Ed Murray (Wyoming politician)
Ed Murray | |
|---|---|
 | |
| 21st Secretary of State of Wyoming | |
| In office January 5, 2015 – February 9, 2018 | |
| Governor | Matt Mead |
| Preceded by | Max Maxfield |
| Succeeded by | Karen Wheeler (Acting) |
| Personal details | |
| Born | March 28, 1958 Laramie County, Wyoming, U.S. |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse | Caren Murray |
| Children | 4 |
| Education | University of Arizona (BA) University of Wyoming (JD) |
Ed Murray (born March 28, 1958) is the former Secretary of State of Wyoming. He is a member of the Republican Party.
Murray was considering running for governor of Wyoming in the 2018 election,[1][2] but did not enter the race.[3][4]
Early life and education
Murray is a fourth-generation Wyoming native.[citation needed] One of eight children, he was born and raised in Laramie County in a family that was active in the Cheyenne community.[5] He graduated from Central High School in 1976 and received an undergraduate degree in business administration with dual majors in finance and real estate from the University of Arizona.[6] Murray graduated from the University of Wyoming College of Law.[when?][7][better source needed]
Career
Murray is a real estate investor and developer. He owns Murray Investment and Development which contained 16 business entities as of 2014.[8][9] Murray is an advocate of economic development in Wyoming, in 2016 arguing against an increase in state businesses' annual filing fee.[10][11][12]
2014 Wyoming Secretary of State election
In March 2014, Secretary of State Max Maxfield announced that he would not seek reelection. Murray declared his candidacy for the Republican Party nomination in April. He outspent all primary opponents and won by only 1,632 votes with less than 37% of the vote. Murray then defeated Libertarian Party nominee Howard "Kit" Carson and Constitution Party nominee Jennifer Young in the general election, receiving 77% of the vote in a state widely known to support Republican candidates.[13][14]
Wyoming Secretary of State
In his official capacity as Secretary of State Murray is Wyoming's Chief Business Registrar, Chief Elections Officer, Securities Commissioner, and Notaries Public Commissioner. Secretary Murray chairs the State Canvassing Board and serves with four other statewide elected officials on the State Loan and Investment Board, the Board of Land Commissioners and the State Building Commission. Because Wyoming has no lieutenant governor, the secretary of state serves as acting governor if the governor is absent from the state or becomes incapable of serving.[9]
In the summer of 2016, Secretary Murray announced the launch of a business service which allows for the electronic filing of official documents and retrieval of records that were previously available only upon request. As a result the time to process a business filing decreased from five days to as low as thirty minutes.[15][16][17][18]
Murray criticized the formation of President Donald Trump's Presidential Advisory Commission on Election Integrity as an example of federal overreach into state sovereignty, and when it was officially dissolved in 2018 he said he was pleased. He was one of the majority of secretaries of state who refused to comply with the Commission's request for voters' personal data.[19]
Murray resigned on February 9, 2018, in the wake of decades-old sexual abuse allegations against him.[20]
Personal life
Murray and his wife Catherine ("Caren") are the parents of four adult daughters. Murray is Catholic.[21]
In December 2017 a woman accused Murray of sexually assaulting her in 1982, when she was an intern at a law firm where he was a lawyer. He denied the allegation.[22] In January 2018 another woman accused him of sexual misconduct against her on New Year's Eve 1988; he said in a statement that he did not remember that incident. In the same statement he said he would not run for governor or seek higher office in 2018.[3][4]
Electoral history
| Wyoming Secretary of State Republican Primary Election, 2014 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| Republican | Ed Murray | 32,944 | 36.86 |
| Republican | Ed Buchanan | 31,312 | 34.93 |
| Republican | Pete Illoway | 16,596 | 18.51 |
| Republican | Clark Stith | 8,511 | 9.49 |
| Republican | Write-ins | 274 | 0.31 |
| Wyoming Secretary of State Election, 2014 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| Republican | Ed Murray | 119,772 | 76.58 |
| Constitution | Jennifer Young | 18,918 | 12.10 |
| Libertarian | Kit Carson | 16,858 | 10.78 |
| Write-ins | Write-ins | 859 | 0.55 |
References
- ^ Hancock, Laura (June 29, 2016). "Lummis not ruling out run for governor". Casper Star-Tribune.
{{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=(help) - ^ Funk, Joel (September 20, 2017). "GOP candidate for Wyoming governor remains unclear". Wyoming Tribune Eagle. Retrieved December 27, 2017.
{{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=(help) - ^ a b Rosenfeld, Arno (January 24, 2018). "Second woman accuses Murray of sexual misconduct; Secretary of state won't seek reelection or higher office". Casper Star-Tribune. Retrieved January 25, 2018.
{{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=(help) - ^ a b Wilson, Reid (January 24, 2018). "Wyoming official won't run for governor after harassment allegations". The Hill. Retrieved January 25, 2018.
{{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=(help) - ^ "Barbara Murray Obituary". Schrader, Aragon &Jacoby Funeral Home. Retrieved December 28, 2017.
- ^ Stottlemyre, Matthew (June 30, 2014). "Business man running for top state business office". Gillette News-Record. Retrieved December 28, 2017.
{{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=(help) - ^ "Bellinghiere: Murray an excellent choice". Casper Star-Tribune Online. Retrieved November 6, 2014.
- ^ Hancock, Laura. "Ed Murray thinks business experience will help in Wyoming secretary of state bid". Casper Star-Tribune Online. Retrieved November 6, 2014.
- ^ a b "About the Secretary". Wyoming Secretary of State's Office. Wyoming Secretary of State's Office. Retrieved March 27, 2017.
- ^ Orr, Becky (October 1, 2017). "What's right and wrong with downtown? Day 1, Downtown Cheyenne: Ready for renewal?". Wyoming Tribune Eagle. Cheyenne. Retrieved March 27, 2017.(subscription required)
- ^ Orr, Becky (April 20, 2011). "Downtown getting giant cherub mural". Wyoming Tribune Eagle.
{{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=(help)(subscription required) - ^ Graham, Andrew (February 9, 2017). "Murray calls fees bill reckless; rouses House leaders' ire". WyoFile. Retrieved December 28, 2017.
- ^ "Ed Murray Elected Secretary of State". KGWN. Retrieved November 6, 2014.
- ^ "Murray will be Wyoming secretary of state". Casper Star-Tribune Online. The Associated Press. Retrieved November 6, 2014.
- ^ "New online biz tools will cut red tape". Wyoming Business Report. Retrieved July 11, 2016.
- ^ Murphy, Matt (July 12, 2016). "Secretary of State now offers business filings online". Wyoming Tribune Eagle.
{{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=(help)(subscription required) - ^ "SOS Announces New Online Services for Businesses". Sheridan Media. Retrieved July 11, 2016.
- ^ "Public can search more business, nonprofit documents on state site". Casper Star Tribune. Retrieved July 30, 2016.
- ^ Morton, Tom (January 4, 2018). "Wyoming Secretary of State Applauds the End of Federal Eleciton Commission". k2radio.com. Retrieved January 18, 2018.
- ^ Sec. of State Murray resigns amid sex allegations, Jackson Hole News & Guide, John Spina Feb 9, 2018. Retrieved February 23, 2018.
- ^ Hancock, Laura (June 27, 2015). "Pope's environment letter divides Wyoming Catholics". Casper Star-Tribune. Retrieved December 28, 2017.
{{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=(help) - ^ Rosenfeld, Arno (December 14, 2017). "Woman says Wyoming Secretary of State Ed Murray sexually assaulted her when she was a teenager". Casper Star-Tribune.
{{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=(help)
