George Murray (British Army officer)

Sir George Murray ( born February 6, 1772 in Ochtertyre, Crieff, Perthshire, Scotland, † July 28, 1846 in London, United Kingdom ) was a general, politician, Quartermaster General, War and Colonial Secretary and the second son of Baronet William Murray and Lady Augusta Mackenzie, daughter of the Earl of Cromarty.

Early life

George Murras was educated at the Edinburgh High School and the University of Edinburgh. In 1826 he married Lady Lousa Erskine, widow of Sir James Erskine.

Military and political career

He came as a soldier to the 71st Regiment, then the 34th Regiment and from 1790 to the 3rd Foot Guards.

He served in Flanders from 1793-1794 and in the West Indies from 1795-1796, 1801, he was in Egypt on active duty and later quartermaster general in Portugal, Spain and Ireland. In 1809 he was Colonel and Major General. In January 1812 he was awarded the Order of the Bath. 1814 Murray obtained a post as governor in the Canadian provinces of Britain and then he was in Flanders chief of staff until 1818. From 1819 to 1824 he was governor of the Royal Military College, Sandhurst, and in 1823 he was elected to parliament. From 1825-1828, he was a Lieutenant General in Ireland. From May 1828 to November 1830, he was War and Colonial Secretary in the Cabinet of the Duke of Wellington, where he allowed Thomas Peel to establish the Swan River Colony with private funds, but this failed. Through his initiative with the later Governor James Stirling saw the founding of Western Australia, where he sent not only convicts, but also free settlers. In 1832 he lost his seat in parliament, but won it in the 1834 election returns. His appointment as General in November 1841.