Archibald R. Murray was born on August 25, 1933 in Barbados, West Indies. He was educated at Combermere Boy's School before migrating to the United States in 1950. He attended Howard University, graduating with a Bachelor of Arts in Government in 1954. After two years of service in the U.S. Army, he enrolled in Fordham University's School of Law, graduating with a Bachelor of Laws degree in 1960. He married Kay Crawford on July 29, 1961.
Upon his graduation from law school, Mr. Murray was appointed an Assistant District Attorney in Manhattan, remaining in this position until Governor Nelson A. Rockefeller appointed him to the job of Assistant Counsel to the Governor of New York in 1962. He went into private practice in 1965, returning to government service in 1968 to work for the New York State Office of Crime Control Planning. This agency was later merged with two other state agencies to become the New York State Division of Criminal Justice Services. Mr. Murray was the Administrator of this program, later becoming the first Commissioner of this new combined agency. In 1975, he was asked to serve as Attorney-in-Chief and Executive Director of the Legal Aid Society of New York, a private nonprofit organization dedicated to providing legal services to the poor. In 1994 he became chairman of the Legal Aid Society's board, a position he held until his retirement in 1998.
From the description of Archibald R. Murray Papers, 1931-2003, 1974-1994. (Virginia Theological Seminary). WorldCat record id: 318125296
