Edward J. Murray
Early Life
Edward John Murray was born on June 13, 1895, in Stamford, Connecticut. By early adulthood, he had established himself in Rye, New York, residing at 26 Davis Avenue. He was employed as a police officer with the Village of Rye, reflecting a position of public responsibility within the community prior to his military service.
He was the son of an Irish-born father and a mother born in New York, placing him within the Irish-American population that formed an important part of the region’s working and civic life in the early twentieth century.
World War I Service
Murray entered military service on June 24, 1918, having been inducted in Westchester County, New York. He was initially assigned to the 152nd Depot Brigade, a unit responsible for receiving, organizing, and training soldiers for service during World War I.
He was subsequently transferred to Company D of the 348th Infantry Regiment, part of the 87th Infantry Division. The 87th Division, organized at Camp Pike, Arkansas, was composed largely of National Army draftees and was intended for deployment to the Western Front during the final phase of the war.
Although the division trained extensively for combat operations, much of its personnel—including elements of the 348th Infantry—were utilized as replacements and support troops within the American Expeditionary Forces. These soldiers played a critical role in sustaining front-line units by providing reinforcements, labor, and logistical support during the final offensives of 1918 and the subsequent occupation period.
Murray served overseas from August 22, 1918, to March 3, 1919, during a period that included the closing campaigns of the war and the immediate post-Armistice occupation. His service would have contributed to the broader operational capacity of American forces in France, even if not directly engaged in front-line combat.
During his service, he was promoted to Corporal on October 21, 1918, reflecting leadership responsibilities within his unit. He sustained no wounds or injuries in action.
He was honorably discharged on March 10, 1919, following demobilization.
Life After Service
Following his return from military service, Murray settled in Westchester County and transitioned into skilled trade work. By 1930, he was living at 50 Florence Street in Mamaroneck, New York, with his wife, Margaret C. Murray, and working as a steamfitter in the heating industry, although he was not employed at the time of that census.
By 1940, he had returned to Rye, residing at 458 Halsted Avenue, where he operated his own business as a grocer and delicatessen proprietor. His work reflected the shift from wage labor to self-employment that characterized many veterans navigating the economic challenges of the Great Depression.
In 1950, he was living in Livingston, Columbia County, New York, where he continued working in his own business, operating a service establishment associated with a gas station while residing on a farm property. This period reflects a combination of small business ownership and rural life during the post–World War II era.
Details regarding his death are not clearly identified in available records.
At the time of his death, surviving family members are not fully identified in available records, though he was known to have been married to Margaret C. Murray.