In a letter dated August 6, 1942, Wm. H. Murray explains the origin of his nickname "Alfalfa Bill." The nickname was given to him in 1903 after he gave a speech on growing alfalfa at a meeting in Tishomingo, Oklahoma. The name stuck and he adopted it as his own. While the nickname helped him gain popularity among farmers, it also gave the impression that he was too rustic to be a scholar.