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Harbor Beach in Huron County, Michigan — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)
 

Justice Frank Murphy

 
 
Justice Frank Murphy Marker image. Click for full size.
Photographed By J.T. Lambrou, December 20, 2022
1. Justice Frank Murphy Marker
Inscription.

1890: Born William Francis Murphy in Harbor Beach in April 13, 1890.

1914: Received a law degree from the University of Michigan.

1917-1919: Served in the U.S. Army during World War I achieving the rank of Captain with the occupation Army in Germany.

1919: Law Studies London, England and Dublin, Ireland.

1917—1922: Professor of law at the University of Detroit.

1919—1922: Appointed Chief Assistant U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Michigan. He opened the first civil rights section of a U.S. Attorney's offce.

1923—1930: Served as a judge of the Recorder's Court during the Prohibition era.

1930—1933: Mayor for the city of Detroit during the first years of the Depression.

1933-1936: President Franklin Delano Roosevelt appointed Frank Murphy Governor-General (and later High Commissioner) of the Philippines. Murphy demonstrated sympathy for Filipino masses, especially for the oppressed tenant farmers, and emphasized the need for social justice.

1937-1938: Frank Murphy was elected the 35th Governor of Michigan. During his two years in office, an unemployment compensation system was instituted and mental health programs were improved. Also during his term,
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the United Automobile Workers (U.A.W.) engaged in a sit-down strike at the General Motors' Flint plant after 27 people were injured in a battle between the workers and the police. The governor refused a court order requesting him to expel the strikers, and he refused to order the guards troops to suppress the strike. Rather, Murphy sent the National Guard to protect the workers. Murphy successfully mediated an agreement and end to the confrontation; G.M. recognized the U.A.W. as a bargaining agent under the newly adopted National Labor Relations Act. It was called, "The strike heard round the world."

1939—1940: Frank Murphy was appointed the 56th Attorney General of the United States. Murphy established a Civil Liberties Section in the United States Department of Justice. The section was designed to centralize enforcement responsibility for the Bill of Rights and civil rights statutes.

1940—1949: Justice of the United States Supreme Court. Murphy is perhaps most well known for his vehement dissent from the court's ruling in Korematsu v. United States, which upheld the constitutionality of the government's internment of during World War Il. Murphy sharply criticized the majority ruling as "legalization of racism." Though Murphy was serving on the Supreme Court during World War II, he still longed to be part of the war effort. Consequently,
Justice Frank Murphy Marker image. Click for full size.
Photographed By J.T. Lambrou, December 20, 2022
2. Justice Frank Murphy Marker
The marker is in the middle of the three at this location.
during recesses of the Court, he served in Fort Benning, Georgia as an infantry officer.

1949: July 19, Frank Murphy died in Detroit. He is buried at Rock Falls Cemetery, Harbor Beach, Michigan.
 
Erected by Friends of the Murphy Museum.
 
Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Government & Politics. A significant historical date for this entry is July 19, 1949.
 
Location. 43° 50.607′ N, 82° 39.072′ W. Marker is in Harbor Beach, Michigan, in Huron County. Marker is on South Huron Avenue (Michigan Route 25) near State Street, on the right when traveling north. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 142 South Huron Avenue, Harbor Beach MI 48441, United States of America. Touch for directions.
 
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. The Frank Murphy Museum (here, next to this marker); The Harbor Beach Lighthouse Lens (here, next to this marker); Murphy's Dissent (a few steps from this marker); Frank Murphy (a few steps from this marker); Birthplace of Frank Murphy (within shouting distance of this marker); Harbor Beach Churches (within shouting distance of this marker); Corporal Curtis James Wells (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); Harbor Beach Hospital (about 300 feet away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Harbor Beach.
 
Related marker. Click here for another marker that is related to this marker.
Justice Frank Murphy image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Harris & Ewing, circa 1940
3. Justice Frank Murphy
This image is available from the United States Library of Congress's Prints and Photographs division.

 
Also see . . .  Frank Murphy. Excerpt:
He followed in his father's footsteps by becoming a lawyer. He attended the University of Michigan Law School, and graduated with a BA in 1912 and an LLB in 1914. He was a member of the Sigma Chi Fraternity and the senior society Michigamua.
(Submitted on January 6, 2023, by J.T. Lambrou of New Boston, Michigan.) 
 
Additional commentary.
1. Korematsu v. United States
Frank Murphy is perhaps most well known for writing the dissenting opinion in Korematsu v. United States in noted for being among the first uses of the word "racism" in a United States Supreme Court opinion. There is a Michigan Legal Milestone marker a few feet away from this one about his minority opinion called "Murphy's Dissent" linked in the additional markers.
    — Submitted January 6, 2023, by J.T. Lambrou of New Boston, Michigan.
 
 
Credits. This page was last revised on January 7, 2023. It was originally submitted on January 6, 2023, by J.T. Lambrou of New Boston, Michigan. This page has been viewed 65 times since then and 4 times this year. Photos:   1, 2, 3. submitted on January 6, 2023, by J.T. Lambrou of New Boston, Michigan. • J. Makali Bruton was the editor who published this page.

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Mar. 28, 2024