Lee Lathrop Murray
Lee Lathrop Murray (1865-1928)
1928 Obituary [1]
LEE LATHROP MURRAY was born at Ararat, Victoria, in 1865, and was educated at Wesley College, Melbourne and Melbourne University.
In 1887 he entered the Victorian Railway survey department and in the following year joined Messrs. Bloomfield Brothers as chief constructional engineer, and carried out the building of the railway line from Terang to Mortlake.
In 1892, after a trip to England, Europe, and America, he became the Australian representative of Messrs. Siemens Brothers, for whom he superintended the installation of the Hobart tramways, the electricity supply scheme for Launceston, and a large amount of mining machinery.
In 1900 he became manager for the outside department at Messrs. Siemens' Woolwich works, but two years later went to South Africa as their representative and carried out, amongst other large contracts, the equipment of the tramway scheme at Johannesburg.
In 1906 he became manager of the dynamo works of Messrs. Siemens at Stafford.
In 1908 he severed his connexion with the firm and became managing director for Messrs. Bruce, Peebles and Company of Edinburgh, placing the firm upon a sound basis.
Having achieved this he commenced private practice in London in 1912 in conjunction with Mr. H. D. Wilkinson and acted in a consulting and inspecting capacity for the State Electricity Commission of Victoria in the great Morwell brown coal scheme, for the Adelaide Municipal Tramways Trust, the Government of Tasmania and other bodies.
During the War he visited Canada and the United States on behalf of the Government, and at this time, too, he founded, in association with the late Rt. Hon. George Roberts and Mr. H. Scholey, C.B.E., the Industrial League for the promotion of permanent industrial peace.
After the War he resumed his consulting practice; his death occurred on 27th March 1928.
He became a Member of the Institution in 1911 and he was also a Member of the Institutions of Civil and Electrical Engineers.
1928 Obituary [2]
LEE LATHROP MURRAY was born on the 16th July, 1865, at Ararat in Victoria.
He was educated at Wesley College, Melbourne, and afterwards attended the Melbourne University, where he took his degree.
In 1887 he entered the Victorian Railway Survey Department.
A year later he joined Messrs. Bloomfield Brothers, railway contractors, as chief constructional engineer and carried out the construction of the railway line from Terang to Mortlake. After severing his connection with that firm he left for a trip to England, Europe, and America in 1891.
In 1892 he joined Messrs. Siemens Brothers and Co. and returned to Australia as their representative.
In 1896 he moved to Sydney for the same company and remained there until 1900, during which period he carried out many important contracts, the principal being the installation of the Hobart Tramways, the electricity supply scheme for Launceston, and the installation of a large amount of machinery for mining work.
In 1900 he resigned his post in Australia and came to England, and was made manager of the outside department of Messrs. Siemens Brothers.
In 1902 he proceeded to South Africa as manager to Siemens, Ltd., and carried out many large contracts, including the tramway scheme at Johannesburg. His force of character had ample opportunity for expression in South Africa, and it will be a long while before his friends there will forget his lovable nature, his strong features with the boyish eyes, and his happy powers of argument. The secret of his influence lay in his absolute genuineness, and he owed nothing to diplomacy.
About 1906 he was appointed manager of the dynamo works at Stafford of Messrs. Siemens Brothers and Co.
In 1908 he resigned his position and was appointed managing director for Messrs. Bruce, Peebles and Co., where his experience, business ability and consummate tact were brought into play.
After four years in this capacity, he resigned and entered upon private practice in London, in association with Mr. H. D. Wilkinson. During this period he acted in a consulting and inspecting capacity for the State Electricity Commission of Victoria, the Adelaide Municipal Tramways Trust, the Hydro-Electric and Railway Departments of the Government of Tasmania, and Messrs. Noyes Brothers of Melbourne and Sydney.
He joined the Ministry of Munitions during the War period and rendered considerable service to the British Government, visiting Canada and the United States on their behalf to seek assistance and co-operation in the matter of munitions. He acted in an honorary advisory capacity on organization work to the Munitions Section of the Canadian Manufacturers' Association and was able to increase the efficiency of many of the munition plants. In the early days of the War he put into effect his great desire to find a way to permanent industrial peace, and he founded and carried on the Industrial League in association with the late Rt. Hon. George Roberts and Mr. H. Scholey, C.B.E. Many gatherings were held at which both masters and men of all grades met in conference under sociable and friendly conditions, and a great spirit of co-operation was fostered in this country as the direct result of his untiring and self-sacrificing efforts.
After the War he returned to his consulting practice in London. Illness, which first started during the War period, necessitated two operations and from the second of these he never completely recovered.
He died on the 27th March, 1928, at the age of 63.
He was elected a Member of the Institution in 1891.