Page 1072. Michael F. Murphy ranks among the leading citizens of Grand Forks, N. D. He is a native of Dubuque county, Iowa, and was born March 28, 1858, to Patrick and Ellen (Manning) Murphy. He acquired a good common and high school education, and supplemented it with a course at Bayles’ Business College of Dubuque. He then taught five terms in district schools in Iowa and Minnesota, after which he went to Fargo, N. D., arriving there March 12, 1879, and until August of the following year was employed as bookkeeper for Messrs. Porrett and Rossiter. The next one and a half years he was bookkeeper for Messrs. L. D. Burger & Company, then spent a year as salesman for Messrs. Peterson and Sargent, dealers in farm machinery and implements, and from 1883 to 1886 traveled for the Ames Iron Works, as salesman, collector, etc. On January 1, 1886, Mr. Murphy associated himself with Mr. Stephen Collins, under the firm name of Collins & Murphy, and with headquarters at Grand Forks opened a general farm implement and fuel business, which, under their wise management, grew to be the largest of its kind in the state, when, on January 1, 1893, Mr. Murphy sold his interest to his partner. On leaving this business Mr. Murphy became general agent for the Union Central Life Insurance Company of Cincinnati, Ohio, in charge of its loan department, and as financial agent of the company has built up and is carrying on the largest loan business west of Chicago. Mr. Murphy is essentially a man of action,
Page 1073. who for years has been interested in and closely identified with public and civic affairs. He has served in the city council of Grand Forks, and in 1889 was president of that body. Elected to the school board in 1893, he served continuously for twelve years, six years of that time as president of the board. Since 1904 he has been on the Grand Forks City Park board, is one of the regents of the University of North Dakota, and from 1897 to 1901 was a member of the state senate, and has been active in the councils of the Democratic party, as member of the state central committee, delegate to the national convention, etc. He was one of the organizers of the North Dakota Bankers’ Association, served as its president in 1904, and is now (1909) on its executive committee. Mr. Murphy is also president of the State Bank of Reynolds, N. D.; president of the State Bank of International Falls, a director of the Farmers and Merchants Bank of Jamestown, of the State Banks of Hoople and of Concrete, and also a director of the North Dakota Railroad Company. He is interested in fraternal organizations, being a member of the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks and of the Catholic Order of Foresters and the Knights of Columbus. On May 2, 1882, Mr. Murphy married Miss Margaret E. Bowler and they have had eight children, of whom three, viz.: Mary, Louis and Margaret, are living. Mrs. Murphy was one of the victims of the disastrous collision between the steamships Republic and Florida on January 23, 1909, and, though seriously injured, displayed such fortitude and bravery as to evoke great praise from officers and fellow passengers on the unfortunate vessel, and high commendation from the press of New York and other cities. (History of the Red River Valley Past and Present, Volume II, Herald Printing Company, Grand Forks and C. F. Cooper & Company, Chicago, 1909)
Grand Forks, N. D., Dec. 23. Michael Francis Murphy, 72, prominent business man and former state legislator, died at his home here today. Apparently feeling well when he arose this morning, Mr. Murphy was stricken with a heart attack as he was taking his morning exercises. He died shortly after the attack. Born in Dubuque county, Iowa, March 28, 1858, Mr. Murphy came to North Dakota in 1879, settling at Fargo. After working there for a year in a hardware store, he assumed management of the Fargo office of the L. D. Burger company’s store and elevator. In 1886 Mr. Murphy entered the farm machinery business at Grand Forks and continued this enterprise until 1893, when he engaged in the farm loan business. He was married in 1882 to Miss Margaret Bowler, Rochester, Minn. They had eight children, but only a daughter, Mrs. George Beacham, Grand Forks, is living. In addition to his business and banking activities, Mr. Murphy served 38 consecutive years in public offices. He was mayor of Grand Forks for four years, beginning in 1911, and served as state senator from 1899 to 1903. He also served on the city council, school board and the city park board. At one time he was a director of 10 banks and at the time of his death was a director of the First National Bank here. He was a member of the Elks lodge, the Knights of Columbus, and St. Mary s Catholic church. Mr. Murphy also was well known as a philanthropist. (The Bismarck Tribune, Tuesday, December 23, 1930, Page 7)