Oakes Murphy

Nathan Oakes Murphy ( born October 14, 1849 in Jefferson, Lincoln County, Maine; † August 22, 1908 in Coronado, California ) was an American politician and governor of the Arizona Territory. He was a member of the Republican Party.

Career

Oakes Murphy attended the public schools and then taught himself in Wisconsin. Subsequently, Murphy went to the Western frontier, where he eventually settled in Prescott, Arizona in April 1883. There, he worked in mining and real estate transactions. On March 21, 1889, he was appointed Secretary of the Arizona Territory. He was also a delegate to the 1892 Republican National Convention. Of 11 March 1892 to 12 April 1894, he held the office of Governor in the Arizona Territory.

After his time as Governor Murphy resigned on March 4, 1895 his post as Republican congressman in the 54th Congress, and remained there until March 3, 1897. He decided in 1896 not to seek re-election to compete. Murphy was instead elected governor of Arizona territory again on August 1, 1898, a post that he held until his resignation on July 1, 1902. He ran unsuccessfully as a Republican in 1900 for the 57th Congress.

He died on August 22, 1908 in Coronado and was buried in the Masonic Cemetery in San Diego. Furthermore, he was married twice. He married in 1884 Sarah E. Banghart, but of which he did in 1903, divorced again. Then he married in 1904 Emma D. Sells.