Robert S. Murphy (October 18, 1861 – June 24, 1912) was an American lawyer and politician who served as the ninth lieutenant governor of Pennsylvania from 1907 to 1911. A Republican, Murphy was born in Louisville, New York, but spent most of his childhood in the area of Portland, Maine, where his father, Francis Murphy, was a temperance evangelist. Murphy attended

Hedding College Hedding College was a college in Abingdon, Illinois, that operated from 1855 to 1927. The school was named after Methodist Bishop Elizah Hedding. Merged with Illinois Wesleyan University in 1930. The campus was used by the Roosevelt Military Academ ...

and the

Pennington School The Pennington School is a private (independent), coeducational college preparatory school for day and boarding students in sixth through twelfth grades, located in Pennington, New Jersey, a small community in the northeastern United States mid ...

and in 1880 moved to Johnstown, Pennsylvania. He was admitted to the Cambria County bar in 1881 and practiced law alongside his brother. Murphy successfully ran as a Republican for Cambria County District Attorney in 1892, despite the overwhelming Democratic majority in terms of party registration. He was reelected in 1895 but defeated in 1898. He returned to the practice of law and became a key figure in the

Pennsylvania Republican Party The Pennsylvania Republican Party (PAGOP) is the affiliate of the Republican Party in the state of Pennsylvania. It is headquartered in Harrisburg. History Founding The party was founded on November 27, 1854, in Towanda ( Bradford County) b ...

, giving a fiery speech nominating

John P. Elkin John Pratt Elkin (January 11, 1860October 3, 1915) was an American lawyer and judge. He served a term as the state's Attorney General, and was an associate justice of the state's Supreme Court. He was a central figure in a scandal concerning i ...

for governor at the Pennsylvania Republican convention of 1892 and serving as a delegate to the

Republican National Convention The Republican National Convention (RNC) is a series of presidential nominating conventions held every four years since 1856 by the United States Republican Party. They are administered by the Republican National Committee. The goal of the Repu ...

in 1900. His political career culminated in his election as lieutenant governor in 1906 as running mate of

Edwin Sydney Stuart Edwin Sydney Stuart (December 28, 1853 – March 21, 1937) was an American politician who served as the Mayor of Philadelphia from 1891 to 1895 and as the 24th Governor of Pennsylvania from 1907 to 1911. Early life and Philadelphia politi ...

. He served one four-year term in office. Murphy died suddenly of apoplexy at his home in Overbrook, Pittsburgh, at the age of 51.

References

External links

The Political Graveyard
1861 births 1912 deaths Lieutenant governors of Pennsylvania Politicians from Johnstown, Pennsylvania Pennsylvania Republicans 19th-century American legislators Pennsylvania lawyers The Pennington School alumni People from St. Lawrence County, New York {{Pennsylvania-politician-stub