Robert E. Murray

Robert E. Murray served as the founder, chairman, president and chief executive officer of Murray Energy Corporation and its Subsidiaries, a group of privately held coalmining, sales, and transloading companies. University studies on Murray Energy show that up to eleven spin-off jobs are created to supply the goods and services needed by Murray Energy's mines and their direct employees. Consequently, Murray's companies are responsible for the creation of tens of thousands of jobs nationwide and elsewhere. Before forming Murray Energy, Murray had a prestigious career with the North American Coal Corporation for thirty-one years, serving in all levels of management and ultimately as president and chief executive officer. He started with North American while studying mining engineering at Ohio State University and worked his way through every coal mine and preparation plant in both engineering and operations positions until he was named vice president of operations in 1969. In this position, he was instrumental in marketing, assembling and building the company's large lignite reserves in North Dakota and Texas and in negotiation the long-term coal sales arrangements that are still in effect. From 1974 to 1983, Murray served as president of North American's Western Division and president of four of its subsidiary companies in North Dakota. In 1983, he returned to corporate headquarters in Cleveland as executive vice president of operations, was subsequently elected president and chief operating officer, and then named president and chief executive officer of North American and its subsidiaries. He left North American in 1987 to form Murray Energy. During his sixty-year mining career, Murray received numerous safety, educational, engineering, leadership, professional and philanthropic awards. He served as past president of AIME and SME and a leader and board member for several national and state coal trade associations. He was a recognized authority on matters affecting the coal and minerals industries before Congress, the administration, and regulatory and other government agencies, and a respected spokesman on electricity availability, reliability, and affordability; on how political actions and regulations can adversely affect the electric power grid and consequently the economies of many regions of the country; and on what must be done to help preserve the coal mining industry and protect those jobs that provide affordable, reliable electricity to America.