{{Short description|British politician (born 1954)}} {{Use dmy dates|date=December 2016}} {{Use British English|date=December 2016}} {{Infobox officeholder | honorific_prefix = | name = Elaine Murray | image = ElaineMurrayMSP20110510.JPG | image_size = 220px | caption = Official portrait, 2011 | office1 = Leader of [[Dumfries and Galloway Council]] | term_start1 = 23 May 2017 | deputy1 = Rob Davidson | predecessor1 = Ronnie Nicholson | successor1 = Stephen Thompson | office2 = Councillor for Nith, <br /> Dumfries & Galloway | term_start2 = 5 May 2017 | predecessor2 = [[Colin Smyth]] | successor2 = Keith Walters | office3 = [[Scottish Labour]] Group Leader, <br /> Dumfries & Galloway Council | term_start3 = 15 May 2017 | predecessor3 = Ronnie Nicholson | successor3 = Linda Dorward | office4 = [[Member of the Scottish Parliament]]<br />for [[Dumfriesshire (Scottish Parliament constituency)|Dumfriesshire]]<br />{{nobold|[[Dumfries (Scottish Parliament constituency)|Dumfries]] (1999–2011)}} | term_start4 = 6 May 1999 | term_end4 = 24 March 2016 | predecessor4 = ''Constituency established'' | successor4 = [[Oliver Mundell]] | birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1954|12|22|df=yes}} | birth_place = [[Hitchin]], [[Hertfordshire]], England | party = [[Scottish Labour|Labour]] | alma_mater = [[University of Edinburgh]], [[University of Cambridge]] | occupation = Politician | term_end1 = 5 May 2022 | term_end2 = 5 May 2022 | term_end3 = 5 May 2022 }}
'''Elaine Kildare Murray''' (born 22 December 1954) is a retired [[Scottish Labour]] politician. She was leader of [[Dumfries and Galloway|Dumfries and Galloway Council]] for the 2017–2022 term. She was also the [[Member of the Scottish Parliament]] (MSP) for [[Dumfries (Scottish Parliament constituency)|Dumfries]] from 1999 to 2011, and then for [[Dumfriesshire (Scottish Parliament constituency)|Dumfriesshire]] from 2011 to 2016. At the [[1999 Scottish Parliament election|1999]], [[2003 Scottish Parliament election|2003]] and [[2007 Scottish Parliament election|2007]] elections, Murray increased her percentage share of the vote. She was Shadow Minister for the Environment in the [[Scottish Parliament]].<ref name="democracylive">{{cite web|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/democracylive/hi/representatives/profiles/32686.stm |title=Elaine Murray MSP |work=Democracy Live |publisher=BBC News |accessdate=5 October 2011 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20150226191418/http://news.bbc.co.uk/democracylive/hi/representatives/profiles/32686.stm |archivedate=26 February 2015 }}</ref> She lost her seat in 2016.
In May 2017, Murray was elected one of four councillors in Dumfries and Galloway who represent the [[Nith (ward)|Nith ward]] and was elected the Group Leader of Labour in the council. She did not stand for re-election in [[2022 Dumfries and Galloway Council election|2022]].
==Background== Murray was born in [[Hitchin]], [[Hertfordshire]], where her Scottish parents lived at the time. She was brought up in [[Edinburgh]], where she was a pupil at [[The Mary Erskine School]],<ref>{{cite web|url=http://guidetoindependentschools.com/schools/view/285/Mary-Erskine-Girls-Mixed-sixth-with-Stewart-s-Melville-12-18-Day-and-Boarding|title=School Details – Mary Erskine|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160114133508/http://guidetoindependentschools.com/schools/view/285/Mary-Erskine-Girls-Mixed-sixth-with-Stewart-s-Melville-12-18-Day-and-Boarding|archive-date=14 January 2016|publisher=The Guide to Independent Schools|accessdate=8 March 2014}}</ref> and graduated with an undergraduate degree in chemistry from the [[University of Edinburgh]] and a [[PhD]] in [[physical chemistry]] from the [[University of Cambridge]].
After graduating from Cambridge, Murray first worked in scientific research, and from 1990–93 was an associate lecturer for the [[Open University]].<ref name="debretts">{{cite web|url=http://www.debretts.com/people/biographies/browse/m/20432/Elaine%20Kildare+MURRAY.aspx |title=Dr Elaine Murray, MSP |work=[[Debrett's]] |accessdate=5 October 2011 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20130606053920/http://www.debretts.com/people/biographies/browse/m/20432/Elaine%20Kildare+MURRAY.aspx |archivedate=6 June 2013 }}</ref> At the same time, she worked for [[Alex Smith (politician)|Alex Smith]], [[Member of the European Parliament]]. In 1994 Murray was elected as a [[Councillor]] on [[Strathclyde Regional Council]] and in 1995 to [[South Ayrshire Council]], where she was Convenor of Educational Services.<ref name="debretts"/>
==Member of the Scottish Parliament== Murray was elected as [[Member of the Scottish Parliament]] (MSP) for the [[Dumfries (Scottish Parliament constituency)|Dumfries constituency]] following the [[1999 Scottish Parliament election|first Scottish Parliamentary elections]] in May 1999.<ref name="democracylive"/> She was re-elected in [[2003 Scottish Parliament election|2003]] and then again in [[2007 Scottish Parliament election|2007]], [[2011 Scottish Parliament election|2011]] and [[2016 Scottish Parliament election|2016]].
Murray was appointed Deputy Minister for Tourism, Culture and Sport upon [[Jack McConnell]] becoming [[First Minister of Scotland|First Minister]] in 2001, a post she held until 2003. She has been a member of a number of Committees in the Scottish Parliament, including holding the post of Deputy Convenor of the Finance Committee between 2007 and 2008. Murray was Enterprise Spokesman under [[Wendy Alexander]]'s leadership<ref name="democracylive"/> and upon election of [[Iain Gray]] as Leader of the Labour Group in the Scottish Parliament, she was appointed Shadow Minister for the Environment.<ref name="democracylive"/>
Murray was a member of the Rural Affairs and Environment Committee as well as Convenor of the Cross Party Groups on ''Science and Technology'' and ''Civil Nuclear Energy''. She was also Vice-Convenor of the ''Life Sciences'' and ''Animal Welfare'' Cross Party Groups.<ref name="democracylive"/>
In September 2011, Murray announced her candidacy for the [[2011 Scottish Labour leadership election|deputy leadership of the Scottish Labour Party]].<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-15099723|title=Elaine Murray to stand as Scottish Labour deputy leader|work=BBC News|accessdate=5 October 2011}}</ref> She withdrew in early November after failing to gain enough nominations. She claimed she could have got the sufficient number of nominations but said it was clear the Deputy Leadership role would go to a Westminster MP.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.heraldscotland.com/news/13039537.labour-deputy-leader-bid-ends/|title=Labour deputy leader bid ends|last=Dinwoodie|first=Robbie|date=5 November 2011|work=The Herald|accessdate=8 May 2016|url-access=subscription}}</ref>
At the [[2016 Scottish Parliament election]], Murray lost her seat to [[Oliver Mundell]], a Conservative.<ref>{{cite news|title=Holyrood 2016: Scottish Tory leader Ruth Davidson wins Edinburgh Central|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/election-2016-scotland-36219380|newspaper=BBC News|date=6 May 2016|accessdate=9 May 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Dalziel |first=Magdalene |date=16 May 2016 |title=Ex-Dumfriesshire MSP Elaine Murray vows to return to the fray one day |url=http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/local-news/ex-dumfriesshire-msp-elaine-murray-7980091 |access-date=18 July 2022 |website=Daily Record |language=en}}</ref>
==Dumfries and Galloway councillor== At the [[2017 Scottish local elections]], Murray stood for election in the [[Dumfries and Galloway]] ward of [[Nith (ward)|Nith]] and was elected as one of four councillors for the ward.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.gallowaygazette.co.uk/news/politics/local-elections-conservatives-are-largest-party-dumfries-and-galloway-council-2092817|title=Local elections: Conservatives are largest party in Dumfries and Galloway Council|author=The Newsroom|date=5 May 2017|work=The Galloway Gazette|accessdate=18 July 2022}}</ref> She later became leader of the council,<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.itv.com/news/border/2017-05-24/elaine-murray-named-as-new-leader-of-d-g-council|title=Elaine Murray named as new leader of D&G Council|date=24 May 2017|publisher=ITV News|accessdate=18 July 2022}}</ref> but announced her retirement from politics in April 2022, saying: "I want to do other things while I'm still fit and healthy. I have been an elected representative in local or national politics for 27 out of the last 28 years and I feel that's long enough."<ref>{{cite news|url=https://planetradio.co.uk/westsound-fm/local/news/dumfries-council-leader-retiring/|title=Dumfries and Galloway Council leader stepping down at election|last=McLean|first=Marc|date=24 February 2022|publisher=[[West Sound (Ayrshire)|West Sound]]|accessdate=18 July 2022}}</ref>
==References== {{reflist}}
==External links== *{{usurped|1=[https://archive.today/20130122001159/http://www.elainemurraymsp.com/ Personal website]}} * {{SP-MSP}}
{{s-start}} {{s-par|sct}} {{s-new|constituency }} {{s-ttl | title=[[Member of the Scottish Parliament]] for [[Dumfries (Scottish Parliament constituency)|Dumfries]] | years=[[1999 Scottish Parliament election|1999]]–[[2011 Scottish Parliament election|2011]] }} {{s-non|reason=Constituency abolished}} {{s-new|constituency}} {{s-ttl |title=[[Member of the Scottish Parliament]] for [[Dumfriesshire (Scottish Parliament constituency)|Dumfriesshire]] |years=[[2011 Scottish Parliament election|2011]]–[[2016 Scottish Parliament election|2016]] }} {{s-aft|after=[[Oliver Mundell]]}} {{s-off}} {{s-new|office}} {{s-ttl | title=Deputy Minister for Tourism, Culture and Sport | years=2001–2003 }} {{s-non|reason=Office abolished}} {{s-end}}
{{2011 Scottish Labour Party deputy leadership election}} {{Former Labour MSPs|state=collapsed}} {{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Murray, Elaine}} [[Category:1954 births]] [[Category:Living people]] [[Category:People from Hitchin]] [[Category:People educated at the Mary Erskine School]] [[Category:Alumni of the University of Edinburgh]] [[Category:Scottish physical chemists]] [[Category:Labour MSPs]] [[Category:Members of the Scottish Parliament 1999–2003]] [[Category:Members of the Scottish Parliament 2003–2007]] [[Category:Members of the Scottish Parliament 2007–2011]] [[Category:Members of the Scottish Parliament 2011–2016]] [[Category:Ministers of the Scottish Government]] [[Category:Women members of the Scottish Government]] [[Category:20th-century Scottish women politicians]] [[Category:Leaders of local authorities of Scotland]] [[Category:Women councillors in Scotland]]