Patty Murray - Early Life

Early Life

One of seven children, Murray was born in Bothell, Washington, to Beverly A. (née McLaughlin) and David L. Johns. Her mother was an accountant. Her father fought in World War II and was awarded a Purple Heart. Her ancestry includes Welsh, Irish, Scottish, and French-Canadian. As a teenager, her family was forced to apply for welfare assistance when her father became disabled due to the onset of multiple sclerosis. He had been the manager of a five-and-ten store. She attended Saint Brendan Catholic School as a young child.

Murray received her Bachelor of Arts degree in physical education from Washington State University in 1972. She was a preschool teacher for several years and taught a parenting class at Shoreline Community College from 1984 to 1987.

Read more about this topic:  Patty Murray

Famous quotes containing the words early and/or life:

    “Parents ... are sometimes a bit of a disappointment to their children. They don’t fulfil the promise of their early years.”
    —Anthony Powell (b. 1905)

    “The intellectual life may be kept clean and healthful, if man will live the life of nature, and not import into his mind difficulties which are none of his.”
    —Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803–1882)