Denis Murphy (Canadian politician)

{{short description|Canadian politician}}

{{for|the federal politician|Dennis Murphy (Canadian politician)}}

{{Use Canadian English|date=January 2023}}

Denis Murphy (June 30, 1870 – May 1, 1947){{Cite web | url=https://search-collections.royalbcmuseum.bc.ca/Image/Genealogy/f4cbeba3-ea5f-4bed-be05-011e93e9ae60 |title=Death Certificate (Denis MURPHY) |website=www.royalbcmuseum.bc.ca}} was a lawyer, judge and political figure in British Columbia. After being an unsuccessful candidate in the 1886 provincial election and an 1893 provincial byelection, he represented Yale-West in the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia from 1900 to 1902.

He was born in Lac La Hache, British Columbia, the son of Denis Murphy and Helen White, and was educated at Ottawa University. Murphy was called to the British Columbia bar in 1896. He practised in Victoria for about a year and then moved to Ashcroft, where he practised until 1909.{{cite news |url=http://observer.quesnelmuseum.ca/CaribooObserverDocs/1941/19411129_Cariboo%20Observer.pdf |newspaper=Cariboo Observer |title=Mr. Justice Murphy retires from bench |date=November 29, 1941 |accessdate=2011-08-30 }}{{Dead link|date=July 2019 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }} In 1900, he married Maude Cameron.{{cite book |title=Canadian Parliamentary Guide 1903 |year=1903 |last=Magurn |first=A J}} He was named to the provincial cabinet by Premier Edward Gawler Prior as Provincial Secretary and Minister of Education in November 1902, but resigned his cabinet posts a few days later.{{cite book |url=http://www.ebooksread.com/authors-eng/r-e-r-edward-gosnell/a-history-british-columbia-hci/page-27-a-history-british-columbia-hci.shtml |page=313 |title=A history; British Columbia |last=Gosnell |first=R. Edward |year=1906 |accessdate=2011-08-30}} Murphy's resignation came as a surprise to Prior and his cabinet colleagues but he gave no explanation beyond "personal reasons". Murphy retired from politics returned to his law practice.{{Cite news |date=November 29, 1902 |title=Hon. Mr. Murphy Resigns Position |work=Victoria Daily Times |pages=1}}

Murphy was named to the Supreme Court of British Columbia in 1909;{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=0r9byIWeG-0C&pg=PA192 |page=192 |title=Essays in the History of Canadian Law: A tribute to Peter N. Oliver |last=Phillips |first=Jim |publisher=University of Toronto Press |year=2008 |isbn=978-0-8020-9911-2 |accessdate=2011-08-30}} he retired from the bench in 1941.{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=2CNkAAAAIBAJ&pg=6590,2357247 |page=23 |newspaper=Calgary Herald |date=November 21, 1941 |title=Mr. Justice Murphy retired in B.C. |accessdate=2011-08-30}} He also served on the board of governors for the University of British Columbia. In 1911, Murphy submitted a letter in the Vancouver Law Students' Annual under the name "Quill" in support of instituting formal legal education in the province.{{cite web|url=http://faculty.law.ubc.ca/Pue/historybook/school02b.html |title=The Law Students' Campaign |work=Law School, The Story of Legal Education in British Columbia |last=Pue |first=W. Wesley |publisher=University of British Columbia Faculty of Law |accessdate=2011-08-30 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20110828142338/http://faculty.law.ubc.ca/Pue/historybook/school02b.html |archivedate=2011-08-28 }} He died in Vancouver at the age of 76.