Frank Murphy
A New Deal jurist who championed civil liberties from the Detroit mayor's office to the U.S. Supreme Court bench.
1890–1949 (age 59)·American judge·Birthday: April 13·The Lost Generation
Biography
Frank Murphy's career was a steady march from local politics to the nation's highest court, all animated by a deep-seated belief in individual rights. Born in Michigan, he served as a tough but fair-minded mayor of Detroit during the Great Depression, then as Governor-General of the Philippines, where he advocated for independence. As Michigan's governor, he confronted the violent Flint sit-down strike with remarkable restraint, refusing to use force against auto workers. Appointed U.S. Attorney General by Franklin Roosevelt, he established the Civil Liberties Unit, a precursor to the Civil Rights Division. His tenure on the Supreme Court, though brief, was defined by passionate dissents in cases involving the rights of minorities, criminal defendants, and religious objectors, cementing his legacy as a fierce judicial voice for the underdog.
The Lost Generation
1883–1900
Came of age during World War I. Disillusioned by the carnage, they rejected the certainties of the Victorian era and built modernism from the wreckage — in art, literature, and politics.
Frank was born in 1890, placing them squarely in The Lost Generation. The events that shaped this generation — world wars, depression, and rapid industrialization — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Frank Was Born
The biggest hits of 1890
Frank's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1890Born
Wounded Knee massacre marks the end of the Indian Wars
President: Benjamin Harrison
1895Started school
First public film screening by the Lumiere brothers
President: Grover Cleveland
1903Became a teenager
Wright brothers achieve first powered flight
President: Theodore Roosevelt
1906Could drive
San Francisco earthquake devastates the city
President: Theodore Roosevelt
1908Could vote
Ford Model T goes into production
President: Theodore Roosevelt
1911Turned 21
Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire kills 146 in New York
President: William Howard Taft
1920Turned 30
Women gain the right to vote in the US
Home: $3,395President: Woodrow Wilson"Swanee" — Al Jolson
1930Turned 40
Pluto discovered
Gas: $0.20/galHome: $3,510President: Herbert Hoover"Body and Soul" — Paul WhitemanBest Picture: All Quiet on the Western Front
1940Turned 50
The Blitz: Germany bombs London
Gas: $0.18/galHome: $2,938Min wage: $0.30/hrPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"I'll Never Smile Again" — Tommy DorseyBest Picture: Rebecca
1949Died at 59
NATO founded; Mao proclaims the People's Republic of China
Gas: $0.27/galHome: $7,450Min wage: $0.40/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Riders in the Sky" — Vaughn MonroeBest Picture: All the King's Men
Key Achievements
- Appointed by President Franklin D. Roosevelt as an Associate Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court in 1940.
- As U.S. Attorney General, created the Justice Department's first Civil Liberties Unit in 1939.
- Served as the last U.S. Governor-General and first High Commissioner to the Philippines, overseeing its transition toward independence.
- As Governor of Michigan, he famously refused to use state troopers to evict striking auto workers during the 1937 Flint sit-down strike.
Did You Know?
He was a bachelor for most of his life but married late, just a few years before his death.
Murphy was an avid boxer in his youth and maintained a lifelong passion for physical fitness.
He served as a captain in the U.S. Army during World War I, seeing combat in France.
His portrait hangs in the Michigan Supreme Court's hall of justices.
“The law knows no finer hour than when it cuts through formal concepts and transitory emotions to protect unpopular citizens against discrimination and persecution.”
