Franklin Murphy (January 3, 1846February 24, 1920) was an American

Republican Party Republican Party is a name used by many political parties around the world, though the term most commonly refers to the United States' Republican Party. Republican Party may also refer to: Africa * Republican Party (Liberia) *Republican Party ...

politician, who served as the 31st

governor of New Jersey The governor of New Jersey is the head of government of New Jersey. The office of governor is an elected position with a four-year term. There is a two consecutive term term limit, with no limitation on non-consecutive terms. The official r ...

, from 1902–1905. He was the founder of the Murphy Varnish Company in Newark,

New Jersey New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delawa ...

Civil War Service

Born in

Jersey City, New Jersey Jersey City is the second-most populous city in the U.S. state of New Jersey, after Newark.Newark Academy Newark Academy is a coeducational private day school located in Livingston, in Essex County, New Jersey, United States, serving students in sixth through twelfth grades. The school has been accredited by the Middle States Association of Coll ...

when the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and t ...

started. In July 1862, he enlisted in the

Union Army During the American Civil War, the Union Army, also known as the Federal Army and the Northern Army, referring to the United States Army, was the land force that fought to preserve the Union (American Civil War), Union of the collective U.S. st ...

, despite being only 16 years old, and was mustered in as a Private in Company A,

13th New Jersey Volunteer Infantry The 13th New Jersey Infantry Regiment was a Union Army regiment from New Jersey that fought in the American Civil War. American Civil War Recruited in July 1862 essentially from New Jersey's Essex, Hudson and Passaic Counties (with large num ...

on July 19, 1862. He rose in rank during his field service, being promoted to

corporal Corporal is a military rank in use in some form by many militaries and by some police forces or other uniformed organizations. The word is derived from the medieval Italian phrase ("head of a body"). The rank is usually the lowest ranking non- ...

on August 25, 1862, to

second lieutenant Second lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces, comparable to NATO OF-1 rank. Australia The rank of second lieutenant existed in the military forces of the Australian colonies and Australian Army unt ...

on February 22, 1863, and to

first lieutenant First lieutenant is a commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces; in some forces, it is an appointment. The rank of lieutenant has different meanings in different military formations, but in most forces it is sub-divided into a ...

on February 24, 1864. His

regiment A regiment is a military unit. Its role and size varies markedly, depending on the country, service and/or a specialisation. In Medieval Europe, the term "regiment" denoted any large body of front-line soldiers, recruited or conscript ...

fought in the Battles of

Antietam The Battle of Antietam (), or Battle of Sharpsburg particularly in the Southern United States, was a battle of the American Civil War fought on September 17, 1862, between Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee's Army of Northern Virginia and Union G ...

, Chancellorsvile, Gettysburg, the Atlanta Campaign, the " March to the Sea", and Bentonville. He was honorably mustered out of service on June 8, 1865.

Personal life

After leaving military service, Murphy founded the Murphy Varnish Company in Newark in 1865. In 1868 he married Janet Colwell of Newark and they had two children. In addition to politics, he was involved in several civic pursuits, to include serving as a member of the Essex County Park Commission, a board member for the National Home for Disabled Volunteer Soldiers, and heading the committee that planned the 250th anniversary of the founding of Newark. Additionally, he served as the President General of the National Society, Sons of the American Revolution from 1898-1900.

Political life

Murphy was active in Republican politics. He chaired the

New Jersey Republican State Committee The New Jersey Republican State Committee (NJGOP) is the affiliate of the United States Republican Party in New Jersey. It was founded in 1880 and is currently led by Bob Hugin. Current leadership * Bob Hugin, Chairman * Lynda A. Pagliughli, V ...

from 1892 to 1904 and again from 1907 to 1910."Briggs To Be Chairman; He Is Lewis's Choice to Succeed Franklin Murphy."
''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'', September 27, 1910. Accessed March 30, 2008. He ran for Governor of New Jersey in 1901, and defeated his Democratic opponent James M. Seymour by a vote of 183,814 to 166,681. His 1902–1905 gubernatorial administration was a kind of

Square Deal The Square Deal was Theodore Roosevelt's domestic program, which reflected his three major goals: conservation of natural resources, control of corporations, and consumer protection. These three demands are often referred to as the "three Cs" ...

in miniature, as he implemented many Progressive policies, such as improved child labor laws, the abolition of the fee system that existed in state and county offices, and the establishment of New Jersey's first state primary laws. He was prohibited by the then-current provision of the

New Jersey State Constitution The Constitution of the State of New Jersey is the basic governing document of the State of New Jersey. In addition to three British Royal Charters issued for East Jersey, West Jersey and united New Jersey while they were still colonies, the sta ...

from succeeding himself, so he yielded the Governorship at the end of his term to

Edward C. Stokes Edward Casper Stokes (December 22, 1860November 4, 1942) was an American Republican Party politician, who served as the 32nd governor of New Jersey, from 1905 to 1908. Biography Stokes was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1860. He attende ...

. From 1883 to 1886 he was a member of the Common Council of Newark and was at one time president of the Council. He was elected to the

New Jersey General Assembly The New Jersey General Assembly is the lower house of the New Jersey Legislature. Since the election of 1967 (1968 Session), the Assembly has consisted of 80 members. Two members are elected from each of New Jersey's 40 legislative districts f ...

in 1885; while in office as parks commissioner he laid out and completed the parks of Essex County; from March 24, 1886 to 1889, he was a trustee for the Reform School for Boys. President McKinley appointed him one of the commissioners to the Paris Universal Exposition in 1900. He held official positions in numerous financial institutions, social, and civic bodies. There is a life size statue of him in

Weequahic Park Weequahic Park ( (pronounced , or WEEK-wake "when spoken rapidly") is a park located in the South Ward of Newark, New Jersey, USA, designed by the Olmsted Brothers firm, (who also designed Branch Brook Park in Newark). The park is 311.33 acres inc ...

in Newark.

Post-Gubernatorial Life

After leaving office, he remained involved in New Jersey Republican Party affairs for the rest of his life. He was a delegate to the Republican National Convention five times, and at the

1908 Republican National Convention The 1908 Republican National Convention was held in Chicago Coliseum, Chicago, Illinois on June 16 to June 19, 1908. It convened to nominate successors to President Theodore Roosevelt and Vice President Charles W. Fairbanks. U.S. Secretary of ...

, he was a candidate for the vice presidential nomination to serve as

running mate A running mate is a person running together with another person on a joint ticket during an election. The term is most often used in reference to the person in the subordinate position (such as the vice presidential candidate running with a p ...

William Howard Taft William Howard Taft (September 15, 1857March 8, 1930) was the 27th president of the United States (1909–1913) and the tenth chief justice of the United States (1921–1930), the only person to have held both offices. Taft was elected pr ...

, that eventually went to

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

Representative, James S. Sherman. He died in

Palm Beach, Florida Palm Beach is an incorporated town in Palm Beach County, Florida. Located on a barrier island in east-central Palm Beach County, the town is separated from several nearby cities including West Palm Beach and Lake Worth Beach by the Intrac ...

at age 74 and was buried in

Mount Pleasant Cemetery, Newark Mount Pleasant Cemetery is a historic rural cemetery in the North Ward of Newark in Essex County, New Jersey, United States. It is located on the west bank of the Passaic River in Newark's Broadway neighborhood, opposite Kearny. It occupies a ...

in Section F, Lot 159/160.

References

External links

Biography of Franklin Murphy (PDF)

New Jersey State Library The New Jersey State Library, based in Trenton, New Jersey, was established in 1796 to serve the information needs of New Jersey's Governor, Legislature and Judiciary. The State Library is also responsible to assist in the provision of library and ...

Franklin Murphy on Newark History
*
Franklin Murphy, Sons of the American Revolution
{{DEFAULTSORT:Murphy, Franklin 1846 births 1920 deaths American Episcopalians Burials at Mount Pleasant Cemetery (Newark, New Jersey) Chairmen of the New Jersey Republican State Committee Republican Party governors of New Jersey Republican Party members of the New Jersey General Assembly Politicians from Newark, New Jersey People of New Jersey in the American Civil War Sons of the American Revolution Union Army officers