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Morrell Gathright

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Morrell Gathright
Member of the Arkansas Senate
In office
January 12, 1953 – January 10, 1983
Preceded byJames T. Wimberly
Succeeded byJay Bradford
Constituency
  • 20th district (1953–1973)
  • 24th district (1973–1983)
President pro tempore of the Arkansas Senate
In office
January 13, 1969 – January 11, 1971
Preceded byQ. Byrum Hurst Sr.
Succeeded byOlen Hendrix
Member of the Arkansas House of Representatives from Jefferson County
In office
January 10, 1949 – January 12, 1953
Succeeded bySam M. Levine
Personal details
Born
Murphy Morrell Gathright

(1919-03-14)March 14, 1919
Pine Bluff, Arkansas, U.S.
DiedOctober 7, 2014(2014-10-07) (aged 95)
Pine Bluff, Arkansas, U.S.
Political partyDemocratic
SpouseAlice Purnell
Children2
Education
Military service
Branch/serviceUnited States Army
Battles/wars

Murphy Morrell Gathright (March 14, 1919 – October 7, 2014) was a state legislator, businessman, and lawyer in Arkansas.[1] He served in the Arkansas House of Representatives and the Arkansas Senate, including as President of the Arkansas Senate. The Arkansas Senate has a collection of photographs including several of him.[2]

He graduated from the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville with an MBA and from The University of Arkansas Law School. He served in World War II.[3]

Gathright first served in the Arkansas House of Representatives from 1949 until 1951[4] he then served in the Arkansas Senate from 1952 until 1982, including his term as president 1969 until 1970.[2]

He owned Gathright Van & Storage Co., which his father P. D. Gathright Sr. founded in 1927. He died October 7, 2014 aged 95 and was survived by his wife Alice Purnell Gathright. They had a son and daughter as well as numerous grandchildren.[3]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "Long-time state senator was a politician in the best sense of the word". Arkansas Online. October 8, 2014.
  2. ^ a b "Senator Morrell Gathright". Arkansas Senate.
  3. ^ a b "Morrell Gathright". Arkansas Democrat Gazette. October 9, 2014. Retrieved January 14, 2024.
  4. ^ Martin, Mark (2018). Historical Report of the Secretary of State (PDF). pp. 216–247. Retrieved January 14, 2024.