Nathan Oakes Murphy (October 14, 1849 – August 22, 1908) was the tenth and fourteenth Governor of

Arizona Territory The Territory of Arizona, commonly known as the Arizona Territory, was a territory of the United States that existed from February 24, 1863, until February 14, 1912, when the remaining extent of the territory was admitted to the Union as the ...

. As well as the territory's delegate to the House of Representatives. Born in

Jefferson, Maine Jefferson is a town in Lincoln County, Maine, United States. The population was 2,551 at the 2020 census. Damariscotta Lake State Park, a popular Mid Coast swimming, canoeing and picnic area, is located within the town limits. History Jeffer ...

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 and the county seat of Yavapai County, Arizona, United States. As of 2020 United States census, 2020 Census, the city's population was 45,827. In 1864, Prescott was designated as the capital of the Arizona Territory, r ...

, 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 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 language, Spanish for "Crowned") is a resort town, resort city in San Diego County, California, United States, across San Diego Bay from downtown San Diego. It was founded in the 1880s and incorporated in 1890. Its population ...

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

San Diego, California San Diego ( , ) is a city on the Pacific coast of Southern California, adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a population of over 1.4 million, it is the List of United States cities by population, eighth-most populous city in t ...

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 (Washington, D.C.), Petworth neighborhood of Washington, D.C., across ...

, Washington, D.C. in December 1909.

Policies as governor

He supported the Mormon 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, 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 university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Tucson, Arizona, United States. Founded in 1885 by the 13th Arizona Territorial Legislature, it ...

. 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 Sasco smelter, and the (MEOW) builder of Castle Hot Springs. He also worked on what is now the Santa Fe Railroad, in northern Arizona.

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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 educators 19th-century members of the United States House of Representatives