Dennis Murphree

Dennis Herron Murphree
42nd Governor of Mississippi
In office March 18, 1927 – January 16, 1928
Preceded by	Henry L. Whitfield
Succeeded by	Theodore G. Bilbo
47th Governor of Mississippi
In office December 26, 1943 – January 18, 1944
Preceded by	Paul B. Johnson, Sr.
Succeeded by	Thomas L. Bailey
Personal details
Born	January 6, 1886(1886-01-06) Pittsboro, Mississippi
Died	February 9, 1949(1949-02-09) (aged 63) Pittsboro, Mississippi
Political party	Democratic
Spouse(s)	Clara Minnie Martin
Profession	Newspaper editor

Dennis Herron Murphree (January 6, 1886 – February 9, 1949) was a Mississippi politician. He was twice elected to the lieutenant governorship, once in 1923 and again in 1939. In each instance, he succeeded the governor who died in office and completed the term of his predecessor.

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 and 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. 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 to the rest of the country. The train was very successful, and continued to tour on an annual basis until at least 1937. The train visited 47 states, Canada and Mexico, taking a showcase of the state's industry, entertainment and commerce sectors.

External links

• Dennis Murphree's grave at Find-A-Grave
• Profile at National Governors Association website
• [1]

Political offices
Preceded by Henry L. Whitfield	Governor of Mississippi 1927–1928	Succeeded by Theodore G. Bilbo
Preceded by Paul B. Johnson, Sr.	Governor of Mississippi 1943–1944	Succeeded by Thomas L. Bailey

Persondata
Name	Murphree, Dennis
Alternative names
Short description	American politician
Date of birth	January 6, 1886
Place of birth	Pittsboro, Mississippi
Date of death	February 9, 1949
Place of death	Pittsboro, Mississippi