Richard Louis Murphy
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Richard Louis Murphy (November 6, 1875July 16, 1936) was a Democratic
U.S. Senator The United States Senate is a chamber of the bicameral United States Congress; it is the upper house, with the U.S. House of Representatives being the lower house. Together, the Senate and House have the authority under Article One of the ...
from Iowa. Elected with President
Franklin D. Roosevelt Franklin Delano Roosevelt (January 30, 1882April 12, 1945), also known as FDR, was the 32nd president of the United States, serving from 1933 until his death in 1945. He is the longest-serving U.S. president, and the only one to have served ...
in 1932, as only the second Democratic Senator from Iowa elected since 1852, Murphy's service was cut short by his accidental death in 1936,"Senator Murphy Dies in Auto Crash," Ames Daily Tribune, 1936-07-16, at 1. with over two years remaining in his only term. Louis Murphy was born to John and Anna Murphy in
Dubuque, Iowa Dubuque (, ) is a city in Dubuque County, Iowa, United States, and its county seat. The population was 59,667 at the 2020 United States census. The city lies along the Mississippi River at the junction of Iowa, Illinois, and Wisconsin, a region ...
, on November 6, 1875. His father was the publisher of the Dubuque Telegraph-Herald. Louis attended the public schools in Dubuque, including two years of high school, but his earnings were needed at home, so his formal education ended."Louis R. Murphy, Native of Iowa, Chosen as Senator," Waterloo Daily Courier, 1932-11-09 at 5. He began a career in journalism at age 15, by serving as a reporter for the
Galena, Illinois Galena is the largest city in Jo Daviess County, Illinois, United States, and its county seat. It had a population of 3,308 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. A section of the city is listed on the National Register of Historic Plac ...
, Gazette from 1890 to 1892. Returning to Dubuque in 1892, he worked at the Dubuque Times-Journal as a reporter then as a city editor. Upon his father's death in 1902, he became the editor of the Dubuque Telegraph-Herald, serving in that position until 1914. He was appointed by the
Woodrow Wilson Thomas Woodrow Wilson (December 28, 1856February 3, 1924) was the 28th president of the United States, serving from 1913 to 1921. He was the only History of the Democratic Party (United States), Democrat to serve as president during the Prog ...
Administration to serve as collector of internal revenue for Iowa from 1913 to 1920. After the end of that administration, he worked as an income tax counselor from 1920 to 1931, when he retired from active pursuits. In 1932, he ran as the Democratic nominee for the U.S. Senate seat then held by Smith W. Brookhart. Henry Field seized the Republican nomination from Brookhart. In the general election, Murphy defeated Field by a wide margin, as part of the Democratic landslide that accompanied the election of Roosevelt and defeat of
Herbert Hoover Herbert Clark Hoover (August 10, 1874 – October 20, 1964) was the 31st president of the United States, serving from 1929 to 1933. A wealthy mining engineer before his presidency, Hoover led the wartime Commission for Relief in Belgium and ...
. A chief plank of Murphy's platform was the restoration, as an agricultural relief measure, of the legality of beer. Murphy served from March 4, 1933, until his death in an automobile accident near
Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin Chippewa Falls () is a city located on the Chippewa River (Wisconsin), Chippewa River in Chippewa County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 14,731 in the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Incorporated as a city in 1869, it is the ...
, on July 16, 1936. He and his wife, Ellen, were returning to Dubuque from a week's vacation in Hayward, Wis., with Fred W. Woodward, publisher of the ''Dubuque Telegraph Herald'', and his wife, Elsie. Murphy's wife, one of three passengers injured in the crash, reported that the accident occurred when a tire blew out while Murphy was driving at low speed, causing it to plunge off an embankment. With Murphy's death, the Roosevelt Administration lost a reliable ally in the Senate. Although Murphy was replaced by another Democrat, ( Guy M. Gillette), Gillette was often at odds with the president, opposing his plan to expand the Supreme Court, and opposing, until late 1941, Roosevelt's support for Great Britain.The Old Master
" Time Magazine, 1941-12-01.
At the time of the accident, Mr. and Mrs. Murphy were the parents of five children—Mary, Elinor Ann, Imelda, Ellen and Charles. A sixth child had died in infancy.


See also

*
List of United States Congress members who died in office (1900–49) There are several lists of United States Congress members who died in office. These include: *List of United States Congress members who died in office (1790–1899) *List of United States Congress members who died in office (1900–1949) *List ...


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{{DEFAULTSORT:Murphy, Louis 1875 births 1936 deaths Politicians from Dubuque, Iowa Road incident deaths in Wisconsin Democratic Party United States senators from Iowa Iowa Democrats 19th-century American journalists 20th-century American newspaper publishers (people) 20th-century United States senators