Elaine Murray

Elaine Murray ( born December 22, 1954 in Hitchin ) is a Scottish politician and member of the Labour Party.

Life

Although Murray was born in England, she is the daughter of Scottish parents and grew up in Edinburgh. She studied chemistry at the University of Edinburgh and completed his studies with the master. Subsequently, she received her doctorate in physical chemistry at Cambridge University and took a job as a post- doctoral student at the city's Cavendish Laboratory. After another post-doctorate at the Royal Free Hospital, London, Murray moved to the Institute of Food Research in Reading. From 1992 to 1999 she worked as a lecturer in chemistry at the Open University. Elaine Murray is married and mother of three.

Political career

Between 1990 and 1993, Murray advised the Labour MEPs Alex Smith. In 1994 she was elected for the Labour Party in the District Council of Strathclyde, 1995 in the Regional Council of South Ayrshire. In the first Scottish Parliament elections in 1999 as well as 2003 and 2007 won them the direct mandate of their constituency Dumfries, as in the Scottish Parliament elections in 2011 for the newly created constituency of Dumfriesshire.

In the cabinet change in 2001 Murray was appointed Deputy Secretary of State for Culture, Tourism and Sports and retained this position until the end of the legislature. In the shadow cabinet of the Labour Party was provided to 2008 as Secretary of State for companies and between 2008 and 2011 as State Secretary for Rural Affairs and the Environment. In the shadow cabinet Labour Murray is provided since 2011 as Secretary of State for Housing and Transport. In September 2011, Murray announced to run for the position of deputy party leader, pulled her candidacy but returned a month later.