George Murray (Royal Navy officer, born 1741)

Murray joined the Royal Navy in 1758 as a midshipman.[http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/40510?docPos=3 George Murray at Oxford Dictionary of National biography] In 1765 he became commander of the sloop HMS Ferret. Promoted captain he commanded HMS Renown, HMS Adventure, HMS Levant and HMS Cleopatra. He commanded the Cleopatra at the Battle of Dogger Bank in 1781.{{cite book |last=Winfield |title=British Warships of the Age of Sail |page=206}} From 1782 he commanded HMS Irresistible.

He was elected Member of Parliament for Perth burghs in 1790 but gave up his seat in 1796. Resuming his naval career he commanded HMS Defence from 1790. He was appointed Commander-in-Chief at Chatham in 1792 and went on to command HMS Duke and then HMS Glory. He was made Commander-in-Chief, North American Station in 1794, establishing a permanent Royal Naval base at St. George's Town, at the East End of Bermuda (a colony in British North America),{{cite magazine |author= |title=CIVIL LIST OF THE PROVINCE OF LOWER-CANADA 1828: GOVERNOR |url= |magazine=The Quebec Almanack and British American Royal Kalendar For The Year 1828 |location=Quebec |publisher=Neilson and Cowan, No. 3 Mountain Street |date=1812 |access-date=}}{{cite magazine |author= |title=STAFF of the ARMY in the Provinces of Nova-Scotia, New-Brunswick, and their Dependencies, including the Island of Newfoundland, Cape Breton, Prince Edward and Bermuda |url= |magazine=The Quebec Almanack and British American Royal Kalendar For The Year 1828 |location=Quebec |publisher=Neilson and Cowan, No. 3 Mountain Street |date=1812 |access-date=}}{{cite book |author= |date=1890 |title=METEOROLOGICAL OBSERVATIONS AT THE FOREIGN AND COLONIAL STATIONS OF THE ROYAL ENGINEERS AND THE ARMY MEDICAL DEPARTMENT 1852—1886. |location=London |publisher=Meteorological Council. HMSO |page= |isbn=}}{{cite book |last=Young |first=Douglas MacMurray |author-link= |date=1961 |title=The Colonial Office in The Early Nineteenth Century |url= |location=London |publisher=Published for the Royal Commonwealth Society by Longmans |page=55 |isbn=}}{{cite book |last=Keith |first=Arthur Berriedale |author-link= |date=1909 |title=Responsible Government in The Dominions |location=London |publisher=Stevens and Sons Ltd |page=5 |isbn= |quote=}}{{cite book |last=May, CMG, Royal Artillery |first=Lieutenant-Colonel Sir Edward Sinclair |author-link= |date=1903 |title=Principles and Problems of Imperial Defence |url= |location=London |publisher=Swan Sonnenschein & Co. |page=145 |isbn= |quote=}} with Admiralty House at Rose Hill, the ships of the squadron reaching Murray's Anchorage (named for him) in the lagoon enclosed by Bermuda's barrier reach via the newly discovered Hurd's Channel, and with various sites around the town acquired by the navy, including Convict Bay (below Barrack Hill at St. George's Garrison), Admiralty Island, and Naval Tanks (acquisition of land at Bermuda's West End also began in the 1790s for the longer term goal of the navy was the construction of the Royal Naval Dockyard with which Bermuda was to be elevated to an Imperial fortress).{{cite book |last=Stranack, Royal Navy |first=Lieutenant-Commander B. Ian D |date=1977 |title=The Andrew and The Onions: The Story of The Royal Navy in Bermuda, 1795–1975 |url= |location=Bermuda |publisher=Island Press Ltd |page= |isbn=9780921560036}}{{cite web |url=https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/983/multiple=1&unique_number=1147 |title=World Heritage List: Historic Town of St George and Related Fortifications, Bermuda |author= |date= |publisher=UNESCO |access-date=2021-07-28 }}{{cite book |last=Harris |first=Edward C. |author-link=Edward C. Harris |title=Bermuda Forts 1612–1957 |year=1997 |location=Bermuda |publisher=The Bermuda Maritime Museum Press |isbn=9780921560111}}{{cite news |last=Harris |first=Dr. Edward Cecil |date=2012-01-21 |title=Bermuda's role in the Sack of Washington |url=https://www.royalgazette.com/archive/lifestyle/article/20120121/bermudas-role-in-the-sack-of-washington/ |work=The Royal Gazette |location=City of Hamilton, Pembroke, Bermuda |access-date=2021-08-08}}{{cite magazine |last=Grove |first=Tim |date=2021-01-22 |title=Fighting The Power |url=https://chesapeakebaymagazine.com/fighting-the-power/ |magazine=Chesapeake Bay Magazine |location=Annapolis |publisher=Chesapeake Bay Media, LLC |access-date=2021-08-08}}{{cite book |last=Willock USMC |first=Lieutenant-Colonel Roger |title=Bulwark Of Empire: Bermuda's Fortified Naval Base 1860–1920 |year=1988 |location=Bermuda |publisher=The Bermuda Maritime Museum Press |isbn=9780921560005}}{{cite book |last=Gordon |first=Donald Craigie |date=1965 |title=The Dominion Partnership in Imperial Defense, 1870-1914 |location=Baltimore, Maryland, USA |publisher=Johns Hopkins Press |page=14 |isbn= |quote=}}{{cite book |last=MacFarlane |first=Thomas |author-link= |date=1891 |title=Within the Empire; An Essay on Imperial Federation |location=Ottawa |publisher=James Hope & Co. |page=29 |isbn= |quote=}}{{cite magazine |last=Kennedy, R.N. |first=Captain W. R. |date=1885-07-01 |title=An Unknown Colony: Sport, Travel and Adventure in Newfoundland and the West Indies |url= |magazine=Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine |publisher=William Blackwood & Sons |access-date= |page=111 |quote=}}{{cite magazine |last=VERAX |first=(anonymous) |date=1889-05-01 |title=The Defense of Canada. (From Colburn's United Service Magazine) |url= |magazine=The United Service: A Quarterly Review of Military and Naval Affairs |location= |publisher=LR Hamersly & Co. |access-date= |page=552 |quote=}}{{cite book |last1=Dawson |first1=George M. |last2=Sutherland |first2=Alexander |date=1898 |title=MacMillan's Geographical Series: Elementary Geography of the British Colonies |location=London |publisher=MacMillan and Co.|page=184 |isbn= |quote=}} He almost completely cleared North American waters of French men-of-war and privateers. He returned to England in 1796 and died the following year.

In 1784 he married Wilhelmina King, daughter of Thomas King, 5th Baron King; they had no children.

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{{succession box

| title = Member of Parliament for Perth Burghs

| years = 1790–1796

| before = George Dempster

| after = David Scott

}}

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{{succession box|title=Commander-in-Chief, North American Station|before=Sir Richard Hughes|after=George Vandeput|years=1793–1796}}

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Category:1741 births

Category:1797 deaths

Category:Members of the Parliament of Great Britain for Scottish constituencies

Category:British MPs 1790–1796

Category:Royal Navy vice admirals

George

Category:People from Perthshire

Category:Royal Navy personnel of the Fourth Anglo-Dutch War