John A. H. Murphree Files Regarding the Virgil D. Hawkins Case

John A. H. Murphree was born March 14, 1904, son of the University of Florida's second president, Albert A. Murphree. Murphree obtained his law degree from the University of Florida in 1928, and was appointed as Circuit Court Judge by Governor Spessard Holland in 1943. During the 1950's, Judge Murphree was tasked by the Florida Supreme Court with collecting testimony for the Virgil Hawkins case. Until his retirement in 1979, John Murphree maintained his seat unopposed. He died January 10, 1987.

In 1949, 41-year-old Virgil D. Hawkins was denied admittance to the University of Florida's College of Law based on its policy of segregation. An appeal to the Florida Supreme Court resulted in a decision to instead construct a law school for Black students. Undeterred, Hawkins would continue to push his case, going before the Florida Supreme Court and the United States Supreme Court on several occasions.

In 1956, the Supreme Court ordered Hawkins be accepted. That same year, the Florida Supreme Court issued a commission to gauge the public's reaction to the possibility of Hawkins being accepted. Judge John A. H. Murphree was appointed commissioner and given the task of collecting letters, petitions, and questionnaires. The records provided by Judge Murphree convinced the Florida Supreme Court that admitting Hawkins to the University Law School would result "in great public mischief." These records were then used as justification by the Florida Supreme Court when it rebuked the United States Supreme Court's decision.

In 1958, Hawkins withdrew his case under the condition that the University law school would no longer use race as a condition to turn away students. Months later, the University of Florida's College of law would accept George Starke as its first Black student. Hawkins' decade-long struggle helped pave the way for racial integration at the University of Florida. Hawkins eventually received his law degree in New England, and was admitted to the Florida Bar in 1977. He died in 1988.