Jack Keith Murray was born on 8 February 1889 in Middle Brighton, Melbourne, Victoria. His parents' marriage ended when he was 2 and his mother moved to Sydney with him, working to find the fees to pay his attendance at St Joseph's College, Hunters Hill in 1904. Murray enrolled at the University of Sydney in 1908, and after serving two years as an agricultural cadet at Cowra, he completed his BSc.Agric. in 1914 and B.A. in 1915. He enlisted in the Army in 1916 and was discharged a year later. He re-enlisted in the Australian Army Veterinary Corps from 1918 to 1919. While in Britain, Murray took leave to study dairy science at an agricultural college in Scotland, and visited the US before returning to Australia.
Career
Murray was appointed a lecturer in dairy bacteriology and technology at Hawkesbury Agricultural College, before taking up a role as Principal of the Queensland Agricultural High School and College in Gatton, Queensland in 1923. He married Evelyn Andrews in 1924, a fellow University of Sydney graduate, before being employed as the first Professor of Agriculture at the Queensland Agricultural College. He worked to improve the standard of education in agricultural science. Murray was Chairman of the Queensland Plant Breeding Committee. He became President of the Royal Society of Queensland in 1936. He was also a member of the Queensland State Committee of CSIR and the Australian National Research Council. During WW2 Murray enlisted and was made Commanding Officer of the 25th Battalion in 1940, managed staff training for Northern Command, and rose to the rank of Colonel in charge of AIF training depots. He became Chief Instructor of the Land Headquarters School of Civil Affairs at Duntroon, helping to retrain ex-servicemen after the war. His wife, Evelyn was also involved with teaching at Gatton. Murray was appointed Administrator of the Australian Territories in Papua and New Guinea from 1945 to 1952, and was knighted in 1978, for his contribution to the development of PNG as it moved toward independence. He returned to the University in 1953, and worked steadily on the project that created James Cook University. He was also active on the University of Queensland's Buildings and Grounds Committee, was on the board of Cromwell College and was a member of the University Union House Committee which oversaw the Student Union. He was awarded an OBE in 1959. He was awarded an Honorary Doctor of Science in 1967 and became Emeritus Professor in 1975. He was also active in the Scout Association of Australia.
Legacy
Murray died in Brisbane on 10 December 1979 and was survived by his wife. In recognition of his commitment to Gatton and education, his name was given to the J.K. Murray Library at UQ Gatton. His papers are held at the University of Queensland Fryer Library.
