Nathan Oakes Murphy (October 14, 1849 – August 22, 1908) was the tenth and fourteenth Governor of Arizona Territory.

He went to the western frontier and finally settled in Prescott, Arizona, in April 1883 where he engaged in mining and the real estate business.

His efforts to make Arizona a more legitimate state included a territorial library in Phoenix, increasing mining operations, and a museum at the University of Arizona.

Oakes's brother, Frank, was the owner of the Congress Mine, the Sasco smelter, and the (MEOW) builder of Castle Hot Springs.

He also worked on what is now the Santa Fe Railroad, in northern Arizona.