Frank Murphy
William Francis Murphy (April 13, 1890 – July 19, 1949) was an American politician, lawyer, and jurist from Michigan. He was a Democrat who was named to the Supreme Court of the United States in 1940 after a political career that included serving as United States Attorney General, 35th Governor of Michigan, and Mayor of Detroit. He also served as the last Governor-General of the Philippines and the first High Commissioner to the Philippines.
Frank Murphy | |
|---|---|
Official portrait, 1940s | |
| Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States | |
| In office February 5, 1940 – July 19, 1949 | |
| Nominated by | Franklin D. Roosevelt |
| Preceded by | Pierce Butler |
| Succeeded by | Tom C. Clark |
| 56th United States Attorney General | |
| In office January 2, 1939 – January 18, 1940 | |
| President | Franklin D. Roosevelt |
| Preceded by | Homer Stille Cummings |
| Succeeded by | Robert H. Jackson |
| 35th Governor of Michigan | |
| In office January 1, 1937 – January 1, 1939 | |
| Lieutenant | Leo J. Nowicki |
| Preceded by | Frank Fitzgerald |
| Succeeded by | Frank Fitzgerald |
| 1st High Commissioner to the Philippines | |
| In office November 15, 1935 – December 31, 1936 | |
| President | Franklin D. Roosevelt |
| Preceded by | Position established |
| Succeeded by | J. Weldon Jones (Acting) |
| Governor General of the Philippine Islands | |
| In office July 15, 1933 – November 15, 1935 | |
| President | Franklin D. Roosevelt |
| Preceded by | Theodore Roosevelt Jr. |
| Succeeded by | Manuel L. Quezon (President) |
| 55th Mayor of Detroit | |
| In office September 23, 1930 – May 10, 1933 | |
| Preceded by | Charles Bowles |
| Succeeded by | Frank Couzens |
| 1st President of the United States Conference of Mayors | |
| In office 1932–1933 | |
| Preceded by | Position established |
| Succeeded by | James Michael Curley |
| Associate Judge of the Detroit Recorder’s Court | |
| In office January 1, 1924 – August 19, 1930 | |
| Preceded by | seat established |
| Succeeded by | John P. Scallen |
| Personal details | |
| Born | William Francis Murphy April 13, 1890 Harbor Beach, Michigan, U.S. |
| Died | July 19, 1949 (aged 59) Detroit, Michigan, U.S. |
| Resting place | Our Lady of Lake Huron Catholic Cemetery, Harbor Beach, Huron County, Michigan |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Education | University of Michigan (BA, LLB) |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance | United States |
| Branch/service | United States Army |
| Years of service | 1917–1919 (active) 1942 (reserve) |
| Rank | Lieutenant Colonel |
| Battles/wars | World War I World War II |
Born in "The Thumb" region of Michigan, Murphy graduated from the University of Michigan Law School in 1914. After serving in the United States Army during World War I, he served as a federal attorney and trial judge. He served as Mayor of Detroit from 1930 to 1933. A panel of 69 scholars in 1993 ranked him among the ten best mayors in American history. In 1933 he was appointed as Governor-General of the Philippine Islands. He returned home in 1936 and defeated incumbent Republican Governor Frank Fitzgerald in the 1936 Michigan gubernatorial election and served a single term as Governor of Michigan. Murphy lost re-election to Fitzgerald in 1938 and accepted an appointment as the United States Attorney General the following year.
In 1940, President Franklin D. Roosevelt appointed Murphy to the Supreme Court to fill a vacancy caused by the death of Pierce Butler. Murphy served on the Court from 1940 until his death in 1949, and was succeeded by Tom C. Clark. Murphy wrote the Court's majority opinion in SEC v. W. J. Howey Co., and wrote a dissenting opinion in Korematsu v. United States.