Murray Kempton
Murray Kempton (born December 16, 1917, Baltimore, United States; died 1997), was an American journalist. Kempton's honours include Pulitzer Prize for Commentary, National Book Award and George Polk Award.
Murray Kempton’s zodiac sign was Sagittarius, Chinese zodiac was Fire Snake, with Life Path 1 in numerology.
Sagittarius, Chinese zodiac was 
Fire Snake, with 
Life Path 1 in numerology.Your match with Murray
Murray Kempton’s AsterNym identity
The Tidal Storyteller
Water represents depth and adaptability. Water-led charts are associated with instinct, memory and the ability to find a path around obstacles. Life Path 1 represents initiative: beginning, working independently and moving before everyone agrees.
Water Day Master (BaZi) × mutable Sun × Life Path 1, on the mental plane.
How common is the name Murray in the U.S.?
#2633
US rank in 2025
~22,299
Americans share it since 1880
1922
its peak year
Murray ranked 241st among boys and 3,014th among girls in 1917, the year of this birth, with 436 American boys and 10 girls on the register.
US Social Security Administration public records
What Murray’s name adds up to
Worked from the name as published, letter by letter.
1
Expression · starting things
6
Soul Urge · being needed
4
Personality · steady, dependable
The name opens on M (4) and closes on Y (7).
Pythagorean letter values · A=1 to I=9, then J=1 again
Murray’s lucky numbers, colours and stones
Traditional correspondences, calculated not chosen.
Lucky numbers
1 · 2 · 8 · 9
Lucky colours
Red & Orange
Lucky day
Thursday
Direction
↓ South
Season
summer
Stones
Turquoise, Yellow Sapphire, Carnelian
Flower constellation
🤍 Narcissus · 🌸 Peony · 🌺 Poppy
Frost white · Rose-gold · Flame orange
Eight Mansions · Kua number
Kua 1, trigram Kan 坎, East group. Best direction Southeast, worst West.
A different tradition from the Direction above, and a different question: feng shui reads it from the solar year 1917, which turns at Li Chun rather than at New Year, and from sex, which Wikidata records as male. Work out your own →
The record
What sets Murray apart
Murray Kempton took the The Hillman Prize for Newspaper Journalism in 1950, at 33.
Training came by way of Johns Hopkins University.
Cause of death is recorded as pancreatic cancer.
Wikipedia's editors put Murray Kempton under The New York Review of Books people, New York Post people and Military personnel from Baltimore.
The same date carries Arthur C. Clarke. The sky is shared; nothing after it is.
- Educated at
- Johns Hopkins University
- Awards
- George Polk Award (1966), National Book Award (1974) and Pulitzer Prize for Commentary (1985)
- Cause of death
- pancreatic cancer
- Citizenship
- United States
- Languages
- English
- Wikipedia editions
- 5
What the chart says
Murray, according to the stars
Core essence
Murray is the friend who says "let's just go" and means today. The core of Murray is faith that the world is bigger and better than the room they are in, and a restlessness to go and check. They are honest to the point of it being a sport, funny by accident, and impossible to keep small. Freedom is not a preference, it is oxygen.
How Murray wants to be loved
Murray wants to be loved as a friend first, and then as everything. Venus in Aquarius needs freedom, conversation and a partner who finds their strangeness delightful. Rules and jealousy make them cold; acceptance makes them devoted. Let Murray be fully themselves and they will never want to be anywhere else.
How Murray creates
How Murray makes things happen: they keep moving. A Yang Water day master is the river, curious, restless, going somewhere even when nobody knows where. Murray creates by exploring, by talking to everyone, by carrying ideas from one place to another. Hard to pin down, impossible to dam, and the best person to have on a long trip.
Instinct
Instinct: Murray is wise and watchful, a Snake year, and their gut reaction is to observe before moving. Elegant, intuitive, private, and usually right about people long before saying so. The Fire year turns the volume up: warmer, bolder, more expressive, harder to overlook.
Purpose
Purpose: Life Path 1 is the pioneer. Murray is here to go first, to start the thing, to trust their own read when nobody else has a map. Independence is the gift and the lesson: the best version of Murray leads without needing to do it alone.
Triggers
Triggers: sloppiness, and being told they are overthinking it. Mars in Virgo means Murray channels energy into fixing, sorting, getting it right, and gets sharp when others do not care. The critic turns inward first. Give them a problem worth solving and watch them come alive.
Computed from Murray's birth date. Working below.
Where Murray sits
Six lines
Murray’s dot comes from the chart; yours is where you put it.
You likely balance a tight inner circle with a wider orbit you dip into.
You may leap first and adjust as you go. Waiting can feel like losing momentum.
You likely share some feelings openly and keep others to yourself.
You may want to resolve tension the moment it appears, rather than let it sit.
You likely balance practical steps with room to imagine further.
You likely warm up at a pace that depends on the person and moment.
Tap each line where you sit.
All twelve of yours, from your birth date →✦ A real star from their birth night
Dedicate a star to Murray Kempton
Three stars chosen from the real sky above Baltimore on the night they were born. Choose the story that connects you.
A 9 p.m. reference sky, not the birth minute. Dedications are commemorative and confer no ownership of stars.
The sky over Baltimore that night
Computed for 39.29°N, 9 p.m. local sky.
Overhead at Baltimore at 9 p.m. that evening: Algol of Perseus, within 5.7° of the exact zenith.
Of the 106 catalog stars above the horizon, Sirius was the brightest.
From 39.3°N not one of the brightest stars stays permanently above the horizon — all of them rise and set.
Nothing below −50.7° declination clears the horizon at this latitude, so Canopus, Rigil Kentaurus, Achernar, Hadar, Acrux, Mimosa and Toliman were never visible from Baltimore on any night.
Sun 48° below the horizon, Moon down and 9% lit at waxing crescent.
The name and the places
- Born in
- Baltimore, United States
The death is recorded at Manhattan, New York City in 1997.
No birth time is on record, so no astrocartography map can be drawn for Murray Kempton: the lines move about fifteen degrees of longitude an hour. Shared Places can still draw yours.
How unusual Murray's chart is
Chart pattern score
28 / 100 · Reassuringly normal
2 unaspected planets
An AsterNym index built from stelliums, yods, grand crosses and chart shape. It is not a population percentile, and a high score is not a better chart. Without a birth time the houses are left out of it.
Score your own chart →If you only read one paragraph
Sagittarius Sun
Sagittarius SunBlunt, cheerful, gone by morning.
Murray Kempton's Sun was in Sagittarius for the whole of December 16, 1917, so no birth time is needed to settle it.
What Sagittarius means →Fire Snake
Fire SnakeSays less than it knows.
Murray Kempton was born on December 16, 1917, which falls in a Fire Snake year of the Chinese calendar.
What the Snake means →Life Path 1
Life Path 1Leads because nobody else moved.
Murray Kempton's birth date, December 16, 1917, reduces to Life Path 1 under the numerology method AsterNym uses.
What Life Path 1 means →What stands out in Murray’s chart
- The tightest major aspect in Murray Kempton's date-only chart is Jupiter sextile Neptune, with an orb of about 3°.
- Four planets were retrograde on the birth date: Jupiter, Saturn, Neptune and Pluto.
- Murray Kempton combines a Water Day Master in BaZi with a mutable Sun and a Life Path on the mental plane, the combination AsterNym calls The Tidal Storyteller.
Murray’s birth chart
Reference chart · birth time unknown
Positions are checked across the whole date. The Moon ranges from 17° to 1° Capricorn or Aquarius depending on the hour.
No birth time, so the houses are a solar chart: the Sun’s sign counts as house 1.
Placements
Tap one to light it on the wheel.
The working: aspects, Chiron and the asteroids, dominant planets and configurationsshow
Aspects across every possible birth time
stableSunsquareMars2.4° to 3.0° orb
Murray’s core identity grinds against their drive.
stableJupitersextileNeptune2.5° to 2.7° orb
Murray’s growth opens doors for their imagination. Nothing happens until someone makes the first move.
stableSunsextileUranus3.0° to 4.0° orb
Murray’s core identity opens doors for their need for freedom.
stableVenusoppositionNeptune3.2° to 4.1° orb
stableVenusoppositionSaturn3.3° to 4.2° orb
stableVenustrineJupiter5.7° to 6.7° orb
stableSaturnoppositionUranus6.5° to 6.6° orb
stableSaturnconjunctionNeptune7.4° orb
possibleMoontrineMarsorb from 0.1° to 9.5° depending on birth time
possibleMoontrineJupiterorb from 2.9° to 17.1° depending on birth time
possibleMoonconjunctionMercuryorb from 3.2° to 16.2° depending on birth time
possibleMoonoppositionNeptuneorb from 5.6° to 19.7° depending on birth time
Chart signature
Elements
- Fire3 of 10
- Earth3 of 10
- Air3 of 10
- Water1 of 10
Modalities
- Cardinal3 of 10
- Fixed4 of 10
- Mutable3 of 10
Counted across the ten planets by sign.
Murray’s Chiron, Ceres, Eros, Hygiea and Lilith
What astrologers make of these five, at noon values.
⚷ ChironPisces 25°27′ (moves 0.01° over the day)
centaur (2060) · the wound and what is learnt from it
⚳ CeresSagittarius 1°28′ (moves 0.42° over the day)
dwarf planet (1) · how a person nurtures and wants to be nurtured
♡ ErosCapricorn 29°03′ (moves 0.57° over the day)
near-Earth asteroid (433) · what draws them and how they desire
⚕ HygieaAquarius 15°42′ (moves 0.32° over the day)
main-belt asteroid (10) · health, routine and what keeps them well
⚸ Black Moon LilithVirgo 15°03′ (moves 0.11° over the day)
mean lunar apogee · the part that refuses to be tamed
Aspects to the asteroids and Lilith
- Black Moon Lilith trine Mercury 0.6°
- Chiron square Sun 1.3°
- Hygiea opposition Saturn 1.5°
- Ceres opposition Jupiter 2.7°
Murray’s dominant planets
1. ♃ Jupiter6 pts
rules the Sun sign, Sagittarius; disposes Sun; 2 major aspects
2. ♅ Uranus5 pts
in its own sign, Aquarius; disposes Venus; 2 major aspects
3. ☉ Sun4 pts
disposes Saturn, Neptune; 2 major aspects
Configurations in Murray’s chart
No stellium, grand trine, T-square, grand cross, yod or kite — the common case.
Minor aspects
semi-sextile, semi-square, quintile, sesquiquadrate, biquintile, quincunx.
- Mercury quincunx Saturn 0.3°
- Venus biquintile Pluto 0.3°
- Mars semi-square Neptune 0.3°
- Jupiter semi-sextile Pluto 0.5°
- Mars quincunx Uranus 0.8°
- Uranus sesquiquadrate Pluto 1.0°
- Sun semi-square Venus 1.2°
Born the same day as Murray
Arthur C. Clarke was born on December 16, 1917 too, the same date and the same year. With no birth time for any of them the chart is identical, not similar: the same Sun, the same pillars, the same Life Path. The sky over the birthplace is not shared: from Baltimore, at 39.3°N, nothing below −50.7° declination ever rises, which keeps Canopus, Rigil Kentaurus, Achernar, Hadar, Acrux, Mimosa and Toliman permanently out of sight. Same sky, different lives.
More people like Murray
Other journalists
- Relman Morin1907
- Lois Wille1931
- Price Day1907
- Meg Greenfield1930
- Laurence Edmund Allen1908
- Frank Peters Jr.1930
Born in United States
- John FennAmerican analytical chemist
- Sam WaltonAmerican businessman
- Katharine GrahamAmerican publisher, editor and author
- Frederick ReinesAmerican physicist
- Lena HorneAmerican singer, actress, dancer and activist
- Richard EllmannAmerican writer and literary critic
More charts like Murray’s
Fellow Sagittarius suns
- Daryl HannahAmerican actress and director (born 1960)
- Sam HuntAmerican singer and songwriter
- Lucas GrabeelAmerican actor and musician
Born in Snake years
- Puka NacuaAmerican football player (born 2001)
- Ethan EvansAmerican football player (born 2001)
- Tonka HemingwayAmerican football player (born 2001)
Also born on December 16
- Arthur C. Clarke1917
- Zara Larsson1997
- Krysten Ritter1981
- Theo James1984
- Lei Jun1969
- Kai Cenat2001
Fellow Yang Water day masters
- Ryan HigaAmerican Internet personality and actor
- Iman ShumpertAmerican basketball player
- Jenna MarblesAmerican YouTube personality
Other Sagittarius Snake charts
- Chris MañonAmerican basketball player (born 2001)
- Mark WilliamsAmerican basketball player (born 2001)
- Dylan CardwellAmerican basketball player (born 2001)
- David Jones GarcíaDominican basketball player (born 2001)
Other Tidal Storytellers
- Yehvann DioufSenegalese-French footballer (born 1999)
- Malick ThiawGerman footballer
- Bryan BreseeAmerican football player (born 2001)
- Zamir WhiteAmerican football running back
Famous people with Life Path 1
- Neil GaimanEnglish writer (born 1960)
- Murray Leinsternovelist, short story writer
- Bob GaleAmerican screenwriter, producer and film director
From the journal: Flying Star feng shui: the one that changes with time · What is a birth chart? How the chart is calculated
Murray’s cards
Computed from December 16, 1917. Tap to flip.
Birth tarot card
The SunAsterNym identity card
The Tidal StorytellerWestern zodiac
SagittariusChinese zodiac
Snake 巳Life Path
1 · Pioneer♃ Ruled by Jupiter
Tin Sn
The working: BaZi pillarsshow
BaZi pillars
Day Master: yang Water.
Year
丁
yin Fire
巳
Snake
Fire
roots & early life
Month
壬
yang Water
子
Rat
Water
work & drive
Day
day master
壬
yang Water
辰
Dragon
Earth
you & partnership
Where this comes from, and how it is worked out
Murray’s birth date and birthplace come from Wikidata Q6939331 (CC0), as do the occupations, works and awards above. With no documented birth time this chart is rated X on the Rodden scale, the astrological convention for how well evidenced a birth time is. The banner above lists what that leaves out. Entries are matched to Wikidata by entity id rather than by name, kept at day precision, and dropped where sources disagree on the date.
Tropical zodiac, whole-sign houses, modern rulers. Aspects on the western_v1 orb policy; minor ones at 1.5° to 2.5°, skipped where a major already holds. Minor bodies from JPL Horizons heliocentric vectors, Lilith as mean apogee. Dominance is an AsterNym score — rulerships, dispositors, aspect count — so other methods can name a different leader.
Portrait by Al Ravenna, World Telegram staff photographer, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.
The same Murray Kempton at Wikipedia.
Roster last reviewed September 10, 2026. The full method: how it works.
Traditional interpretations, not facts or predictions, and not endorsed by Murray Kempton.
Quick answers about Murray Kempton’s chart
- What zodiac sign was Murray Kempton?
- Murray Kempton was a Sagittarius: born December 16, 1917, which puts the Sun in Sagittarius for the whole of that day.
- What was Murray Kempton's Chinese zodiac animal?
- The Snake, with the Fire element, from the Chinese lunar year of the December 16, 1917 birth.
- What was Murray Kempton's Life Path number?
- Life Path 1, calculated in numerology.
- What was Murray Kempton's Chiron sign?
- Chiron in Pisces at 25°. Position from JPL Horizons.
- Where was Murray Kempton's Black Moon Lilith?
- Mean Black Moon Lilith in Virgo at 15°. This is the mean lunar apogee; the osculating Lilith some tables use can sit up to 30° away.
- What was Murray Kempton's dominant planet?
- Jupiter, on AsterNym's dominance score (6 points: rules the Sun sign, Sagittarius; disposes Sun; 2 major aspects). Uranus is second and Sun third. Other sites weight rulerships and aspects differently and can name a different leader.
