Frank Murphy

Frank Murphy
source
Name	Frank Murphy
Caption	Official portrait, c. 1940s
Office	Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States
Termstart	January 15, 1940
Termend	July 19, 1949
Nominator	Franklin D. Roosevelt
Predecessor	Pierce Butler
Successor	Tom C. Clark
Office1	56th United States Attorney General
Termstart1	January 2, 1939
Termend1	January 18, 1940
President1	Franklin D. Roosevelt
Predecessor1	Homer Stille Cummings
Successor1	Robert H. Jackson
Office2	35th Governor of Michigan
Termstart2	January 1, 1937
Termend2	January 1, 1939
Lieutenant2	Leo J. Nowicki
Predecessor2	Frank Fitzgerald
Successor2	Frank Fitzgerald
Office3	High Commissioner to the Philippines
Termstart3	July 14, 1935
Termend3	November 14, 1936
President3	Franklin D. Roosevelt
Predecessor3	Position established
Successor3	Paul V. McNutt
Office4	Mayor of Detroit
Termstart4	1930
Termend4	1933
Predecessor4	John C. Lodge
Successor4	Frank Couzens
Birth date	April 13, 1890
Birth place	Harbor Beach, Michigan, U.S.
Death date	July 19, 1949 (aged 59)
Death place	Detroit, Michigan, U.S.
Party	Democratic
Education	University of Michigan (BA)
Alma mater	University of Michigan Law School (LLB)

Frank Murphy. Frank Murphy was an American jurist and Democratic Party politician who served in a series of prominent roles, culminating in his appointment as an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States. His career was defined by a profound commitment to civil liberties, social justice, and the rights of the accused, often placing him in the liberal wing of the Franklin D. Roosevelt administration and the Warren Court. Before his judicial service, he was the Mayor of Detroit during the Great Depression, the last Governor-General and first High Commissioner to the Philippines, the Governor of Michigan, and the United States Attorney General.

Early life and education

Frank Murphy was born in Harbor Beach, Michigan, a small town on the shores of Lake Huron. He was raised in a devoutly Roman Catholic family of Irish descent, an upbringing that deeply influenced his social conscience. After attending local public schools, he enrolled at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, where he earned his Bachelor of Arts degree. He remained in Ann Arbor to study law, graduating from the University of Michigan Law School with a Bachelor of Laws in 1914. During his education, he was profoundly affected by the progressive teachings of figures like the economist Henry Carter Adams and developed a lifelong admiration for the Irish nationalist Charles Stewart Parnell.

Legal and judicial career

Admitted to the State Bar of Michigan in 1914, Murphy began private practice in Detroit. His legal career was quickly interrupted by service in the United States Army during World War I, where he rose to the rank of captain in the American Expeditionary Forces. After the war, he served as an assistant United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Michigan before being appointed by President Calvin Coolidge as a judge on the Recorder's Court in Detroit in 1923. On this bench, which handled major criminal cases, he gained a reputation for fairness and became a prominent figure in Michigan legal circles.

Governor of Michigan

Elected Governor of Michigan in 1936, Murphy took office during the immense labor turmoil of the Great Depression. His governorship was dominated by the Flint sit-down strike against General Motors, a pivotal event in the history of the United Automobile Workers and the Congress of Industrial Organizations. Murphy broke with precedent by refusing to use the Michigan National Guard to violently evict the strikers, a decision that facilitated a negotiated settlement and earned him both praise from labor and condemnation from business leaders. He also championed New Deal relief programs and established a state civil service system.

United States Attorney General

Appointed United States Attorney General by President Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1939, Murphy established the first Civil Rights Section within the United States Department of Justice, marking a significant federal commitment to prosecuting lynching and peonage. He aggressively pursued cases against political corruption, including prosecutions of Thomas J. Pendergast's political machine in Kansas City and the Mayor of Jersey City, Frank Hague. His tenure, though brief, was noted for its vigorous advocacy for civil liberties and set important legal precedents for federal action.

Supreme Court justice

Nominated to the Supreme Court of the United States by Roosevelt in 1940, Murphy became a stalwart of the liberal bloc, often aligning with Justices Hugo Black, William O. Douglas, and Wiley Blount Rutledge. He authored passionate dissents and opinions championing individual rights. His jurisprudence was notably expansive on First Amendment freedoms, the rights of criminal defendants, and the protection of unpopular minorities. Key opinions include his dissent in *Korematsu v. United States*, condemning the Japanese American internment as a "legalization of racism," and the majority opinion in *Thornhill v. Alabama*, which extended First Amendment protection to peaceful labor picketing.

Later life and legacy

Murphy served on the Court until his death from a coronary thrombosis in Detroit in 1949. He was buried in Our Lady of Lake Huron Cemetery in his hometown of Harbor Beach. Remembered as "the conscience of the Court," his legacy is that of an uncompromising defender of civil liberties and the underdog. The Frank Murphy Hall of Justice in Detroit and the Frank J. Murphy scholarship at the University of Michigan Law School bear his name. His papers are held at the Bentley Historical Library at the University of Michigan, and historians often cite his principled stands during crises like the Flint sit-down strike and World War II as defining moments in American legal history. Category:American judges Category:Associate Justices of the Supreme Court of the United States Category:United States Attorneys General Category:Governors of Michigan