Arthur Moses Teichman, better known as Arthur Murray, was born on April 4, 1895, as Moses Teichman in Galicia, Austria-Hungary, to a family of Jewish background. He was an American ballroom dancer whose name is most
often associated with the dance studio chain that bears his name.
He began teaching ballroom dancing to patients from the greater Boston area, at the Devereux Mansion Physical Therapy Clinic in Marblehead, Massachusetts,
Murray arrived at the Battery Park Hotel in Asheville, North Carolina on November 28, 1914, at age 19 and began teaching dance there.
At the outbreak of World War I, under the pressure of the anti-German sentiment prevalent
in the U.S., Murray changed his last name of Teichman to the less
German-sounding name.
He signed a deal to produce records for teaching dance for Columbia Gramophone Company. Murray released many successful dance records for Columbia as well as
Capitol Records, some of which included coupons for dance lessons at
Arthur Murray Studios.
On April 24, 1925, Murray married his famous dance partner, Kathryn Kohnfelder whom he had met at a radio station in New Jersey. She had been in the audience while he was broadcasting a dance lesson.
On December 30, 1955, Mr. and Mrs. Murray were the interview subjects of the Edward R. Murrow episode of Person to Person
Murray died at his Honolulu home at the age of 95; according to his
daughter, Phyllis Murray McDowell, pneumonia was the cause of death. He
had been active and in good health until a short time before his death.
Viewfinder links:
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The Arthur Murray Party 15 February, 1954 (14 mins., 34 secs.)
