Alfalfa Bill Murray

by Kathryn Walker Richardson

Alfalfa Bill Murray by Kathryn Walker Richardson

William H."Alfalfa Bill" Murray was one of the most colorful politicians of Oklahoma history.

Born in 1869, Murray was a teacher, farmer, journalist, and lawyer and first entered Democratic Party politics with the movement for Oklahoma statehood. He served as the president of the Oklahoma Constitutional Convention and played a major role in the drafting of the state's constitution. Murray became the first speaker of the new state's House of Representatives.

In 1912, Murray won one of the state's at-large seats in the United States House of Representatives. Two years later, he was elected representative of Oklahoma's Fourth District. He was elected Governor in 1930 after two unsuccessful runs for the office in 1910 and 1918.

Flamboyant, unpredictable and stubborn, Alfalfa Bill became a legend to several generations of Oklahomans.

Alfalfa Bill Murray by Kathryn Walker Richardson was dedicated on February 4, 2004. The commission was managed by the Oklahoma State Senate Historical Preservation Fund, Inc.

The painting is located inside the Oklahoma House of Representatives Chamber lobby on the fourth floor of the Oklahoma State Capitol and can be viewed daily from 8:30-5:30 when the House is not in session.

The Artist

Artist Kathryn Walker Richardson Kathryn Richardson believes the visual arts are capable of inspiring and uplifting the human spirit and soul. She paints subject matter that “represent the magnificence of the world—those things worth remembering.” Kathryn believes a portrait must be a painting first, standing on its own merits with regard to composition and the technical strength of its execution.

Kathryn studied at Oklahoma State University and trained independently with artists Dennis B. Parker, Daniel Greene, Bettina Steinke, Harley Brown and Morgan Weistling. She has also studied at the Art Students League in New York City and the Cape Cod School of Art.

She is a member of the American Society of Portrait Artists and the Pastel Society of America. She has served as a board member of the Oklahoma Arts Council.