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John Robert Murdock Collection

 Collection
Identifier: MSS-62

Scope and Content Note

The John Robert Murdock Collection consists of correspondence, news clippings, radio broadcast scripts and speeches, election returns, and printed matter dating from 1917 to 1963. The bulk of the collection concerns Murdock's congressional campaigns and state elections between 1942 and 1950.

Dates

  • Creation: 1917-1963
  • Creation: Majority of material found within 1942-1950

Language of Materials

Material in English

Access Restrictions

To view this collection, make an appointment at least five business days prior to your visit by contacting Ask an Archivist or calling (480) 965-4932. Appointments in the Wurzburger Reading Room at Hayden Library (rm. 138) on the Tempe campus are available Monday through Friday. Check the ASU Library Hours page for current availability.

Copyright

Arizona State University does not own the copyright to this collection. We recognize that it is incumbent upon the researcher to procure permission to publish information from this collection from the owner of the copyright.

Biographical Note

John Robert Murdock, educator and US Representative from Arizona, was born on April 20, 1885 near Lewistown, Missouri. He attended local public schools and graduated from the Missouri State Teacher's College at Kirksville in 1912. After teaching in public schools from 1908 to 1914 he accepted an appointment as an instructor in history and political science at the Tempe Normal School. In 1933, Murdock was named Dean of the Arizona State Teachers College at Tempe.

Murdock was elected to the US House of Representatives as a Democrat in November of 1936 and served continuously until January of 1953, having been defeated in the fall 1952 elections. He was a specialist in water issues with particular expertise in water desalinization. Murdock died in Phoenix on February 14, 1972.

Full extent

5 Box(es)

Full extent

2.25 Linear Feet

Abstract

The John Robert Murdock Collection consists of correspondence, news clippings, radio broadcast scripts and speeches, election returns, and printed matter dating from 1917 to 1963. The bulk of the collection concerns Murdock's congressional campaigns and state elections between 1942 and 1950.

Arrangement

This collection consists of five boxes.

Other Finding Aids

A calendar describing each item in the Murdock Collection is available in the Luhrs Reading Room upon request.

Provenance

The John Robert Murdock Collection was received from his daughter, Mrs. Rachel (Murdock) Ellis, in 1979 (ACC# 79-060).

Separated Materials

Photographs received with this collection were separated and cataloged as CP SPC 73: John Robert Murdock Photographs (guide available at http://www.azarchivesonline.org/xtf/view?docId=ead/asu/cp_spc_73.xml).

Title
John Robert Murdock Collection
Status
Completed
Author
Processed by Robert P. Spindler in November 1993; machine-readable finding guide created by Michael Lotstein in March 2003.
Date
2011
Description rules
Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Language of description
English
Script of description
Latin
Language of description note
Finding guide encoded in English.

Repository details

Part of the Greater Arizona Collection Repository

Contact

Arizona State University
P.O. Box 871006
Tempe AZ 85287-1006 United States
(480) 965-4932