Jeremiah Henry Murphy (February 19, 1835 – December 11, 1893) was a two-term Democratic

U.S. Representative The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they c ...

from

Iowa's 2nd congressional district Iowa's 2nd congressional district is a congressional district in the U.S. state of Iowa that covers most of its southeastern part. It includes Davenport, Iowa City, Muscatine, Clinton, Burlington, Ottumwa, Fort Madison, Oskaloosa, Bettendo ...

. Born in

Lowell, Massachusetts Lowell () is a city in Massachusetts, in the United States. Alongside Cambridge, It is one of two traditional seats of Middlesex County. With an estimated population of 115,554 in 2020, it was the fifth most populous city in Massachusetts as of ...

, Murphy moved with his parents to

Fond du Lac County, Wisconsin Fond du Lac County is a county in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. As of the 2020 census, the population was 104,154. Its county seat is Fond du Lac. The county was created in the Wisconsin Territory in 1836 and later organized in 1844. Fond du La ...

, in 1849, and to

Iowa County, Iowa Iowa County is a county located in the U.S. state of Iowa. As of the 2020 census, the population was 16,662. The county seat is Marengo. Iowa County is one of seven counties in the United States to share the same name as the state they are lo ...

, in 1852. He attended the Boston public schools and Appleton (Wisconsin) University. He graduated from the

University of Iowa The University of Iowa (UI, U of I, UIowa, or simply Iowa) is a public university, public research university in Iowa City, Iowa, United States. Founded in 1847, it is the oldest and largest university in the state. The University of Iowa is org ...

at Iowa City in 1857. After studying law, he was

admitted to the bar An admission to practice law is acquired when a lawyer receives a license to practice law. In jurisdictions with two types of lawyer, as with barristers and solicitors, barristers must gain admission to the bar whereas for solicitors there are dist ...

in 1858 and commenced practice in

Marengo, Iowa Marengo is a town in and the county seat of Iowa County, Iowa, United States. It has served as the county seat since August 1845, even though it was not incorporated until July 1859. The population was 2,435 in the 2020 census, a decline from 2,5 ...

. Murphy was elected alderman in 1860. He served as delegate to the Democratic National Convention in 1864 and 1868. In 1867, he moved to

Davenport, Iowa Davenport is a city in and the county seat of Scott County, Iowa, United States. Located along the Mississippi River on the eastern border of the state, it is the largest of the Quad Cities, a metropolitan area with a population of 384,324 and a ...

and continued the practice of law. Murphy was elected mayor of Davenport in 1873 and again in 1878. He served one term as a member of the

Iowa Senate The Iowa Senate is the upper house of the Iowa General Assembly, United States. There are 50 seats in the Iowa Senate, representing 50 single-member districts across the state of Iowa with populations of approximately 60,927 per constituency, . ...

from 1874 to 1878. He was an unsuccessful candidate for election in 1876 to represent Iowa's 2nd congressional district in the Forty-fifth Congress. In 1882, Murphy again ran for Congress, challenging a freshman incumbent Republican, Sewall S. Farwell. After Murphy won the general election, he took his seat in the

48th United States Congress The 48th United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, consisting of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, D.C. from March 4, 1883, ...

Then, after winning re-election two years later (in 1884), he served in the

49th United States Congress The 49th United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, consisting of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, D.C. from March 4, 1885, ...

. However, when seeking a third term in 1886, Murphy was defeated in the Democratic district convention, by

Walter I. Hayes Walter Ingalls Hayes (December 9, 1841 – March 14, 1901) was a four-term Democratic U.S. Representative from Iowa's 2nd congressional district during the Gilded Age. Hayes was born in Marshall, Michigan. He attended the common schools and gra ...

. In all, Murphy served in Congress from March 4, 1883 to March 3, 1887. Between the

Civil War A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies ...

and the

Great Depression The Great Depression (19291939) was an economic shock that impacted most countries across the world. It was a period of economic depression that became evident after a major fall in stock prices in the United States. The economic contagio ...

, Murphy and Hayes were the only two Democratic congressmen from Iowa to serve two or more full terms. He lived in retirement in

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

, until his death in that city on December 11, 1893. He was interred in St. Marguerite's Cemetery (now Mount Calvary Cemetery) in Davenport.

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* {{DEFAULTSORT:Murphy, Jeremiah Henry 1835 births 1893 deaths University of Iowa alumni Democratic Party Iowa state senators Iowa lawyers Iowa city council members People from Fond du Lac County, Wisconsin Politicians from Lowell, Massachusetts Politicians from Davenport, Iowa People from Marengo, Iowa Mayors of Davenport, Iowa Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Iowa 19th-century American politicians 19th-century American lawyers