Alfred P. Murrah

Alfred Paul Murrah (October 27, 1904 – October 30, 1975) was an American attorney and judge, best known for being the namesake of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building, which was destroyed in the Oklahoma City bombing on April 19, 1995.

Early life and education

Born in Tishomingo, Oklahoma, Murrah ran away from home at the age of 13, riding freight trains until he was dropped in the community of Tuttle, Oklahoma. A local family took him in and housed him, in exchange for labor on their farm. Murrah worked his way through high school and college, where he was a member of Lambda Chi Alpha. He earned his LL.B. from the University of Oklahoma College of Law in 1928.

Murrah was an extremely active member of Phi Alpha Delta Law Fraternity, Harlan Chapter, and served as the fraternity's Supreme Justice from 1962 to 1964.

Career

U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt appointed Murrah to the United States District Court for the Western District of Oklahoma, Northern District of Oklahoma, and Eastern District of Oklahoma, on February 8, 1937. Confirmed by the Senate on February 25, 1937, he received his commission on March 3, 1937, becoming at the age of 32 one of the youngest federal judges in history.

On August 5, 1940, Roosevelt nominated Murrah to the United States Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit, to the seat vacated by Robert E. Lewis. Confirmed by the Senate on August 29, 1940, he received his commission on September 4, 1940. Murrah served as chief judge of the Tenth Circuit from 1959 to 1970, when he took senior status. From 1968 to 1975, he served as the first chair of the Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation, and from 1969 to 1974, he also served as the second director of the Federal Judicial Center in Washington, D.C.

Chief Justice of the United States Warren Burger referred to Murrah as "one of the foremost figures in the American judiciary." He is noted for having pioneered the practices of pretrial conferences.

Personal life

Murrah was a Democrat. A Methodist, Murrah taught Sunday School classes at Oklahoma City's Crown Heights Methodist Church, of which he was a major financial supporter. Murrah was also a Freemason.

References

• Franks, Kenny Arthur; Bob Burke; Odie B. Faulk; Von Russell Creel (1996). American Jurist: The Life of Judge Alfred P. Murrah. Oklahoma Heritage Association. ISBN 978-0-86546-090-4. 

Sources

• Alfred Paul Murrah at the Biographical Directory of Federal Judges, a public domain publication of the Federal Judicial Center.