predecessor successor death_date birth_place death_place religion party office birth_date order term_start image article_title term_end name
styles bridges robert o. blood 19 december 1958 winchester , nh nashua , nh catholic republican governor of new hampshire 16 august 1877 64th january 7 , 1937 francis parnell murphy.jpg francis p. murphy
 january 2 , 1941 francis parnell murphy
francis p. murphy

francis parnell murphy -lrb- august 16 , 1877 -- december 19 , 1958 -rrb- was a manufacturer and politician from nashua , new hampshire .
he served in the new hampshire house of representatives and on the governor 's council before being twice elected as a republican governor .
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 .
he retired from politics to enter the radio broadcasting business and later started the wmur radio and television station in manchester .
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 tramway was built in franconia notch , new hampshire .
murphy was the fourth of eight children born to irish immigrant roman catholic parents .
his father was a tannery worker and a civil war veteran .
murphy graduated from high school in the factory town of hudson , massachusetts and secured an entry-level job nailing packing cases for shoes together at a local shoe factory .
murphy worked his way up from this entry position , holding successively more responsible jobs at factories in newport , manchester , and nashua .
during world war i murphy was chairman of new hampshire 's committee on electric power supply , and he was a longtime member of the new hampshire national guard .
in 1922 murphy and two partners organized the j.f. mcelwain company , a manufacturer of shoes , and in 1925 murphy served on governor winant 's military staff with the rank of major .
he was elected to the state legislature -lrb- 1931 -rrb- , and to governor winant 's executive council -lrb- 1933 -rrb- .
by 1936 murphy 's shoe manufacturing plant had grown to twelve shoe manufacturing plants , and j.f. mcelwain company was the largest employer of labor in new hampshire .
murphy won the republican nomination for governor in 1936 .
then he won the election in the face of an overwhelming electoral landslide for franklin d. roosevelt , the democrat entering his second of four election victories as president .
even republican new hampshire voted -lrb- narrowly -rrb- for roosevelt , so much ticket splitting was necessary for murphy to win .
he was reelected to a second term in 1938 .
governor murphy supported much new deal legislation , particularly legislation which supported labor rights .
he also had the traditional new hampshire concern for sound budgeting .
in order to ease homeowners ' tax burdens , he eliminated the state tax on real estate in favor of a new tax on tobacco products .
the state house annex was built to bring all state agencies under one roof and improve efficiency .
the state got into tourism with the new cannon mountain tramway , and with new state-owned bathing facilities at hampton beach .
the state police were established at this time and a statewide system of probation was set up to make law enforcement more efficient .
when murphy retired as governor -lrb- 1941 -rrb- he made one last effort at political life , campaigning against styles bridges for the u.s. senate seat in 1942 .
when murphy lost that election -lrb- by 15,000 votes -rrb- , he returned to his business interests .
he established radio voice of new hampshire , inc. , which became radio station wmur ; when television came he set up wmur-tv .
