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Harriet Mitchell Murphy (June 6, 1927 – January 17, 2024) was the first African-American woman appointed to a regular judgeship in Texas.

Life and career

Harriet Mitchell Murphy was born in Atlanta, Georgia, on June 6, 1927. She received her bachelor's degree from Spelman College, master's degree from Clark Atlanta University, and law degree from the University of Texas School of Law.

In 1973, she became the first African-American woman appointed to a regular judgeship in Texas, and served on the City of Austin Municipal Court for twenty years. Before joining the municipal court, she practiced law part-time for eight years and served as the head of the government department at Huston–Tillotson in Austin for five years.

Murphy died on January 17, 2024, at the age of 96.

See also

• List of African-American jurists
• List of first women lawyers and judges in Texas

References

1. ^ "Harriet Murphy". diversity.utexas.edu. 14 April 2016.
2. ^ "Harriet Louise Murphy". Dignity Memorial. Retrieved 27 January 2024.
3. "Judge Harriet Murphy, '69, inducted into the National Bar Association Hall of Fame".
4. "Trailblazing Austin Judge Harriet Murphy, friend of MLK and Thurgood Marshall, has died". Austin American-Statesman. Retrieved 2024-01-19.
5. "The Hon. Harriet Murphy, 1927–2024". The University of Texas at Austin. 23 January 2024. Retrieved 27 January 2024.

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• 1927 births
• 2024 deaths
• University of Texas School of Law alumni
• Spelman College alumni
• Clark Atlanta University alumni
• African-American judges
• Municipal judges in the United States
• 20th-century American judges
• 20th-century American women judges
• Lawyers from Atlanta
• American state court judge stubs