Francis P. Murphy
Francis Parnell Murphy | |
|---|---|
| 64th Governor of New Hampshire | |
| In office January 7, 1937 – January 2, 1941 | |
| Preceded by | Styles Bridges |
| Succeeded by | Robert O. Blood |
| Member of the New Hampshire House of Representatives | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | August 16, 1877 Winchester, New Hampshire, U.S. |
| Died | December 19, 1958 (aged 81) Nashua, New Hampshire, U.S. |
| Political party | Republican (1931–1941) Democratic (1942–1958) |
Francis Parnell Murphy (August 16, 1877 – December 19, 1958) was an American manufacturer and politician from Nashua, New Hampshire. He served in the New Hampshire House of Representatives and on the Governor's Council before serving as the 64th governor of New Hampshire from 1937 to 1941.
Murphy supported Roosevelt's New Deal policies and switched to the Democratic Party in an attempt to unseat U.S. Senator Styles Bridges in the 1942 Senate election. He retired from politics to enter the radio broadcasting business and later started the WMUR radio and television stations in Manchester - the station takes its name from Murphy's surname.
A large flood control project in northern New Hampshire at the headwaters of the Connecticut River is named for him, with Murphy Dam impounding Lake Francis. He was also responsible for one of the first ski area aerial tramways in the United States when the Cannon Mountain aerial tramway was built in Franconia Notch.