Ма Мюррей: Жизнь и судьба канадской журналистки.

Canadian journalist and newspaper editor

Ma Murray, OC ( Margaret Theresa Lally; 1888 – September 25, 1982, age 94) was an American Canadian newspaper editor, publisher, and columnist, an officer of the Order of Canada, and the wife of publisher and British Columbia MLA George Murray. The Murrays' publications were The Chinook (Vancouver, British Columbia) the Bridge River Lillooet News (Lillooet, British Columbia) and the Alaska Highway News (Fort St. John, British Columbia). She was co founder and editor (with her husband George) of the Bridge River Lillooet News, the Alaska Highway News and other publications. Her editorials were famously signed off with the catchphrase "And that's fer damshur!"

Born Margaret Theresa Lally in Kansas City, Missouri to Irish immigrants, Margaret was raised on rural Kansas farmland in the United States, largely in poverty. She was the 7th of nine children. She left school at 13. She came to Vancouver, British Columbia en route to Calgary, Alberta, where she hoped to find herself a cowboy to wed (she and her sister, Bess, had corresponded with cowboys who had written in response to the notes they had tucked into the most expensive saddles being shipped north).

In Vancouver, she found work as a secretary and bookkeeper for The Chanook, which was published by George Murray.

In 1949, George ran successfully for Member of Parliament for the Cariboo riding, which included Lillooet, but lost in 1953 when the candidate for the rising forces of Social Credit in B. C. edged out Murray, in part thanks to the third party split from the CCF candidate. Complicating the race was that Ma had decided to run for the legislature (in the same election, but for a different party Social Credit, no less, and without telling him first, then switching to a fringe party, the "Common Herd" or People Party, in the riding of North Peace River). She's already had a high profile political career as an editorialist, and was often a social embarrassment to her husband (who still loved her deeply nonetheless). Ma withdrew from the race, but the damage was done. George was shamed out of politics and, by now an outsider in revolt from the Liberal Conservative Coalition and unwilling to join league with Bennett's Socreds, he gave up on his political career and retired from the House of Commons, returning to being publisher and grandfather only. George died in 1961, but Ma survived him by 21 years, and continued to run and publish the paper after his death and to raise eyebrows with her editorials, and laughter with her speeches and frank opinions. Ma but spent her last days back at the editors' desk in historic Lillooet, British Columbia, churning out her raunchy wit and lusty language until the very last, continuing to write a column now and then even after her retirement as editor. Ma Murray died in 1982. She was survived by her daughter, Georgina. A son, Dan, died of cancer in 1981. Both children were working journalists.

Named in her honor, the Margaret 'Ma' Murray Community School, grades k 6, was opened in Fort St. John in 2018.