New Boss in Town?

At 38, suave James Francis Murray Jr. is an accomplished attorney who speaks five languages and practices international law on Manhattan's Fifth Avenue. He is also a New Jersey state senator, has moderated radio's America's Town Meeting of the Air, co-authored a biography of Pope Pius XII, and finds time for relaxation with his attractive wife and five children. But like many an Irish boy brought up around the "Horseshoe" District of the late Frank Hague's sprawling, dirty Jersey City, Murray is a hard-rock politician at heart. Last week Jim Murray broke Hague Successor John V. Kenny's eight-year grip on Jersey City.

Back to the Bath. As a youngster, Murray learned from his father to hate Frank Hague, who slapped down Murray Sr. every time he reached for office. When Kenny toppled Hague in 1949, Murray Sr. finally won with him and became Parks Commissioner. But his alliance with Kenny was short-lived. In 1950 the elder Murray defied the boss, backed son Jim for Congress. For this insubordination Kenny stripped Murray of power, put him in charge of Jersey City's one public bath and its nine employees. Then Kenny canceled out the younger Murray with an obscure candidate also named James Murray Jr. (no middle initial), sent his own man to Congress. Young Jim F. Murray Jr. ran as a maverick for the state senate and won.

Claiming seniority, Murray sought minority leadership of the senate this year. But Kenny, with the blessing of his staunch ally. Governor Robert Meyner, pulled the strings to outmaneuver Murray for the minority leadership job.

Over a Barrel. If Kenny was strong in the statehouse, he was fading back home in Jersey City. Aware of this, Murray joined a city commission ticket made up of other unhappy anti-Kenny men, fought a hard seven-week rough-and-ready municipal campaign. Their anti-boss pitch was effective. In last week's election the Murray men buried four members of Kenny's five-man slate (Kenny himself was not running) in an outpouring of votes.

Fully intending to take over city hall. Commissioner-elect Murray also laid siege to the statehouse, announced that Governor Meyner should give him control of Hudson County patronage. Brash Newcomer Murray had Meyner over a barrel. Meyner is running for re-election this year, and badly needs the 70,000 vote plurality Hudson County could give him. Moreover, Meyner, a potential Democratic presidential candidate for 1960. needs to be re-elected by a handsome margin if he intends to stay in the big time. Says Murray, waiting for the governor to desert Kenny and come his way: "Meyner has to win big to look big." It was a pronouncement worthy of the man who now thinks he will control Jersey City's big Democratic vote just as well as John Kenny ever did.

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