George Murray (civil servant)

Sir George Herbert Murray GCB GCVO PC (27 September 1849–4 April 1936) was a British civil servant.

Murray was born in Southfleet, Kent, England, the son of the village's rector. He was educated at Harrow School and Christ Church, Oxford. He entered the Foreign Office in 1873 and transferred to HM Treasury in 1880. From 1892 to 1894 he was private secretary to Prime Minister William Ewart Gladstone in his role as First Lord of the Treasury, and remained private secretary to his successor, Lord Rosebery, until 1895.

In 1897, Murray was appointed chairman of the Board of Inland Revenue. In 1899 he became secretary to the General Post Office and in 1903 returned to the Treasury as Joint Permanent Secretary, in charge of administrative matters while Sir Edward Hamilton handled the financial affairs. On Hamilton's retirement in October 1907, Murray became sole permanent secretary. He retired on 23 July 1911.

From 1914, Murray played a prominent part in the management of the Prince of Wales's Fund. In 1915 he became chairman of the committee on the employment of soldiers and sailors disabled in the war. He was also a member of the Haldane Committee, which reported on the machinery of government in 1918

Already a Companion of the Order of the Bath (CB), Murray was knighted as Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath (KCB) in the 1899 Birthday Honours, shortly after joining the Post Office, and was raised to Knight Grand Cross (GCB) in 1908. He was appointed Knight Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order (GCVO) in the 1920 New Year Honours. In 1910 he was appointed to the Privy Council, entitling him to the style "The Right Honourable".

Murray's son, Sir Evelyn Murray, also became secretary to the Post Office, the last person to hold the office.

References

*Biography, "Oxford Dictionary of National Biography"
*Obituary, "The Times", 6 April 1936