Randall R. Murdock, 1903-1907

 Chris Maurer

      Randall R. Murdock was born on August 3, 1869, and lived on a farm outside of Monmouth. He was the oldest son of Thomas and Hanna Murdock. Thomas Murdock was an Irish immigrant who came to America as a child. He came to Warren County in 1869 and started a family with Hanna Knox.[1]

    Randall Murdock was well schooled and also was a student of Monmouth College, graduating with the class of 1891.[2] After college he was employed in the engineering department for the city of Monmouth until he became a clerk for the firm of Vought and Stone. In 1894, Randall left the firm and to create a shoe business with his bother Willard W. Murdock.[3] The store was called the Murdock Shoe Company and was located on 57 South Side Public Square.[4] It officially opened on February 12, 1895.[5] The business was very successful.[6]

    Their shoe business expanded to other towns. They had a store in Oskaloosa, Iowa, under the care of Willard Murdock. On May 10, 1899, word was sent to Monmouth that the store had burned down and the entire stock of products had been lost in it.[7] Also, Willard Murdock purchased a shoe store in Burlington, Iowa, called Andre Shoe Company, and kept it open and running.[8]  

     In 1907 Randall Murdock became a salesman for the Ford Motor Company, selling automobiles. He would stay in this line of business till November of 1911, when he sold the agency to L. T. Hall.[9]

     In 1898, when the Spanish-American war began Randall Murdock had enlisted to fight. He was a member of Company H the Sixth Illinois Infantry.[10] His troop was stationed in Puerto Rico, and Murdock had the rank of quartermaster sergeant.[11]

(Certificate of Undertaker on Burial of U.S. War Veteran, found at the County Clerk’s office in Monmouth, IL) 

     Randall Murdock He was honorably discharged, and married Georgia Hoffman after his return from the war.[12]

     Randall Murdock was a supporter of the Republican Party. He was elected mayor in 1903 and re-elected in 1905.[13] The Union Party had been a dominate force in politics in the city of Monmouth. But on April 1, 1903, the Progressive Party was formed to challenge the Union Party, and Randall R. Murdock was the party’s candidate for the position of mayor.[14] Murdock was officially nominated as the party candidate for mayor on April 6, 1903.[15] The Union Party was the only political party in the race up to that point in time.[16] This was the Progressive Party’s platform during the campaign:

We, the representatives of the Progressive Party of the city of Monmouth in convention assembled, present the fallowing declaration of principles; and respectfully solicit the support of all citizens and voters, regardless of past party affiliations who are opposed to the present deplorable condition of affairs and who are in favor of a clear, economical and business administration of the affairs of our city to which we, as a party in city politics, pledge our officers, if elected, to support.

            We believe that all local improvements made by special taxation should be upon petition of the owners of a majority of the frontage along the proposed line of improvement.

            We believe in the wise provision of the law permitting the voters of a municipality to petition their city council for the right to vote on the question of the building or extension of the water works. We are opposed without the consent of the voters if they see fit to so petition, to the issuing of the water certificates to be paid from the collection of water rents, which cut off revenue to the extent of thousands of dollars each year and for many years in the future from coming into the city treasury. We are opposed to the large expenditure of the public money on public improvements molded after the whims of in experienced men which are practically worthless to the city, and burdensome to the tax payer.

            We are opposed to the donation of the city’s valuable franchises to irresponsible parties or corporations, whose only purpose is to tie up the grant for future speculation, but we cordially invite and pledge ourselves to aid and assist all legitimate enterprises which have for their purpose the betterment of our city and its interests. We believe that ordinances conferring special privileges should only be granted to parties acting in good faith, and should require the grantees to proceed within a reasonable time under penalty of forfeiture and damages secured by good and sufficient bond to be approved by the mayor and city council.

            We believe it to be the duty of city officials to see that the streets and sidewalks of the city are properly repaired, cleaned, and lighted.

            We believe the citizens of Monmouth are entitled to a clear and plain statement of the expenditures of public funds and that such a statement should be published regularly.

            We are in favor of the submission of the question of licensing saloons to the popular vote and pledge ourselves to abide by the decision of the voters at the polls.[17]

 In the 1903 election Murdock beat out the Union Party candidate for mayor; James French.[18] 

      (Fig. 1: The number of vote received by each ward of the city of Monmouth during the 1905 election. Found in the Record of Proceedings for the City of Monmouth at the Monmouth City Hall.)

       When Murdock was first in office, he had a budget of $10,123.69 to use, with he installed sidewalks, sewage, and electric lines. The first ordinance for such improvements was passed on May 2, 1903. New sidewalks were going to be placed on the west side of South Fourth Street, between First Avenue and Second Avenue. Also, sidewalks would be placed on East Fifth Avenue between South Ninth Street and South Tenth Street.[19]

     But things were not perfect when Murdock was in office. On April 3, 1905, it was recorded that the Cameron Septic Tank Company filed a suit against the city of Monmouth, and several other towns. They were suing on the grounds of “infringement of letters patent of the United States, number 634.423, issued October 3, 1899… for an improvement in processes of and apparatus for treating sewage.” Monmouth had to pay a fine of $560.00.[20]

     Murdock’s position as mayor lasted till 1907 when he was succeeded by John S. Brown.[21] Brown won with 1293 votes, and the victory was one largest defeat a political party in Monmouth has received up to that point in time.[22] Murdock ran again under the Progressive ticket in 1911, but was defeated by Joseph P. Moore on the Union Party ticket.[23] Besides being a businessman and mayor of Monmouth, he was associated with the organizations of the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks, the Mystic Workers of the World, and the United Spanish War Veterans. He was also a member of the Presbyterian Church.[24]

      On June 29, 1933, Randall R. Murdock died of heart disease at the age of 63. His wife and brother where the only surviving members of the family. Murdock was buried in Monmouth Cemetery.[25]

Randall and Georgia Murdock’s gravestone

 Chris Maurer wrote this biography in the fall of 2005 for his historiography class under the direction of William Urban.