.