Charles Francis Murphy

For other people named Charles Murphy, see Charles Murphy (disambiguation).

Murphy with William H. Fitzpatrick

Charles Francis "Silent Charlie" Murphy (June 20, 1858 – April 25, 1924) was a U.S. political figure, head of New York City's Tammany Hall.

Biography

Murphy succeeded Lewis Nixon as leader of Tammany Hall in 1902 and became the most powerful boss in Tammany's history. The son of Irish immigrants, Murphy quit school at age fourteen and worked a series of jobs, saving money until he purchased a saloon. He eventually amassed four such establishments and made a significant percentage of his fortune. He soon became a member of Tammany Hall, and by 1892, Murphy became the leader of Manhattan's so-called Gas House District. His stature in the Tammany organization rose until, in September 1902, Murphy became the undisputed leader of Tammany Hall, a title he maintained until his sudden death in 1924. Murphy, a Roman Catholic, was buried at Calvary Cemetery in New York.^[1]

In contrast to longtime boss Richard Croker, the taciturn and teetotaling Murphy (his nickname was "silent Charlie") brought an air of respectability to Tammany Hall. He furthered this end by promoting a new crop of Tammany politicians — chief among them was Senator James J. Walker, Rockland County Chairman James Farley and Alderman Alfred E. Smith — who would move the machine away from the methods of Boss Tweed and toward a Progressive Era style that rewarded the loyalty of the poor with reforms like factory safety and child labor laws. Thus, Murphy is credited with transforming Tammany into a political organization capable of drawing the votes of the ever-growing numbers of new immigrants from Eastern and Southern Europe, a feat that kept Tammany in power until the early 1930s.

In popular culture

The character Jim Gettys in Citizen Kane was based on Charles Murphy.^[2]

References

1. ^ http://politicalgraveyard.com/bio/murphy2.html
2. ^ Mankiewicz, Herman Jacob; Orson Welles, Pauline Kael (1985). The Citizen Kane book. Methuen. ISBN 9780413582904. 

Further reading

• Weiss, Nancy Joan. Charles Francis Murphy, 1858-1924: Respectability and Responsibility in Tammany Politics. Smith College, 1968.

Sources

• The Political Graveyard

External links

• Tammany Hall Links
• Entry in the 11th edition, otherwise known as 1911 edition, of the Encyclopaedia Britannica

Persondata
Name	Murphy, Charles Francis
Alternative names
Short description	American politician
Date of birth	June 20, 1858
Place of birth
Date of death	April 25, 1924
Place of death