Abe Murdock

{{redirect|Senator Murdock|the Utah State Senate member|Joseph R. Murdock}}

{{Infobox officeholder

| name = Abe Murdock

| image = Abe Murdock, 1939.jpg

| office = Member of the National Labor Relations Board

| term_start = August 1, 1947

| term_end = December 16, 1957

| jr/sr1 = United States Senator

| state1 = Utah

| term_start1 = January 3, 1941

| term_end1 = January 3, 1947

| predecessor1 = William H. King

| successor1 = Arthur V. Watkins

| state2 = Utah

| district2 = 1st

| term_start2 = March 4, 1933

| term_end2 = January 3, 1941

| predecessor2 = Don B. Colton

| successor2 = Walter K. Granger

| birth_name = Orrice Abram Murdock Jr.

| birth_date = {{birth date|1893|7|18}}

| birth_place = Austin, Nevada, U.S.

| death_date = {{death date and age|1979|9|15|1893|7|18}}

| death_place = Bethesda, Maryland, U.S.

| party = Democratic

| spouse=Mary Violet Yardley Murdock

| children=6

| resting_place = Mountain View Cemetery in Beaver, Utah

| education = University of Utah

}}

Orrice Abram Murdock Jr. (July 18, 1893{{spaced ndash}}September 15, 1979) was an American attorney and politician who served as a member of both chambers of the United States Congress for Utah. From 1947 to 1957, he served as a member of the National Labor Relations Board.

Early life and education

Born in Austin, Nevada,{{Citation | last = Gessel | first = David C. | title = Utah History Encyclopedia | publisher = University of Utah Press | year = 1994 | chapter = MURDOCK, ABE | chapter-url = https://www.uen.org/utah_history_encyclopedia/m/MURDOCK_ABE.shtml | url = https://www.uen.org/utah_history_encyclopedia/ | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20250419152053/https://www.uen.org/utah_history_encyclopedia/m/MURDOCK_ABE.shtml | archive-date = April 19, 2025 | isbn =9780874804256 | access-date = May 30, 2025}} he moved with his parents to Beaver, Utah, in 1898. Murdock attended the public schools and Murdock Academy in Beaver, and the University of Utah at Salt Lake City.

Career

Murdock studied law and was admitted to the bar in 1922.

= Early political career =

He was a member of the Beaver city council in 1920 and 1921 and was county attorney in 1923–1924, 1927–1928, and 1931–1932. He served as city attorney of Beaver from 1926 to 1933, and was an unsuccessful Democratic candidate for district attorney for the fifth Utah district in 1928.

= Congress =

In 1932, Murdock ran for and was elected as a Democrat to the Seventy-third Congress and was reelected to the three succeeding Congresses, serving from March 4, 1933, to January 3, 1941.

= Senate =

Instead of running for reelection in 1940, he challenged incumbent Senator William H. King for the Democratic nomination. King had opposed President Franklin Delano Roosevelt's proposal to expand the Supreme Court and Roosevelt's candidacy for an unprecedented third term, while Murdock was a "100% New Dealer" who strongly supported Roosevelt.{{Cite magazine|url=https://content.time.com/time/subscriber/article/0,33009,764661,00.html|title=UTAH: King into Exile|magazine=Time |date=September 16, 1940|via=content.time.com}} Murdock defeated King for the nomination and was elected as a Democrat to the Senate, serving from January 3, 1941, to January 3, 1947.

Murdock was defeated by Republican Arthur Vivian Watkins in his bid for reelection in 1946.

Later career

After his defeat, he resumed the practice of law and engaged in agricultural pursuits and livestock raising. From 1947 to 1957, he was a member of the National Labor Relations Board and in 1960 was a member of the Atomic Energy Labor-Management Relations Panel.

Death and burial

Murdock died of natural causes in Bethesda, Maryland, in 1979, and was interred in Mountain View Cemetery in Beaver, Utah.

Electoral history

{{Election box begin no change | title= 1932 United States House of Representatives elections{{Cite web|url=https://clerk.house.gov/member_info/electionInfo/1932election.pdf|title=1932 Election Results}}

}}

{{Election box winning candidate with party link no change

| party = Democratic Party (US)

| candidate = Abe Murdock

| votes = 47,774

| percentage = 51.59

}}

{{Election box candidate with party link no change

| party = Republican Party (US)

| candidate = Don B. Colton (Incumbent)

| votes = 44,827

| percentage = 48.41

}}

{{Election box total no change

| votes = 92,601

| percentage = 100.0

}}

{{Election box gain with party link without swing

| winner = Democratic Party (US)

| loser = Republican Party (US)

}}

{{Election box begin no change | title= 1934 United States House of Representatives elections{{Cite web|url=https://clerk.house.gov/member_info/electionInfo/1934election.pdf|title=1934 Election Results}}

}}

{{Election box winning candidate with party link no change

| party = Democratic Party (US)

| candidate = Abe Murdock (Incumbent)

| votes = 55,800

| percentage = 64.43

}}

{{Election box candidate with party link no change

| party = Republican Party (US)

| candidate = Arthur Woolley

| votes = 29,878

| percentage = 34.51

}}

{{Election box candidate with party link no change

| party = Socialist Party of America

| candidate = William J. McConnell

| votes = 644

| percentage = 0.74

}}

{{Election box candidate with party link no change

| party = Communist Party USA

| candidate = Lawrence Mower

| votes = 279

| percentage = 0.32

}}

{{Election box total no change

| votes = 86,601

| percentage = 100.0

}}

{{Election box hold with party link without swing

| winner = Democratic Party (US)

}}

{{Election box begin no change | title= 1936 United States House of Representatives elections{{Cite web|url=https://clerk.house.gov/member_info/electionInfo/1936election.pdf|title=1936 Election Results}}

}}

{{Election box winning candidate with party link no change

| party = Democratic Party (US)

| candidate = Abe Murdock (Incumbent)

| votes = 68,877

| percentage = 69.23

}}

{{Election box candidate with party link no change

| party = Republican Party (US)

| candidate = Charles W. Dunn

| votes = 30,415

| percentage = 30.57

}}

{{Election box candidate with party link no change

| party = Socialist Party of America

| candidate = William J. McConnell

| votes = 202

| percentage = 0.20

}}

{{Election box total no change

| votes = 99,494

| percentage = 100.0

}}

{{Election box hold with party link without swing

| winner = Democratic Party (US)

}}

{{Election box begin no change | title= 1938 United States House of Representatives elections{{Cite web|url=https://clerk.house.gov/member_info/electionInfo/1938election.pdf|title=1938 Election Results}}

}}

{{Election box winning candidate with party link no change

| party = Democratic Party (US)

| candidate = Abe Murdock (Incumbent)

| votes = 52,927

| percentage = 59.66

}}

{{Election box candidate with party link no change

| party = Republican Party (US)

| candidate = LeRoy B. Young

| votes = 35,790

| percentage = 40.34