ALFALFA BILL MURRAY
Do you have a nickname? One of our most famous governors had a nickname.
He was called “Alfalfa Bill.” What is alfalfa? It is a crop grown for feeding livestock,
like cattle. Our governor’s real name was William Murray. But he got his nickname
because he believed that agriculture was very important to our state’s future. And
Alfalfa Bill started out as a farmer himself. He once
said, “You can grow anything in Oklahoma!”
William Murray was famous before being voted as
our governor. He had helped write our state
Constitution and wrote many laws for our early
government. He had worked as a teacher, a
salesman, a news reporter, and a lawyer.
He even ran for President of the United States! He
called himself just an Oklahoman, like everyone
else. When he was elected governor, he invited the
people to a square dance!
The people liked Alfalfa Bill. But he also got into
trouble sometimes. That’s because Governor
Murray was outspoken. He gave people his opinion,
even if they didn’t want to hear it.
William Murray became our governor during very hard times in our state. Many
people were out of jobs. It was during a time called the Great Depression. When
farmers were losing their family farms, he fought to help the farmers keep their
lands.
1, Why was Alfalfa Bill given his nickname?
2. What things did Governor Murray do for the people and state of Oklahoma?
3. How did some of Alfalfa Bill’s jobs help him be a good governor?
Courtesy Oklahoma Council for Social Studies