| The Murray | |
| State: | vic |
| Created: | 1856 |
| Abolished: | 1877 |
| Namesake: | Murray |
| Class: | Rural |
The Murray (or just Murray) was an electoral district of the Legislative Assembly[1] in the Australian colony of Victoria from 1856 to 1877.
It was based in north-eastern Victoria, south of the Murray River.[2] Its area was defined in the Victorian Constitution Act of 1855 as: "Bounded on the South and West by the Counties of Evelyn and Anglesea and the River Goulburn to its Junction with the River Murray; on the North and North-east by the River Murray; and on the East by the great dividing Range, excepting the Country comprised in the Electoral Districts of the Murray Boroughs and of Beechworth" (Ovens).[3]
The Murray Boroughs was a separate electorate and consisted of the towns of Wodonga, Wangaratta, Benalla, Euroa, Avenal and Seymour.[3]
The district of The Murray was one of the initial districts of the first Victorian Legislative Assembly, 1856.[4]
In August 1861 the electorate was declared for David Reid with 393 votes, a majority of ten, over John Orr.[5] Mr Curtis A. Reid, the returning electoral officer for The Murray and brother of David Reid disallowed the entirety of the Longwood votes as they were made in pencil[6] not pen and ink. John Orr brought a petition against the return of David Reid[7] [8] and in May 1862 the Elections and Qualification Committee declared the votes legal and disqualified David Reid as member for The Murray.[9]
Initially, two members represented the electorate,[4] [10] then only one following the redistribution of 1859.[11]
| Member 1 | Term | Notes | Member 2 | Term | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nov. 1856 – Aug. 1859 | John Goodman | Nov. 1856 – Jan. 1858 | Resigned | ||
| William Forlonge | Jan. 1858 Jan. 1859 | Resigned | |||
| William Nicholson | Jan. 1859 Aug. 1859 | ||||
| David Reid | Oct. 1859 – May 1862 | Disqualified | |||
| John Orr | May 1862 – Dec. 1867 | ||||
| William Witt | Mar. 1868 – July 1872 | Resigned | |||
| John Orr | July 1872 Mar. 1874 | ||||
| William Witt | May 1874 – Apr. 1877 | ||||
= by-election
Nicholson went on to represent the then newly created Electoral district of Sandridge from October 1859.[1]