James Murray (21 July 1865, Glasgow – February 1914)[1] was a biologist and explorer.
In 1902, he helped on a biological survey of the Scottish lochs.[2] In 1907, at the age of 41, he served under Shackleton on the Nimrod Expedition. He was in charge of base camp.
After the expedition, in 1913, he co-wrote a book titled Antarctic Days[3] with George E. Marston, also a member of the expedition.
In 1911, at 46, he joined up with Percy Fawcett, the celebrated explorer, Henry Costin and Henry Manley to explore and chart the jungle in the region of the Peru-Bolivian border. Murray, used to the rigors of the polar regions, fared poorly. Eventually Fawcett diverted the expedition to get Murray out, such was his condition. He briefly dropped out of sight, having been recovering in a house in Tambopata. He reached La Paz in 1912, learning that he was thought to have perished.
Murrary, angry at perceived mistreatment at Fawcett's hands, wanted to sue, but friends in the Royal Geographical Society advised him against it.
In June 1913, he joined a Canadian scientific expedition to the Arctic aboard the ill-fated Karluk as oceanographer. The ship became trapped in the Arctic ice in August 1913. Eventually, Murray mutinied against the captain and escaped across the ice with three others. Their fate remains uncertain.