{{Short description|American journalist (1933–2024)}} {{Infobox person | name = J. Reginald Murphy | image = | caption = | birth_name = John Reginald Murphy | birth_date = {{Birth date|1934|01|07}} | birth_place = Gainesville, Georgia, U.S. | death_date = {{Death date and age|2024|11|09|1934|01|07}} | death_place = St. Simons Island, Georgia, U.S. | education = | occupation = {{nobr|Publisher and business executive}}{{force plural}} | spouse = | partner = | known_for = Being kidnapped in 1974 }}
'''John Reginald Murphy''' (January 7, 1934 – November 9, 2024), usually known as '''Reg Murphy''', was an American publisher, author and business executive.
== Professional life ==
=== Journalism and editing === A native of Gainesville, Georgia who attended Mercer University,<ref>{{cite web|last=Murphy|first=Reg|title=Reflections on Georgia Politics Oral History Collection, ROGP 104 Reg Murphy|url=http://russelldoc.galib.uga.edu/russell/view?docId=ead/RBRL220ROGP.104-ead.xml;query=;brand=default|accessdate=20 July 2013|archive-date=22 August 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170822054701/http://russelldoc.galib.uga.edu/russell/view?docId=ead/RBRL220ROGP.104-ead.xml;query=;brand=default|url-status=dead}}</ref> Murphy began his career in journalism with the ''Macon Telegraph,'' and was awarded a Nieman Fellowship at Harvard University, where he studied from 1958 to 1960. He became editor of the ''Atlanta Constitution'', editor and publisher of ''The San Francisco Examiner'', and publisher and CEO of ''The Baltimore Sun''.
Murphy was president and CEO of the National Geographic Society from 1996 to 1998.
=== Golf === From 1994 to 1995, Murphy served as the president of the United States Golf Association.<ref name="golf" /> He authored a biography of Griffin Bell, ''Uncommon Sense: The Achievement of Griffin Bell''.
=== Academics === In 2012 he served as Executive-in-Residence at the College of Coastal Georgia.<ref>{{cite web|last=Murphy|first=Reg|title=Reg Murphy to Serve as College's Inaugural Executive-in-Residence|url=http://www.ccga.edu/News/news_page.asp?ID=995|access-date=20 July 2013|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://archive.today/20130720162941/http://www.ccga.edu/News/news_page.asp?ID=995|archive-date=20 July 2013}}</ref>
==Kidnapping== Murphy was kidnapped on February 20, 1974, at the age of 40, and was freed two days later after the ''Atlanta Constitution'' paid $700,000 ransom.<ref name=golf>{{cite web|last=Murphy|first=Reg|title=Reg Murphy: Golf Eased My Mind: Golf Digest|url=http://www.golfdigest.com/magazine/2011-10/golf-saved-my-life|publisher=Gold Digest|accessdate=25 April 2013}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|last=Ayres Jr|first=B. Drummond|date=1974-02-22|title=Atlanta Constitution Editor Kidnapped; 'Revolutionary Army' Seeks $700,000 (Published 1974)|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1974/02/22/archives/atlanta-constitution-editor-kidnapped-revolutionary-army-seeks.html|access-date=2021-03-01|issn=0362-4331}}</ref>
Murphy was well known for his stance against the Vietnam War, but the motive for the kidnapping is still unknown.<ref name="kidnap">{{cite web|title=Atlanta Constitution editor is kidnapped − This Day in History − 2/20/1974|date=13 November 2009 |url=https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/atlanta-constitution-editor-is-kidnapped|publisher=The History Channel|accessdate=25 April 2013}}</ref> William A. H. Williams was arrested for the crime only six hours after Murphy was released, and all of the money was recovered.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.history.com/encyclopedia.do?articleId=226762 |title=Notable U.S. Kidnappings Since 1924 |year=2006 |work=World Almanac Education Group |publisher=The History Channel |access-date=21 January 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090501040049/http://www.history.com/encyclopedia.do?articleId=226762 |archive-date=May 1, 2009}}</ref>
Williams was convicted and sentenced to 40 years in jail but served only nine; his wife Betty received probation for not reporting her husband to police.<ref name="golf" /><ref>{{Cite news|date=1974-08-31|title=Editor's Kidnapper, Sobbing, Is. Given 40 Years in Atlanta (Published 1974)|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1974/08/31/archives/editors-kidnapper-sobbing-is-given-40-years-in-atlanta.html|access-date=2021-03-01|issn=0362-4331}}</ref> Williams claimed to represent a right-wing militia group called The American Revolutionary Army, protesting against "too leftist and too liberal" media outlets and a government which was a “fraud and a murderer on a mass scale”, and sought to have all federal elected officials resign.<ref name="ara">{{cite web|title=1974: "The American Revolution Army" demanded that "all federal elected officials resign" and more|url=http://www.rumormillnews.com/cgi-bin/archive.cgi?noframes;read=170653|publisher=Rumor Mill News|accessdate=25 April 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140108204519/http://www.rumormillnews.com/cgi-bin/archive.cgi?noframes;read=170653|archive-date=8 January 2014|url-status=dead}}</ref>
In 2019, contacted by a journalist, Williams apologised for the kidnapping.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Torpy|first=Bill|date=Feb 21, 2019|title=40 years later, a kidnapper apologizes for holding Atlanta editor captive|url=https://www.ajc.com/news/years-later-kidnapper-apologizes-for-holding-atlanta-editor-captive/tQhI9gjjcTg2YlcxfTySUP/|access-date=2021-03-01|website=The Atlanta Journal-Constitution|language=English}}</ref>
==Personal life and death== Murphy had a wife, Diana, and two daughters.<ref name=golf /> He died in St. Simons Island, Georgia, on November 9, 2024, at the age of 90.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Shefter |first1=David |title=Past USGA President Reg Murphy Dies at 90 |url=https://www.usga.org/content/usga/home-page/articles/2024/11/past-usga-president-reg-murphy-dies-at-90.html |access-date=11 November 2024 |publisher=USGA |date=11 November 2024}}</ref>
==See also== *List of kidnappings
==References== {{Reflist|2}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Murphy, J. Reginald}} Category:1934 births Category:2024 deaths Category:1970s missing person cases Category:20th-century American journalists Category:20th-century American male journalists Category:Formerly missing American people Category:The Atlanta Journal-Constitution people Category:American people taken hostage Category:Kidnapped businesspeople Category:Missing person cases in Vietnam Category:People from Gainesville, Georgia Category:The Baltimore Sun people
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