John Henry Murphy Sr. (25 December 1840 – 5 April 1922)[1] was an African-American newspaper publisher based in Baltimore, Maryland.

He is believed to have been enslaved until age 24, when he mustered into the newly organized United States Colored Troops, 30th Infantry Regiment, forming in Camp Stanton, Maryland, in February 1864.

President Abraham Lincoln announced the "Emancipation Proclamation" in September 1862, giving freedom to all slaves still held within then rebelling Confederate States, and taking effect on New Year's Day, January 1, 1863.

During these years, Murphy became active with Bethel African Methodist Episcopal (AME) Church, founded in Philadelphia in the early 19th century as the first black denomination in the United States.

In 1897 Murphy purchased the printing presses of the Afro-American at auction with $200 borrowed from his wife, who had sold land inherited from her father.

[3] Murphy helped build the African-American community in Baltimore by sharing its news, pressing for civil rights, and reporting on abuses.

African Americans struggled with discrimination in the city but maintained more freedom and political power than blacks in most other southern states.