Inaugural Impressions
Willie Emerson Murray (1908–63)
Willie Roberta Emerson was born on September 27, 1908, in Weatherford, Oklahoma. Her father died while she was young, leaving her mother to raise her along with older brothers Robert and Clyde and sister Bessie. Willie was intelligent from an early age and became a gifted concert pianist. She also played violin and sang. Willie obtained a bachelor’s degree at 17, after which she headed the piano department at Southwestern State Teachers College (now Southwestern Oklahoma State University).
Willie met divorced attorney Johnston Murray in 1932 at the state Democratic convention in Oklahoma City, which she attended as vice-chair of Custer County’s Democratic Party. Johnston was the son of former governor William Henry “Alfalfa Bill” and Mary Alice Murray. The couple married on May 1, 1933. They lived in Blackwell and Tonkawa before moving to Oklahoma City in 1942. Johnston was elected governor of Oklahoma in 1950.
Willie was a driving force behind Johnston’s political ambitions and actively campaigned on his behalf during the gubernatorial campaign. Although Willie claimed that Johnston rarely informed her of what went on in the Capitol, she brought a spotlight to the position of First Lady. She regularly welcomed guests to the Governor’s Mansion, where she often featured art exhibits or other attractions. She strongly promoted products made in Oklahoma and developed programs to showcase them across the state. Willie also owned an extensive wardrobe, which made her a fashion symbol in Oklahoma.
As Johnston’s term was ending, Willie decided to seek the Democratic nomination for governor. She lost in the primary, however. Johnston opposed her campaign and ultimately filed for divorce, which was finalized in February 1956. In 1962, Willie was hospitalized with a cancer diagnosis. She died on April 4, 1963. Her body lay in state at the Capitol, and the Oklahoma Senate passed a resolution to recognize her contributions to Oklahoma. She is buried in Greenwood Cemetery in Weatherford.
Willie Emerson Murray, 1950
(20262.1830.2, Richard Lee and Hillerman Collection, OHS)
