Background
Morrison was born in 1820 in Southern Illinois and was graduated from the Roman Catholic college of Saint Louis, Missouri.
Morrison was born in 1820 in Southern Illinois and was graduated from the Roman Catholic college of Saint Louis, Missouri.
He emigrated to California in 1849, where he settled in Sacramento and set up a law practice. Murray Morrison was married in 1862 to Jennie White, the daughter of Thomas J. White, speaker of the Assembly in the first California Legislatere. She survived him by only six days.
In February 1861, while an Assembly member, Morrison "learned of the willingness of Eastern capitalists" to build a railroad between Los Angeles and the harbor at Wilmington or San Pedro, south of the city. within 18 months, provided the county would subscribe $100,000 and the city $50,000 to pay for lieutenant
On May 7, 1866, Morrison was elected to the Los Angeles Common Council and was named to its presidency, where he served until June 1, 1868, when he resigned from the council.