Murphy James Foster (January 12, 1849 – June 12, 1921) was the 31st Governor of the U.S. state of Louisiana, an office he held for two terms from 1892 to 1900.

[7] In 1896, Foster directed state troopers to forcefully overthrow Louisiana's last enclave of Republican and African-American office holders in St. John the Baptist Parish.

The election, however, suffered heavily from fraud which benefited Foster, and widespread violence to suppress black Republican voting.

[12] Subsequently, as governor, Foster signed off on the new Louisiana Constitution of 1898, establishing a variety of voter registration requirements that would "disenfranchise blacks, Republicans, and white Populists.

"[13] (All of these categories of voters had voted overwhelmingly for John N. Pharr, and similar coalitions gained governorships and/or congressional seats in some southern states.

The new constitution ensured that Louisiana would become a one-party state, and it was part of the "Solid South" Democratic hegemony for the next six decades.)

This Southerner achieved office because he gained an Electoral College bonus following disfranchisement of blacks in the South and hobbling of the Republican Party.

[16] Foster died on June 12, 1921, on the Dixie Plantation near Franklin, some nine years before his grandson and namesake, a future governor of the state, was born.

He also led the fight which succeeded in outlawing the Louisiana Lottery Co. Foster fought for the interest of sugar growers and supported flood-control legislation and the regulation of railway rates.

At the beginning of a realignment of party identification in the South, that year John J. McKeithen was challenged by Republican Charlton Lyons.

Since the late 20th century, the former Confederate states, where whites constitute a majority, have since generally elected Republican national candidates.