Frank Murphy

Frank Murphy was Associate Justice of the U. S. Supreme Court from 1940 until his death in 1949. His earlier career included service as a Judge in the Detroit Recorder’s Court and instructor in law at the University of Detroit in the twenties. In the following decade he was Mayor of Detroit, U. S. Governor-General in the Philippines, Governor of Michigan, and Attorney General of the United States. Governor Murphy’s stand during the 1937 sit-down strike received national attention when he refused to send troops to remove workers from the factories. As an Associate Justice, Murphy wrote many of the Court’s opinions concerning civil liberties. In Thornhill v. Alabama (1940), Murphy clarified labor’s right to strike, holding that peaceful picketing was a manifestation of freedom of speech. Murphy died on July 19, 1949, and is buried at Harbor Beach.

[Back]: 1890 - Born, Harbor Beach, on April 13. 1914 - Graduated from University of Michigan Law School. 1917-19 - Army officer, World War I, service in Germany. 1919 - Law studies, London and Dublin. 1920-23 - First Assistant U.S. District Attorney, Eastern Michigan District. 1922-27 - Law instructor, University of Detroit. 1923-30 - Recorder’s Court Judge, Detroit. 1930-33 - Mayor of Detroit. 1933-36 - Governor-General, Philippine Islands. After the islands achieved commonwealth status, he became U. S. High Commissioner. 1937-38 - Governor of Michigan. 1939-40 - Attorney General of the U. S. 1940-49 - U.S. Supreme Court Justice. 1949 - Died at Detroit, on July 19. Buried in Rock Falls Cemetery, Harbor Beach.