Dennis Murphree

(Redirected from Dennis H. Murphree)

Dennis Herron Murphree (January 6, 1886 – February 9, 1949) was an American politician. He served three separate terms as Lieutenant Governor of Mississippi and two as Governor of Mississippi.

Dennis Murphree
42nd and 47th Governor of Mississippi
In office
December 26, 1943 – January 18, 1944
Preceded byPaul B. Johnson Sr.
Succeeded byThomas L. Bailey
In office
March 18, 1927 – January 17, 1928
Preceded byHenry L. Whitfield
Succeeded byTheodore G. Bilbo
20th, 22nd, and 24th Lieutenant Governor of Mississippi
In office
January 15, 1940 – December 26, 1943
GovernorPaul B. Johnson Sr.
Preceded byJacob Buehler Snider
Succeeded byFielding L. Wright
In office
January 19, 1932 – January 21, 1936
GovernorMartin Sennett Conner
Preceded byBidwell Adam
Succeeded byJacob Buehler Snider
In office
January 22, 1924 – March 18, 1927
GovernorHenry L. Whitfield
Preceded byHomer H. Casteel
Succeeded byBidwell Adam
In office
November 1911 – January 22, 1924
Personal details
Born(1886-01-06)January 6, 1886
Pittsboro, Mississippi, U.S.
DiedFebruary 9, 1949(1949-02-09) (aged 63)
Pittsboro, Mississippi, U.S.
Political partyDemocratic
SpouseClara Martin

Biography

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He was born on January 6, 1886, the son of Thomas F. Murphree and Callie (Cooper) Murphree.[1] He was a member of the Mississippi House of Representatives from 1911 to 1923. In March 1927, he became Governor of Mississippi after the death of incumbent Henry L. Whitfield. He served for about ten months until Theodore G. Bilbo, who defeated Murphree in the Democratic Party primary by 10,000 votes, was sworn into office in January 1928. Defeat has been attributed in part to his having prevented a lynching in Jackson (he mobilized the National Guard and threw up a barbed-wire barricade around the jail).[2] With the death of Gov. Paul B. Johnson Sr. in December 1943, Murphree finished out the three weeks left in Johnson's term, serving until the swearing-in of Thomas L. Bailey in January 1944.

Dennis Murphree conceived the idea of the Know Mississippi Better train in 1925 in response to Governor Whitfield's wish to create an exposition of Mississippi for the rest of the country. The train was successful and continued to tour annually until at least 1937. The train visited forty-seven other states, Canada, and Mexico, and showcased the state's industry, entertainment, and commerce sectors.

References

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  1. ^ History, Mississippi Department of Archives and (1917). The Official and Statistical Register of the State of Mississippi. Department of Archives and History.
  2. ^ Butler, Hilton (July 22, 1931). "Lynch Law in Action". The New Republic. Archived from the original on March 25, 2003. Retrieved April 20, 2018.
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Party political offices
Preceded by Democratic nominee for Lieutenant Governor of Mississippi
1939
Succeeded by
Political offices
Preceded by Governor of Mississippi
1927–1928
Succeeded by
Preceded by Governor of Mississippi
1943–1944
Succeeded by
Preceded by Lieutenant Governor of Mississippi
1924–1927
Succeeded by
Preceded by Lieutenant Governor of Mississippi
1932–1936
Succeeded by
Preceded by Lieutenant Governor of Mississippi
1940–1943
Succeeded by