John Murray

Sir John Murray (1883 – 15 April 1937) was a British diplomat who served as envoy extraordinary and minister plenipotentiary to Mexico from 1935 to 1937.

Early life and education

Murray was born in 1883, the son of Malcolm B. Murray. He was educated at Eton College and King's College, Cambridge where he took a degree in Mechanical Sciences in 1905.

Career

Murray joined the Egyptian civil service in 1905, worked at the Ministry of Public Works as assistant director of works in Cairo, and was promoted to director in 1912. He then transferred to the Egyptian Ministry of Finance in 1913, and in 1917 was appointed acting secretary-general of the state domains department.

In 1919, after returning to England, he was appointed head of the Egyptian section at the Foreign Office where he spent the next 12 years, and was promoted to the rank of counsellor. His knowledge and experience of Egypt was of great assistance to successive Secretaries of State at the Foreign Office. He played a key role in the preparation of the groundwork which led to the signing of the Anglo-Egyptian Treaty of 1936. According to The Times, "it was very largely due to his work during this period that the present treaty was brought to fruition."