William W. Murrey was born at Burkley, Iowa on May 17, 1886. The family later lived at Minneapolis, and Barnesville Minnesota, and Hickson, North Dakota.  Mr. Murrey was most active in the labor movement which dates back to his family going broke while farming near Hickson. In addition to other posts, Mr. Murrey headed the Fargo-Moorhead Trades and Labor Assembly. In 1935 he was elected president of the North Dakota State Federation of Labor, a post he held until being defeated in 1963. He also served on the North Dakota Medical Center Advisory Council, North Dakota Labor Disputes Board, a Special Committee to Study Labor Laws, and on the National Democratic Committee. In 1966 he was honored for his promotion of U.S. Savings Bonds for twenty-five years.

The papers consist of correspondence, his weekly reports to the AFL-CIO, and various subject files. The correspondence covers the period 1935 to 1963, but is very scattered. It is all business correspondence concerning labor matters including several labor disputes. The weekly reports cover the period 1958 to 1963 with several gaps. They are AFL-CIO forms which Mr. Murrey completed documenting his weekly activities and expenses.  The subject files consist of papers and a legal case related to labor and labor laws in North Dakota. 
 

Politics and Government