Henry Cruse Murphy | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Member of theU.S. House of Representatives from New York's2nd district | |
| In office March 4, 1843 – March 3, 1845 | |
| Preceded by | Joseph Egbert |
| Succeeded by | Henry J. Seaman |
| In office March 4, 1847 – March 3, 1849 | |
| Preceded by | Henry J. Seaman |
| Succeeded by | David A. Bokee |
| Mayor of Brooklyn | |
| In office 1842–1843 | |
| Preceded by | Cyrus P. Smith |
| Succeeded by | Joseph Sprague |
| U.S. Minister to the Netherlands | |
| In office 1857–1861 | |
| President | James Buchanan |
| Preceded by | August Belmont |
| Succeeded by | James Shepherd Pike |
| New York State Senate (3rd District) | |
| In office January 1, 1862 – December 31, 1873 | |
| Preceded by | Francis B. Spinola |
| Succeeded by | John C. Jacobs |
| Personal details | |
| Born | July 5, 1810 (1810-07-05) |
| Died | December 1, 1882 (1883-01) (aged 72) |
| Resting place | Green-Wood Cemetery,Brooklyn,New York |
| Citizenship |  United States |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse | Amelia Greenwood (1813–1887) (m. 1833) |
| Children | Henry C. Murphy, Jr. George I. Murphy |
| Alma mater | Columbia College |
| Profession | Attorney Newspaper editor Historian Author |
| Signature | .png) |
Henry Cruse Murphy (July 5, 1810 – December 1, 1882) was an American lawyer, politician and historian. During his political career, he served asMayor of Brooklyn, a member of theUnited States House of Representatives,U.S. Minister to the Netherlands, and member of theNew York State Senate.
Murphy was an author and newspaper editor; he founded and was the first editor of theBrooklyn Daily Eagle newspaper, authored monographs on subjects includingHenry Hudson's explorations, and translated several Dutch historical works into English.
In addition to his political and literary careers, Murphy was involved in several business ventures in Brooklyn, including railroads and construction of theBrooklyn Bridge.
Murphy died in Brooklyn in 1882 and was buried atGreen-Wood Cemetery.
Henry Cruse Murphy was born inBrooklyn on July 5, 1810.[1] He was the eldest son of John Garrison Murphy and Clarissa Runyon, aNew Jersey couple who settled in Brooklyn after their marriage.[2] John Murphy was a prominent businessman, and his accomplishments included inventing and patenting in partnership with another individual a horse-powered wheel for use onEast River ferries, which enabled them to change direction for round trips without having to turn around.[3][4] Henry C. Murphy's grandfather Timothy Murphy was a doctor and an immigrant fromIreland who settled in New Jersey and was a veteran of theAmerican Revolution.[5]
Henry Murphy graduated fromColumbia College in 1830,studied law under Judge Peter W. Radcliffe, wasadmitted to the bar, and practiced in Brooklyn.[6][7] He was also the first editor of theBrooklyn Eagle and Kings County Democrat newspaper, which launched in 1841.[8][9]
Murphy served as Brooklyn'sCity Attorney andCorporation Counsel, and wasMayor of Brooklyn in 1842 and 1843.[10]
In November 1842, prior to completion of his term as mayor of Brooklyn, Murphy was elected to theUnited States House of Representatives, and he served one term, March 4, 1843, to March 3, 1845 (28th Congress).[11] He was an unsuccessful candidate for reelection in 1844, and served as a delegate to theNew York State Constitutional Convention of 1846.[12]
Murphy was returned to Congress in the November 1846 election, serving a second non-consecutive term from March 4, 1847, to March 3, 1849 (30th Congress).[13]
Murphy was a delegate to the1852 Democratic National Convention. When the convention deadlocked after several ballots on the selection of apresidential nominee, the delegation from Virginia decided to support adark horse—a northerner whose views on slavery were acceptable to southerners (doughface)—who they intended to vote for as a unit in the hopes of rallying enough delegates around one candidate that he could win the nomination. The Virginia delegates considered Murphy andFranklin Pierce. By one vote they decided to support Pierce, who went on to win the nomination and the presidency.[14]
From 1857 to 1861 Murphy served asMinister to the Netherlands.[15] In 1860 he received thehonorary degree ofLL.D. from Columbia.[16]
He was a member of theNew York State Senate (3rd D.) from 1862 to 1873, sitting in the85th,86th,87th,88th,89th,90th,91st,92nd,93rd,94th,95th and96th New York State Legislatures.[17]
During theAmerican Civil War Murphy opposed secession and supported theUnion.[18] He was one of the prominent Brooklyn leaders who recruited and equipped the 3rd Senatorial Regiment, which was mustered into service as the159th New York Volunteer Infantry Regiment.[19]
Murphy was the Democratic nominee for the U.S. Senate inthe 1867 election, but Republicans controlled the state legislature and electedRoscoe Conkling.[20] Murphy cast his ballot forGeorge F. Comstock in the caucus held to choose the Democratic nominee, and again in the full legislative election.[21] In 1867 he also served as a delegate to the state constitutional convention.[22]
In 1868 Murphy was a candidate for the Democratic nomination forGovernor of New York, but theTammany Hall organization and its leader,William M. Tweed, controlled the process and were able to effect the nomination ofJohn T. Hoffman.[23]
Murphy was the choice of Democrats in the legislature for the United States Senatein 1869, but the Republican majority electedReuben Fenton.[24] In the caucus to decide the Democratic nominee, Murphy cast his ballot forHenry S. Randall, and he voted for Randall again in the election held by the full legislature.[25]
WhenFenton's term expired in 1875, Democrats controlled the legislature and Murphywas a candidate, butFrancis Kernan won the support of the Democrats in the state legislature and was elected.[26]
Murphy was active in several business ventures, including president of the Brooklyn, Flatbush and Coney Island Railroad, and member of the board of directors for the Brooklyn City Railroad and the Union Ferry Company.[27]
In 1866 Murphy became active in the effort to construct theBrooklyn Bridge. He was an incorporator of the original venture, the Brooklyn Bridge Company, and served as its president.[28] When the project was converted to a public work, Murphy was elected president of the New York and Brooklyn Bridge Company Board of Trustees, the entity created to plan, oversee construction of, and operate it. He served as president of the board until his death.[29]
Murphy was a historian and writer, and is perhaps best known for his research on the early Colonial history ofNew York. He was a founder of theLong Island Historical Society and the Brooklyn City Library.[30] He translatedDavid Pietersz. de Vries'Voyages from Holland to America 1632 to 1644 (1853) andJasper Danckaerts'Journal Of A Voyage To New York In 1679–80.[30]
During his residence atThe Hague as American Minister he printed for private distribution twomonographs,Henry Hudson in Holland: Origin and Objects of the Voyage which Led to the Discovery of theHudson River (1859) andJacob Steendam, Noch Vaster: A Memoir of the First Poet inNew Netherlands, with his Poems, Descriptive of the Colony (1861). The latter of these was reprinted in hisAnthology ofNew Netherland: or, Translations from the Early Dutch Poets of New York, with Memoirs of their Lives, issued by the Bradford Club in 1875.[31]
Murphy died in Brooklyn on December 1, 1882, and was buried atGreen-Wood Cemetery.[32][33]
In 1834 Murphy married Amelia Greenwood ofHaverstraw, New York.[34] Their children included Henry C. Murphy Jr. and George I. Murphy, both attorneys who practiced in partnership with their father.[35]
john g. murphy wheel ferries.
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| Diplomatic posts | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | U.S. Minister to the Netherlands 1857–1861 | Succeeded by |
| U.S. House of Representatives | ||
| Preceded by | Member of the U.S. House of Representatives fromNew York's 2nd congressional district 1843–1845 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Member of the U.S. House of Representatives fromNew York's 2nd congressional district 1847–1849 | Succeeded by |
| New York State Senate | ||
| Preceded by | New York State Senate 3rd District 1862–1873 | Succeeded by |
