James Anthony Murphy (September 12, 1894 – September 15, 1924) was a Native American
race car driver
Auto racing (also known as car racing, motor racing, or automobile racing) is a motorsport involving the racing of automobiles for competition.
Auto racing has existed since the invention of the automobile. Races of various sorts were organise ...
who won the
1921 French Grand Prix
The 1921 French Grand Prix (formally the XV Grand Prix de l'Automobile Club de France) was a Grand Prix motor race held at Le Mans on 25 July 1921. The race was held over 30 laps of the 17.26 km circuit for a total distance of 517.8 km ...
, the
1922 Indianapolis 500
The 10th International 500-Mile Sweepstakes Race was held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Tuesday, May 30, 1922.
Jimmy Murphy is the first driver to win the race from the pole position. He was accompanied by riding mechanic Ernie Olson.
...
, and the
American Racing Championship in 1922 and 1924.
Background
![Tacoma Speedway 1920 Jimmy Murphy with Eddie Olson](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/4d/Tacoma_Speedway_1920_Jimmy_Murphy_with_Eddie_Olson.jpg)
Murphy was born in
San Francisco
San Francisco (; Spanish language, Spanish for "Francis of Assisi, Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the List of Ca ...
,
California
California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...
, on Minna Street, between 7th and 8th, in September 1894. His Father
is from
Irish
Irish may refer to:
Common meanings
* Someone or something of, from, or related to:
** Ireland, an island situated off the north-western coast of continental Europe
***Éire, Irish language name for the isle
** Northern Ireland, a constituent unit ...
immigrant Mother Native Choctaw
Immigration is the international movement of people to a destination country of which they are not natives or where they do not possess citizenship in order to settle as permanent residents or naturalized citizens. Commuters, tourists, and ...
who owned a fuel and
feed store
The asterisk ( ), from Late Latin , from Ancient Greek , ''asteriskos'', "little star", is a typographical symbol. It is so called because it resembles a conventional image of a heraldic star.
Computer scientists and mathematicians often voc ...
which fronted on
Mission Street
Mission Street is a north-south arterial thoroughfare in Daly City and San Francisco, California that runs from Daly City's southern border to San Francisco's northeast waterfront. The street and San Francisco's Mission District through which it r ...
behind the family home on Minna. This area of San Francisco was called "South of the Slot" by locals in those days, and comprised a sprawling
ghetto
A ghetto, often called ''the'' ghetto, is a part of a city in which members of a minority group live, especially as a result of political, social, legal, environmental or economic pressure. Ghettos are often known for being more impoverished t ...
of mostly Irish immigrants and their children who made up the majority of the local labor force.
Murphy's mother died during the April 18
1906 San Francisco earthquake
At 05:12 Pacific Standard Time on Wednesday, April 18, 1906, the coast of Northern California was struck by a major earthquake with an estimated moment magnitude of 7.9 and a maximum Mercalli intensity of XI (''Extreme''). High-intensity sha ...
and fire. Murphy's father left him in the care of his cousin, San Francisco
firefighter
A firefighter is a first responder and rescuer extensively trained in firefighting, primarily to extinguish hazardous fires that threaten life, property, and the environment as well as to rescue people and in some cases or jurisdictions also ...
Lt. Tom Murphy (later to become San Francisco's
fire chief
A fire chief or fire commissioner is a top executive rank or commanding officer in a fire department.
Nomenclature
Various official English-language titles for a fire chief include ''fire chief'', ''chief fire officer'' and ''fire commissioner' ...
and recognized as one of the pioneers of modern
firefighting
Firefighting is the act of extinguishing or preventing the spread of unwanted fires from threatening human lives and destroying property and the environment. A person who engages in firefighting is known as a firefighter.
Firefighters typically ...
in San Francisco), and his wife Catherine. There are no records as to the whereabouts or fate of Murphy's father after 1906; it was not unusual in those days for single fathers to leave their children in the care of relatives and go "traveling", hopefully to find a new wife.
Murphy lived with Tom and Catherine and their five children in a house in the
Hayes Valley
Hayes Valley is a neighborhood in the Western Addition district of San Francisco, California. It is located between the historical districts of Alamo Square and the Civic Center. Victorian, Queen Anne, and Edwardian townhouses are mixed with hig ...
neighborhood of San Francisco until late 1907, when Murphy's mother's brother-in-law, Judge Martin O'Donnell of
Vernon, California
Vernon is a city five miles (8.0 km) south of downtown Los Angeles, California, the nearest separate city to downtown Los Angeles. The population was 112 at the 2010 United States Census, the least of any incorporated city in the state. I ...
, sent for Jimmy to come live with him.
In
Southern California
Southern California (commonly shortened to SoCal) is a geographic and Cultural area, cultural region that generally comprises the southern portion of the U.S. state of California. It includes the Los Angeles metropolitan area, the second most po ...
Murphy attended
Huntington Park High School
Huntington Park High School is a public high school in Huntington Park, California, part of the Los Angeles Unified School District.
History
The First Grammar School was initially built in 1904. The election was held with 21 registered voters ca ...
and commuted to and from school on a
motorcycle
A motorcycle (motorbike, bike, or trike (if three-wheeled)) is a two or three-wheeled motor vehicle steered by a handlebar. Motorcycle design varies greatly to suit a range of different purposes: long-distance travel, commuting, cruising ...
given him by Judge O'Donnell. He became an expert rider and
mechanic
A mechanic is an artisan, skilled tradesperson, or technician who uses tools to build, maintain, or repair machinery, especially cars.
Duties
Most mechanics specialize in a particular field, such as auto body mechanics, air conditioning and r ...
and, a few months short of graduation, opened a garage with a friend, developing a clientele of motorcycle and automobile owners from the Los Angeles area.
Riding mechanic
Murphy began his racing career as a
riding mechanic
A riding mechanic was a mechanic that rode along with a race car during races, and who was tasked with maintaining, monitoring, and repairing the car during the race. The various duties included manually pumping oil and fuel, checking tire wear, ...
, back in the days when racing cars carried a driver and a "mechanician." He rode in winning driver
Eddie O'Donnell
Edward "Eddie" O'Donnell (April 30, 1887 – November 26, 1920) was an American racecar driver. He died of injuries sustained in a crash during a AAA-sanctioned national championship race.
Career
O'Donnell started his career as a riding mecha ...
's
Duesenberg
Duesenberg Automobile and Motors Company, Inc. was an American race car, racing and luxury car, luxury automobile manufacturer founded in Indianapolis, Indiana, by brothers Fred Duesenberg, Fred and August Duesenberg in 1920. The company is ...
at the 1916
Corona road race, their car achieving an average speed of , a truly terrifying speed for those early days.
Murphy rode with some of America's greatest drivers of the time, including
Ralph DePalma
Raffaele "Ralph" De Palma (December 19, 1882 – March 31, 1956) was an Italian-American racecar driving champion who won the 1915 Indianapolis 500. His entry at the International Motorsports Hall of Fame estimates that he won about 2,0 ...
,
Harry Hartz
Harry Hartz (24 December 1896 – 26 September 1974) was an American auto mechanic and race car driver.
Career
Harry Hartz was born in Pomona, California, and grew up in the Los Angeles area. At age eighteen, he began to drive in support e ...
,
Eddie Rickenbacker
Edward Vernon Rickenbacker or Eddie Rickenbacker (October 8, 1890 – July 23, 1973) was an American fighter pilot in World War I and a Medal of Honor recipient.[Tommy Milton
Thomas Milton (November 14, 1893 – July 10, 1962) was an American race car driver best known as the first two-time winner of the Indianapolis 500. He was notable for having only one functional eye, a disability that would have disqualified him ...]
.
Racer
![JimmyMurphy1922Indy500 1921LeMansWinner](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/da/JimmyMurphy1922Indy500_1921LeMansWinner.jpg)
After the war, Murphy's career as a driver was spotted, but he showed promise to those who knew "the racing game." Through the influence of Duesenberg's Number One driver, Tommy Milton, Murphy was given a factory car to drive in the inaugural race at the
Beverly Hills Speedway
The Beverly Hills Speedway (also called the Los Angeles Speedway) was a wooden board track for automobile racing in Beverly Hills, California. It was built in 1919 on of land that includes the site of today's Beverly Wilshire Hotel, just outs ...
, a superfast, high banked, wooden speedway. To everyone (except Milton's) surprise, Murphy won that February 14, 1920 race. He went on to win regularly and became a popular champion on the circuit.
In 1921, as part of a team of Duesenbergs sponsored by French immigrant
Albert Champion, he became the only American to have won a
Grand Prix
Grand Prix ( , meaning ''Grand Prize''; plural Grands Prix), is a name sometimes used for competitions or sport events, alluding to the winner receiving a prize, trophy or honour
Grand Prix or grand prix may refer to:
Arts and entertainment ...
race in an all-American car, by winning the
French Grand Prix
The French Grand Prix (french: Grand Prix de France), formerly known as the Grand Prix de l'ACF (Automobile Club de France), is an auto race held as part of the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile's annual Formula One World Championsh ...
at
Le Mans
Le Mans (, ) is a city in northwestern France on the Sarthe River where it meets the Huisne. Traditionally the capital of the province of Maine, it is now the capital of the Sarthe department and the seat of the Roman Catholic diocese of Le Man ...
. The next time an American driver would win a Grand Prix in an American-built car would be 46 years later, when Dan Gurney won the 1967 Belgian Grand Prix. Additionally, in 1967 Gurney became the second American driving an American built car to win at LeMans.
So since the 1921 French Grand Prix was raced on the LeMans course, Gurney was the second American driver to win LeMans driving an American built vehicle. The feat of an all-American Grand Prix victory has not been repeated. Murphy's mechanic in that race was none other than
Ernie Olsen who also rode with Murphy in the 1922 Indianapolis 500. Murphy's victory was not a hollow one as he was facing the best teams from England (
Sunbeam) with young gun Henry Segrave driving a
1921 Grand Prix car and France (Ballot) led by the experienced
Jean Chassagne
Jean Chassagne (26 July 1881, in La Croisille-sur-Briance – 13 April 1947) was a pioneer submariner, aviator and French racecar driver active 1906-1930. Chassagne finished third in the 1913 French Grand Prix; won the 1922 Tourist Trophy and fi ...
.
In 1922, Murphy won the
Indianapolis 500
The Indianapolis 500, formally known as the Indianapolis 500-Mile Race, and commonly called the Indy 500, is an annual automobile race held at Indianapolis Motor Speedway (IMS) in Speedway, Indiana, United States, an enclave suburb of Indi ...
, in the Le Mans winning car, which had been modified for the Indy race and was powered by a Miller engine. He also became
National Champion that year. Murphy won the final Universal Trophy Cup Race, beating Milton, at both
Tacoma Speedway
Tacoma Speedway (sometimes called Pacific Speedway or Tacoma-Pacific Speedway) was a (approximate) wooden board track for automobile racing that operated from 1914 to 1922 near Tacoma, Washington. In its time, the track was renowned nationwide a ...
and the
Uniontown Speedway
}
Uniontown Speedway was a wooden board track in Hopwood, near Uniontown, Pennsylvania. The track was built in 1916, after the Summit Mountain Hill Climbs were outlawed, and held its final race in June 1922. The May/June race was known as th ...
board track in 1922.
In 1923, Murphy placed second in the National Championship, even missing several races to go to
Europe
Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a Continent#Subcontinents, subcontinent of Eurasia ...
and race for Los Angeles race car builder,
Harry Miller. He placed third in the
Italian Grand Prix
The Italian Grand Prix ( it, Gran Premio d'Italia) is the fifth oldest national Grand Prix motor racing, Grand Prix (after the French Grand Prix, the United States Grand Prix, the Spanish Grand Prix and the Russian Grand Prix), having been he ...
at Monza that year, in a race whose
Grand Marshal
Grand marshal is a ceremonial, military rank, military, or political office of very high rank. The term has its origins with the word "marshal" with the first usage of the term "grand marshal" as a ceremonial title for certain religious orders. ...
was
Benito Mussolini
Benito Amilcare Andrea Mussolini (; 29 July 188328 April 1945) was an Italian politician and journalist who founded and led the National Fascist Party. He was Prime Minister of Italy from the March on Rome in 1922 until his deposition in 194 ...
. Mussolini gave him two German Shepherd dogs as Murphy loved dogs.
Murphy's success continued in 1924. Murphy finished third in the Indy 500, and by the last weeks of the season, he had accumulated an unbeatable lead in the points toward the Championship.
Murphy died in a race promoted by a friend, at the
Syracuse
Syracuse may refer to:
Places Italy
*Syracuse, Sicily, or spelled as ''Siracusa''
*Province of Syracuse
United States
*Syracuse, New York
**East Syracuse, New York
**North Syracuse, New York
*Syracuse, Indiana
* Syracuse, Kansas
*Syracuse, Miss ...
,
New York
New York most commonly refers to:
* New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York
* New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States
New York may also refer to:
Film and television
* '' ...
fairgrounds dirt track on September 15, 1924. (see below.)
Indianapolis 500 results
Award
He was inducted into the
Motorsports Hall of Fame of America
The Motorsports Hall of Fame of America (MSHFA) is hall of fame that honors motorsports competitors and contributors from the United States from all disciplines, with categories for Open Wheel, Stock Cars, Powerboats, Drag Racing, Motorcycles, Sp ...
[Jimmy Murphy]
at the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America
The Motorsports Hall of Fame of America (MSHFA) is hall of fame that honors motorsports competitors and contributors from the United States from all disciplines, with categories for Open Wheel, Stock Cars, Powerboats, Drag Racing, Motorcycles, Sp ...
in 1998.
Death
Although not an accomplished dirt racer, he agreed to appear at a race promoted by a friend, at the Syracuse, New York fairgrounds
dirt track on September 15, 1924. As he charged for the lead late in the race on lap 138 of 150, his car slid sideways, possibly hitting oil or a part failure causing it, and crashed through the inside wooden rail. A large piece of the rail was pushed through Murphy’s chest, impaling him and killing him instantly.
Murphy was buried at
Calvary Cemetery in East Los Angeles, in the O'Donnell family plot. His death made headlines across the country. His funeral was attended by most of the great drivers and racing entrepreneurs, engineers and promoters of the time. In a precedent-setting move, the
American Automobile Association
American Automobile Association (AAA – commonly pronounced as "Triple A") is a federation of motor clubs throughout North America. AAA is a privately held not-for-profit national member association and service organization with over 60 m ...
's Competition Board awarded the 1924 National Championship posthumously, to Murphy. At the funeral,
Fred J. Wagner, Chief Starter for the AAA's Contest Board, said in his eulogy,
''Sportsmanship, like every other moral quality is not instinctive. It must be acquired. Jimmy Murphy, as no other, possessed the quality of a 100% sportsman. Invariably, when he won, he attributed his success to the goddess of fortune. He carried his honors more blithely than any other man I have ever come in contact with in my 30 years as an official. He accepted victory without a sneer or a strut, and defeat without a whimper. He was one in a million.''
See also
American Championship car racing
American open-wheel car racing, also known as Indy car racing, is a category of professional automobile racing in the United States. As of 2022, the top-level American open-wheel racing championship is sanctioned by IndyCar.
Competitive events ...
References
Information on Murphy’s life has been gathered from various sources, including the original record books of the old AAA's Contest board, from newspapers of the time including the
San Francisco Chronicle
The ''San Francisco Chronicle'' is a newspaper serving primarily the San Francisco Bay Area of Northern California. It was founded in 1865 as ''The Daily Dramatic Chronicle'' by teenage brothers Charles de Young and M. H. de Young, Michael H. de ...
, the
San Francisco Examiner
The ''San Francisco Examiner'' is a newspaper distributed in and around San Francisco, California, and published since 1863.
Once self-dubbed the "Monarch of the Dailies" by then-owner William Randolph Hearst, and flagship of the Hearst Corporat ...
and the
Los Angeles Times
The ''Los Angeles Times'' (abbreviated as ''LA Times'') is a daily newspaper that started publishing in Los Angeles in 1881. Based in the LA-adjacent suburb of El Segundo since 2018, it is the sixth-largest newspaper by circulation in the Un ...
; from the annals of the
Roman Catholic Archdiocese of San Francisco
The Archdiocese of San Francisco (Latin: ''Archdiœcesis Sancti Francisci''; Spanish: ''Archidiócesis de San Francisco'') is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Catholic Church in the northern California region of the Unite ...
,
Jerry Grant
Gerald Wayne "Jerry" Grant (January 23, 1935 – August 12, 2012) was a driver in the USAC Championship Car series. Born in Seattle, he began racing sports cars in Northern California in the early 1960s. He raced in the 1965-1977 seasons, wi ...
of the
Champion Spark Plug Company, and the public relations department of the AC/Delco Division of
General Motors
The General Motors Company (GM) is an American Multinational corporation, multinational Automotive industry, automotive manufacturing company headquartered in Detroit, Michigan, United States. It is the largest automaker in the United States and ...
, as well as a personal interview with the late
Peter DePaolo
Pete DePaolo (April 6, 1898 – November 26, 1980) was an American race car driver who won the 1925 Indianapolis 500.
Biography
Peter DePaolo was born on April 6, 1898, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Pete saw his first race in 1919, where he w ...
, who was a contemporary of Murphy.
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Murphy, James Anthony
1894 births
1924 deaths
AAA Championship Car drivers
American people of Irish descent
American racing drivers
American Roman Catholics
Champ Car champions
Duesenberg
Indianapolis 500 drivers
Indianapolis 500 polesitters
Indianapolis 500 winners
Racing drivers who died while racing
Racing drivers from San Francisco
Sports deaths in New York (state)