[2] His parents' marriage ended when he was 2 and his mother moved to Sydney with him, working to find the fees to pay his attendance at St Joseph's College, Hunters Hill in 1904.

While in Europe, Murray took leave to study dairy science at an agricultural college in Scotland, and visited the United States before returning to Australia.

He became Chief Instructor of the Land Headquarters School of Civil Affairs at Duntroon, helping to retrain ex-servicemen after the war.

Murray was appointed Administrator of the Australian Territories in Papua and New Guinea from 1945 to 1952,[8][9] and was knighted in 1978, for his contribution to the development of PNG as it moved toward independence.

He was awarded an Honorary Doctor of Science in 1967, became Emeritus Professor in 1975, and was advanced to Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire in the 1978 New Year Honours.