William Vans Murray
| William Vans Murray | |
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Portrait (1787), oil on canvas, of William Vans Murray (1760–1803), by Mather Brown (1761–1831)
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| Born | February 9, 1760 Glasgow, Cambridge, Maryland |
| Died | Script error: The function "death_date_and_age" does not exist. |
| Occupation | Lawyer, attorney, diplomat |
| Relatives | Clement Sulivane (nephew) |
William Vans Murray (February 9, 1760 – December 11, 1803) was an American lawyer, politician, and statesman. He served in the Maryland House of Delegates from 1788 to 1790, and in the United States House of Representatives from 1791 to 1797. He was the United States Ambassador to the Netherlands from 1797 to 1801.
Biography
Early life
William Vans Murray was born on February 9, 1760 in Glasgow, Cambridge, Maryland. He studied the Law in England.
Career
He served in the Maryland House of Delegates from 1788 to 1790. He was then elected to the US House of Representatives from the fifth district of Maryland, serving from 1791 until 1793. He represented the eighth district from 1793 to 1797. He was appointed the U.S. Minister (ambassador) to the Netherlands from 1797 until 1801. He supported the U.S. mission to France in peace negotiations.
He wrote a series of six essays, which were published in Philadelphia during the Constitutional Convention. Murray rejected the notion, advanced by Montesquieu among others, that virtue was the root of democracy. He addressed his essays to John Adams, then assigned to London as the United States ambassador, and of whom Murray was a "political disciple."[1]
Death
He died on December 11, 1803.
References
- ^ Bailyn, Bernard. The Ideological Origins of the American Revolution. Cambridge, Mass.: Belknap Press of Harvard University Press, 1992.
External links
- William Vans Murray at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
- Shoreman Averted War With France - Delmarva Heritage Series
| United States House of Representatives | ||
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| Preceded by | Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Maryland's 5th congressional district 1791–1793 |
Succeeded by Samuel Smith |
| Preceded by
District created
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Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Maryland's 8th congressional district 1793–1797 |
Succeeded by John Dennis |
| Diplomatic posts | ||
| Preceded by | U.S. Minister to the Netherlands 1797–1801 |
Succeeded by William Eustis |
- Articles with hCards
- 1760 births
- 1803 deaths
- Members of the Maryland House of Delegates
- Members of the United States House of Representatives from Maryland
- Ambassadors of the United States to the Netherlands
- People from Cambridge, Maryland
- Maryland Federalists
- 18th-century American diplomats
- 19th-century American diplomats
- Federalist Party members of the United States House of Representatives
