Robert Charles Murphy (October 9, 1926 – October 31, 2000) was a

Maryland Maryland ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It borders the states of Virginia to its south, West Virginia to its west, Pennsylvania to its north, and Delaware to its east ...

lawyer and jurist. He served as Chief Judge of the

Maryland Court of Appeals The Supreme Court of Maryland (previously the Maryland Court of Appeals) is the highest court of the U.S. state of Maryland. The court, which is composed of one chief justice and six associate justices, meets in the Robert C. Murphy Courts of ...

, the state's highest court, from 1972 to October 9, 1996, the same that day he turned 70 years old. Seventy is the Maryland State Constitution's mandatory retirement age for judges, which Murphy unsuccessfully attempted to raise to 75 years old. Murphy was 45 years old when he was appointed by then Governor

Marvin Mandel Marvin Mandel (April 19, 1920 – August 30, 2015) was an American politician and lawyer who served as the 56th Governor of Maryland from January 7, 1969, to January 17, 1979, including a one-and-a-half-year period when Lt. Governor Blair ...

, making Murphy the youngest chief judge in Maryland state history.

Early life and career

Robert Charles Murphy was born in

Baltimore Baltimore is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland. With a population of 585,708 at the 2020 census and estimated at 568,271 in 2024, it is the 30th-most populous U.S. city. The Baltimore metropolitan area is the 20th-large ...

and attended Baltimore public schools, including Forest Park Senior High School. He served in the

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the naval warfare, maritime military branch, service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is the world's most powerful navy with the largest Displacement (ship), displacement, at 4.5 millio ...

from 1944 to 1946. He graduated from the

University of Maryland Law School The University of Maryland Francis King Carey School of Law (formerly University of Maryland School of Law from 1924 to 2011) is the law school of the University of Maryland, Baltimore and is located in Baltimore, Maryland. Founded in 1816, it i ...

with a

Juris Doctor A Juris Doctor, Doctor of Jurisprudence, or Doctor of Law (JD) is a graduate-entry professional degree that primarily prepares individuals to practice law. In the United States and the Philippines, it is the only qualifying law degree. Other j ...

in 1951. In 1952, he was admitted to the Maryland bar. From 1955 to 1966, Murphy worked for the office of the

Attorney General of Maryland The Attorney General of the State of Maryland is the chief legal officer of the State of Maryland in the United States and is elected by the people every four years with no term limits. To run for the office a person must be a citizen of and qual ...

, and in 1966, became Attorney General. After his mandatory retirement as Chief Judge in 1996, the Maryland Court of Appeals building in

Annapolis Annapolis ( ) is the capital of the U.S. state of Maryland. It is the county seat of Anne Arundel County and its only incorporated city. Situated on the Chesapeake Bay at the mouth of the Severn River, south of Baltimore and about east o ...

was renamed and dedicated in his honor as the Robert C. Murphy Courts of Appeal Building.

Personal life

Murphy was married to Helen Murphy. They had three children, Karen, Thomas and Kathy, and seven grandchildren. His daughter, Karen Murphy Jensen, served as judge for the Circuit Court of

Caroline County, Maryland Caroline County is a rural County (United States), county located in the U.S. state of Maryland. As of the 2020 United States census, the population was 33,293. Its county seat is Denton, Maryland, Denton. The county is part of the Eastern Shor ...

from 1999 to 2016, and currently holds senior judge status. He was

Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

External links

Robert C. Murphy (1926-2000), ''Archives of Maryland'' (Biographical Series)
at the

Maryland State Archives The Maryland State Archives serves as the central depository for government records of permanent value. Its holdings date from Maryland's founding in 1634, and include colonial and state executive, legislative, and judicial records; county pro ...

''Tributes to Chief Judge Robert C. Murphy''

William H. Rehnquist William Hubbs Rehnquist (October 1, 1924 – September 3, 2005) was an American attorney who served as the 16th chief justice of the United States from 1986 until his death in 2005, having previously been an associate justice from 1972 to 1986. ...

, Lawrence F. Rodowsky, Alan M. Wilner, & Dennis M. Sweeney, 56 Md. L. Rev. 625 (1997). Available at: http://digitalcommons.law.umaryland.edu/mlr/vol56/iss3/3

References

1926 births 2000 deaths United States Navy personnel of World War II Chief justices of the Supreme Court of Maryland Maryland attorneys general United States Navy sailors University of Maryland Francis King Carey School of Law alumni 20th-century Maryland state court judges {{Maryland-state-judge-stub