John Murray, 4th Earl of Dunmore (1732-1809), was the British colonial governor of Virginia during the dramatic years preceding the American Revolution.

John Murray, descended from the French line of Stuarts, succeeded to his father's title in 1765. He also held the titles of Viscount Fincastle, Baron of Blair, Baron of Moulin, and Baron of Tillymount. In 1768 he married Lady Charlotte Stewart, daughter of the Earl of Galloway. Elected in 1761 as one of the 16 Scottish peers to sit in the British Parliament, he was reelected in 1768.

Lord Dunmore was appointed governor of New York in 1770 by Lord Hillsborough, British secretary of state for the Colonies. In 1771 he was promoted to governor of Virginia. He was well liked there, as he had been in New York. His newborn daughter was adopted by the Virginia colony, and two new counties, Fincastle and Dunmore, were named for him. His popularity began to...