Alfred P. Murrah

Alfred Paul "Fish" Murrah was born near Tishomingo and, after losing both of his parents at an early age, he traveled extensively seeking work. He eventually settled in Tuttle and graduated from Tuttle High School in 1923 as the valedictorian and president of his senior class.

He received a degree from the University of Oklahoma College of Law and practiced in Oklahoma City and Seminole until 1937, when he was nominated by President Franklin D. Roosevelt to serve as judge for the newly-created U.S. District Court for the Eastern, Northern, and Western Districts of Oklahoma. President Roosevelt then nominated him to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit, serving as chief judge from 1959 to 1970. He served as the Director of the Federal Judicial Center from 1970 to 1974.

Murrah was a constant advocate for improvements in the administration of justice during his tenure of service to the State of Oklahoma. He served as chair of the Committee on Pretrial Practice and Procedure of the Judicial Conference of the United States, chair of the Council of Judges of the National Council on Crime and Delinquency, and chair of the Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation.

The Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City was erected in 1977, named in his honor. Though it has become synonymous with the deadliest domestic terror attack in U.S. history, its namesake was a devoted public servant for the State of Oklahoma for almost fifty years.