Isaac Murphy

Isaac Murphy (born October 16, 1799 in Pittsburgh , Pennsylvania , † September 8, 1882 in Madison County , Arkansas ) was an American politician and governor of Arkansas between 1864 and 1868 .

Early years

Isaac Murphy attended Washington College and then studied law. After his admission to the bar in 1825, he practiced in Clarksville , Tennessee , where he also worked as a teacher. In 1834 he moved to Fayetteville , Arkansas. There he worked as a lawyer, teacher and land surveyor.

Political rise

Between 1836 and 1838 he was responsible for the finances of Washington County . From 1846 and 1848 he was a member of the Arkansas House of Representatives . At the beginning of the 1850s, Murphy followed the call of gold and tried his luck in the gold fields of California in vain . In 1854 he returned to Arkansas, where he was elected to the State Senate in 1856 . In 1861 he was a member of the second assembly that was supposed to discuss the country's withdrawal from the Union. Murphy was one of the few opponents of secession. When the Civil War broke out, Murphy faced severe hostility from his compatriots for his pro-Union views. After all, he feared for his life. In 1862 he fled to the Union troops. As a result, he stayed with these troops. After conquering large parts of Arkansas, including the capital, Little Rock , Murphy was elected provisional governor of Arkansas. His Confederate predecessor Harris Flanagin had fled.

Arkansas Governor

Overall, Murphy served between April 18, 1864 to July 2, 1868 as governor of Arkansas. During his tenure, the wounds of the war gradually healed, even if at the beginning of his reign there was still fighting in the south of the country. After the turmoil of the war, a new effective administration had to be built. Muprphy had a budget surplus of $ 270,000 in his four years in government. Given that he started from scratch and had to overcome the aftermath of the war, that is a remarkable achievement. At that time, public schools were established nationwide for the first time throughout Arkansas and the legal requirements for the establishment of the University of Arkansas were created. The second half of his reign was not easy. After the turn of federal policy to the radical reconstruction course of the Republican Party , a countermovement arose in Arkansas. The elections for the State House of Representatives resulted in a conservative majority, which now turned against the moderate governor. This was also attacked by the Republicans because of his balancing attitude. So he had both sides against himself and a very difficult position. Nevertheless, he did not resign, but tried to make the best of the situation.

Another résumé

After the end of his tenure, Murphy retired to Huntsville and worked as a farmer and lawyer. He died there in 1882. He was married to Angelina Lockhart, with whom he had five children. In 1974, historian John I. Smith linked Murphy's name to the so-called Huntsville massacre, in which eight people were shot.

literature

• Robert Sobel and John Raimo (Eds.): Biographical Directory of the Governors of the United States, 1789–1978. Volume 1, Meckler Books, Westport, 1978. 4 volumes.

Web links

• Isaac Murphy at the National Governors Association (English)
• Online biography in Arkansas Encyclopedia (English)
• Online biography of Governors of Arkansas (English)
• Isaac Murphy in the database of Find a Grave (English)