Nathan Oakes Murphy (October 14, 1849 – August 22, 1908) was the tenth and fourteenth Governor of Arizona Territory. As well as the territory's delegate to the House of Representatives. Born in Jefferson, Maine to Benjamin F. Murphy and Lucy Oakes Murphy. He attended the public schools. In 1856 the family moved to Wisconsin. From 1866 to 1869 he taught school in Wisconsin. He went to the western frontier and finally settled in

Prescott, Arizona Prescott ( ) is a city in Yavapai County, Arizona, United States. According to the 2020 Census, the city's population was 45,827. The city is the county seat of Yavapai County. In 1864, Prescott was designated as the capital of the Arizona ...

, in April 1883 where he engaged in mining and the real estate business. Secretary to the Governor of Arizona Territory in 1885. He was appointed secretary of Arizona Territory March 21, 1889. He served as delegate to the Republican National Convention in 1892. Governor of Arizona Territory 1892–1894. Murphy was elected as a

Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

to the Fifty-fourth Congress (March 4, 1895 – March 3, 1897). He was not a candidate for renomination in 1896. Again Governor of Arizona Territory and served from 1898 to 1902, when he resigned. He was an unsuccessful Republican candidate for election in 1900 to the Fifty-seventh Congress. He died in

Coronado, California Coronado (Spanish for "Crowned") is a resort city located in San Diego County, California, United States, across the San Diego Bay from downtown San Diego. It was founded in the 1880s and incorporated in 1890. Its population was 24,697 at th ...

, August 22, 1908. He was interred in the Masonic Cemetery,

San Diego, California San Diego ( , ; ) is a city on the Pacific Ocean coast of Southern California located immediately adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a 2020 population of 1,386,932, it is the eighth most populous city in the United Stat ...

but reinterred at

Rock Creek Cemetery Rock Creek Cemetery is an cemetery with a natural and rolling landscape located at Rock Creek Church Road, NW, and Webster Street, NW, off Hawaii Avenue, NE, in the Petworth neighborhood of Washington, D.C., United States. It is across the stre ...

, Washington, D.C. in December 1909.

Policies as governor

He supported the

Mormon Mormons are a religious and cultural group related to Mormonism, the principal branch of the Latter Day Saint movement started by Joseph Smith in upstate New York during the 1820s. After Smith's death in 1844, the movement split into severa ...

settlers in Arizona. He was an advocate for the statehood of Arizona. His efforts to make Arizona a more legitimate state included a territorial library in

Phoenix Phoenix most often refers to: * Phoenix (mythology), a legendary bird from ancient Greek folklore * Phoenix, Arizona, a city in the United States Phoenix may also refer to: Mythology Greek mythological figures * Phoenix (son of Amyntor), a ...

, increasing mining operations, and a museum at the

University of Arizona The University of Arizona (Arizona, U of A, UArizona, or UA) is a public land-grant research university in Tucson, Arizona. Founded in 1885 by the 13th Arizona Territorial Legislature, it was the first university in the Arizona Territory. T ...

. He wanted the reduction on Indian reservations in Arizona. He also wanted the Prohibition of armed Indians.

Frank Murphy

Oakes's brother, Frank, was the owner of the

Congress Mine The Congress Mine is a gold mine located at the ghost town of Congress, Arizona on the southeastern slope of the Date Creek Mountains, approximately 18 miles north-northeast of Wickenburg, Arizona at an elevation of about 3,000 feet (La ...

, the Sasco smelter, and the (MEOW) builder of Castle Hot Springs. He also worked on what is now the

Santa Fe Railroad The Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway , often referred to as the Santa Fe or AT&SF, was one of the larger railroads in the United States. The railroad was chartered in February 1859 to serve the cities of Atchison and Topeka, Kansas, and ...

, in northern Arizona.

References

Citations

Sources

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Murphy, Nathan Oakes 1849 births 1908 deaths People from Lincoln County, Maine Educators from Wisconsin Delegates to the United States House of Representatives from Arizona Territory Governors of Arizona Territory Arizona pioneers Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Arizona 19th-century American politicians 19th-century American educators