William Walton Murphy

Background

William W. Murphy was born on April 3, 1816, at Ernestown, Canada, but was brought to Ovid, Seneca County, New York, at an early age.

Education

As a youth of nineteen he joined the pioneer emigration from New York State to Michigan and entered the United States land office at Monroe as a clerk in 1835, when the speculation in land was at its height. He remained in the land office for two years and studied law in his leisure hours.

Career

In 1837 he removed to the pioneer community of Jonesville and with William T. Howell opened the first law office in Hillsdale County, continuing in practice until 1861, the firm from 1848 being that of Murphy & Baxter. In addition to practising law, he conducted a land agency, founded a newspaper, the Jonesville Telegraph, and was a partner in the banking firm of E. O. Grosvenor & Company.

He served one term as prosecutor of Hillsdale County and in 1844 was elected representative in the Michigan legislature. For many years he was an ardent Democrat, but his strong antislavery views impelled him to join the Free-Soil party in 1848.

After the passage of the Kansas-Nebraska bill in May 1854, he supported Isaac P. Christiancy in his efforts to have the Free-Soil party withdraw its state nominations during the coming campaign and call a mass convention of all anti-slavery elements, which resulted in the convention at Jackson, July 6, 1854, the first Republican state convention ever held, at which Murphy was one of the vice-presidents. He was a member of the Michigan delegation which supported Seward at the Republican National Convention held at Chicago in May 1860.

In July 1861 he was appointed by President Lincoln consul-general for the free city of Frankfort-on-the-Main, Germany. On his arrival at Frankfort in November 1861, Murphy found that his predecessor, Samuel Ricker, was aiding the Confederate cause, and was remaining in Frankfort with the hope of establishing a consulateship there for the Confederate states. Murphy frustrated this hope by persuading Frankfort's Senate to permit him to place the flag of the United States on the consular premises, thus recognizing him as consul-general for the entire Union rather than for the Northern states alone. When Ricker negotiated with a banking firm to take up a Confederate cotton-loan, Murphy obtained a statement from the head of the banking house of M. A. von Rothschild, which influenced the more conservative houses against participating in the loan. Murphy also had published in the Neue Frankfurter Zeitung and other journals the latest annual reports of the Confederate secretary of the treasury, and Jefferson Davis' defense of repudiation of the bonds of the South.

Gaining the friendship of the editor of L'Europe, he was permitted to use its columns for articles written by himself and his friends in aid of the Union cause. Thus, when the English and French exchanges were closed to the sale of United States bonds issued to prosecute the War they found a ready market in Germany, and large sales were made in Frankfort. Murphy remained consul-general at Frankfort until 1869, after which he settled in Heidelberg as the financial agent of several American railway companies. He died on June 8, 1886, of pneumonia at Hamburg, Prussia (present-day Germany).

Achievements

• William Walton Murphy was an influential lawyer, who owned a newspaper at Jonesville, Michigan. In addition, he served as a legislator in the Michigan, USA Legislature, and was appointed Consul General at Frankfort-on-the-Main by President Lincoln and served several years there.

Religion

He was one of the members of Grace Episcopal Church, this place, at the time of its organization in 1838, was one of the first vestrymen, and has been a vestryman of that Church for 39 years, and during 13 years of this time served as warden. He regularly contributed to the support of the Church from the time of its organization to the day of his death.

Politics

He was formerly a Democrat but joined the Free-Soil party in 1848, and the Republican party at its formation.

Views

For many years prior to the war Murphy was an active, prominent anti-slavery man, aided at all times the slaves in their efforts to escape from bondage with counsel and with money, volunteering his services as a lawyer whenever occasion required.

Personality

William Murphy was a man of unusual kindness of heart and disposition. He was constantly doing acts of kindness to the poor and those in trouble, which acts were never divulged by himself.

Connections

In 1849, William W. Murphy married Ellen Beaumont. The couple had a son, who died very young.

Father:

Seba Murphy

Mother:

Margaret Davy

Wife:

Ellen Murphy (Beaumont)