John R. Murphy

John Robert Murphy (August 25, 1856 – December 28, 1932) was a Massachusetts politician and attorney who served as the Commissioner of the Boston Fire Department, Chairman of the Boston Finance Commission and in both branches of the Massachusetts legislature.

For the baseball player, see John Ryan Murphy.

John R. Murphy
Commissioner of the Boston Fire Department
In office 1919–1921
Preceded by	John Grady
Succeeded by	Theodore A. Glynn
Chairman of the Boston Finance Commission
In office February 25, 1914[1][2] – February 15, 1919[3]
Member of the Massachusetts Senate[4] Second Suffolk District[5]
In office 1886[4]
Member of the Massachusetts House of Representatives[4] Fifth Suffolk District[6]
In office 1883–1885
Personal details
Born	August 25, 1856[4] Boston, Massachusetts
Died	December 28, 1932 (aged 76)[7] Boston, Massachusetts
Political party	Democratic
Spouse(s)	Mary Daly (m.1893)
Children	4
Occupation	Attorney

Early life

Murphy was born in Charlestown, Massachusetts, on August 25, 1856, to John Murphy and Jane Smiley; he was born into a family of five (two of his siblings died before he was born).[4] He graduated from Charlestown High School, and—after a pause of many years—earned a degree from Boston University in 1900.[8]

Murphy was brother-in-law to Irish poet and journalist John Boyle O'Reilly.[9] On August 9, 1890, Murphy took a night walk with O'Reilly (who was at the time suffering from insomnia) to the Hotel Pemberton in Hull; they returned home at around 12am. As Murphy was leaving O'Reilly said to him "Be sure and be over early in the morning, Jack, so that you can go with me and the children to Mass at Nantasket".[10] O'Reilly died later that morning on August 10, of a chloral hydrate overdose. While not the last person to see him alive, Murphy was one of the last people to see him before he overdosed. Murphy, along with his niece Mary, accompanied O'Reilly's body on a Boston steamer to Charlestown.[10]

Political career

Murphy was elected to the Massachusetts House of Representatives in 1883, re-elected twice, and then elected to the Massachusetts Senate in 1886, where he served for one term.[8]

In the run-up to the 1899 mayoral election, Murphy narrowly lost the Democratic nomination to Patrick Collins.[11] Murphy subsequently announced his intent to cross party lines and vote for the Republican candidate, Thomas N. Hart.[12] The votes of Murphy and his followers in support of Hart contributed to Collins' defeat, and was referred to as a "knifing" in contemporary news reports.[13]

On February 25, 1914, Murphy was named as chairman of the Boston Finance Commission, and under suspension of the rules, he was immediately confirmed by the Massachusetts Executive Council.[1][2]

In 1919, Murphy resigned from the Finance Commission to accept the office of the Fire Commissioner of Boston.[7]

In the 1921 mayoral election, non-partisan in nature and held on December 13, Murphy lost to James Michael Curley by 2,315 votes.[14][15]

Personal life

Murphy married 21-year-old Mary Daly on October 24, 1893; they had 4 daughters. Murphy died on December 28, 1932, at the age of 76.[8] He was interred in Old Calvary Cemetery (now known as Mount Calvary Cemetery, in the Roslindale neighborhood of Boston).[16]

References

1. Philpott, A. J. (February 26, 1914), FINANCE COMMISSION CHAIRMAN, WIFE AND THEIR THREE DAUGHTERS NEW FINANCE BOARD HEAD BEGAN LAW STUDY AT 45 John R.Murphy Was Then a Veteran In Politics and Municipal Office., Boston, Ma.: The Boston Daily Globe, p. 1.
2. The Christian Science Monitor (February 25, 1914), JOHN R. MURPHY, FINANCE BOARD'S HEAD, CONFIRMED Executive Council Suspends the Rules to Approve Governor Walsh's Nomination of a Successor to John A. Sullivan APPOINTMENTS MADE, Boston, Ma.: The Christian Science Monitor, p. 8.
3. The Boston Finance Commission (1920), The Finance Commission of the City of Boston Reports and communications, Volume XV By Boston., Boston, Ma.: City of Boston, p. 5.
4. Rand, John Clark (1890), One of a Thousand: a Series of Biographical Sketches of One Thousand Representative Men, Boston, MA: First National Publishing Company, p. 433.
5. Pierce, Henry B. (1886), Acts and Resolves Passed by the General Court of Massachusetts in the Year 1886, Boston, MA: Secretary of the Commonwealth, p. 460.
6. Pierce, Henry B. (1886), Acts and Resolves Passed by the General Court of Massachusetts in the Year 1885, Boston, MA: Secretary of the Commonwealth, p. 996.
7. Special to the New York Times (December 29, 1932), J.R. MURPHY DEAD; BOSTON LAWYER; Ex-Head of City's Finance Committee Once Nearly Elected Mayor. IN POLITICS FOR 40 YEARS Had Served In Both Houses of the Legislature and as Fire Commissioner., New York, N.Y.: The New York Times, p. 19.
8. "JOHN R. MURPHY IS DEAD AT 76". The Boston Globe. December 29, 1932. p. 15. Retrieved March 21, 2018 – via pqarchiver.com.
9. Zealand, National Library of New. "Papers Past | JOHN BOYLE O'REILLY. (Boston Pilot, August 16.) (New Zealand Tablet, 1890-09-26)". paperspast.natlib.govt.nz. Retrieved 2017-04-11.
10. Roche, James Jeffrey. Life of John Boyle O'Reilly.
11. "Democrats at Odds". The Washington Times. December 4, 1899. p. 2. Retrieved March 21, 2018 – via newspapers.com.
12. "Murphy will Vote for Hart". The Portsmouth Herald. Portsmouth, New Hampshire. December 6, 1899. p. 4. Retrieved March 21, 2018 – via newspapers.com.
13. "Hart wins in Boston". Hartford Courant. Hartford, Connecticut. December 13, 1899. p. 1. Retrieved March 21, 2018 – via newspapers.com.
14. The Hartford Courant (December 14, 1921), CURLEY WINS CLOSE BOSTON ELECTION Defeats Murphy For Mayor By 2,315 Plurality OTHER CANDIDATES RAN FAR BEHIND Mayor-Elect Was Opposed By Good Government Association, Hartford, Connecticut: The Hartford Courant, p. 19.
15. "Curley Chosen Boston Mayor; Plurality, 2,315". The Washington Post. AP. December 14, 1921. Retrieved March 14, 2018 – via newspapers.com.
16. "LAST TRIBUTE PAID JOHN R. MURPHY". The Boston Globe. December 31, 1932. p. 13. Retrieved March 21, 2018 – via pqarchiver.com.

External links

• Boston Fire Department, Fire Commissioners and Chiefs of Department since 1826.