Frank Murphy

Media Items
Frank Murphy - Portrait
Personal Information
Born 
Sunday, April 13, 1890
Died 
Tuesday, July 19, 1949
Childhood Location 
Michigan
Childhood Surroundings 
Michigan
Position 
Associate Justice
Seat 
11
Nominated By 
Roosevelt, F.
Commissioned on 
Thursday, January 18, 1940
Sworn In 
Monday, February 5, 1940
Left Office 
Tuesday, July 19, 1949
Reason For Leaving 
Death
Length of Service 
9 years, 5 months, 14 days
Home 
Michigan
Frank Murphy
The Collection of the Supreme Court of the United States (Artist: Elek Kanarek)
Biography 

Frank Murphy held diverse positions before his elevation to the Court. He was mayor of Detroit from 1930 to 1933, governor general of the Philippines from 1933 to 1935, governor of Michigan from 1937 to 1939, and United States attorney general from 1939-40. While attorney general, Murphy established the first civil rights unit in the Justice Department. Murphy longed to be part of the war effort while on the bench. During Court recesses, he served as an infantry officer in Fort Benning, Georgia.

Murphy was a strong liberal who had the most impact through his concurring and dissenting opinions.

Clerkships 
Clerk Law School Terms Clerked
John R. Dykema Michigan (1947) 1948
Thomas L. Tolan Michigan (1948) 1948
Eugene Gressman Michigan (1940) 1943, 1944, 1945, 1946, 1947
John H. Pickering Michigan (1940) 1941, 1942
John J. Adams Michigan (1940) 1940
Edwin E. Huddleson Harvard (1938)

Which player's contribution to baseball best matches Frank Murphy's contribution to law?

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Cite this Page
Frank Murphy. The Oyez Project at IIT Chicago-Kent College of Law. 28 April 2013. <http://www.oyez.org/justices/frank_murphy/>.
Frank Murphy, The Oyez Project at IIT Chicago-Kent College of Law, http://www.oyez.org/justices/frank_murphy/ (last visited April 28, 2013).
"Frank Murphy," The Oyez Project at IIT Chicago-Kent College of Law, accessed April 28, 2013, http://www.oyez.org/justices/frank_murphy/.