Michael Cotter Murphy (March 7, 1839 – March 4, 1903) was an American politician from New York, and a recipient of the

Medal of Honor The Medal of Honor (MOH) is the United States Armed Forces' highest military decoration and is awarded to recognize American soldiers, sailors, marines, airmen, guardians and coast guardsmen who have distinguished themselves by acts of valo ...

during the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states ...

. He was the first

New York City Police Commissioner The New York City Police Commissioner is the head of the New York City Police Department and presiding member of the Board of Commissioners. The commissioner is appointed by and serves at the pleasure of the mayor. The commissioner is responsib ...

Biography

The family emigrated to the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

in 1848. He attended the common schools in Manhattan, New York City and then became a compositor. Murphy was commissioned as a captain of the

11th New York Infantry The 11th New York Infantry Regiment was an infantry regiment of the Union Army in the early years of the American Civil War. The regiment was organized in New York City in May 1861 as a Zouave regiment, known for its unusual dress and drill sty ...

(Fire Zouaves) in May 1861, and served with the regiment until transferring to the 170th New York Infantry in July 1862. He was promoted to lieutenant colonel of the 170th New York Infantry in February 1863. For actions while commanding his regiment during the

Battle of North Anna The Battle of North Anna was fought May 23–26, 1864, as part of Union Lt. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant's Overland Campaign against Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee's Army of Northern Virginia. It consisted of a series of small actions near the Nor ...

, he was later awarded the

. The following month, he was dismissed due to disability. In 1866, he was a general of the Fenian Army which prepared to take part in the Fenian raids on

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

. Murphy was a member of the New York State Assembly (New York County, 1st D.) in

1867 Events January–March * January 1 – The Covington–Cincinnati Suspension Bridge opens between Cincinnati, Ohio, and Covington, Kentucky, in the United States, becoming the longest single-span bridge in the world. It was renamed a ...

1868 Events January–March * January 2 – British Expedition to Abyssinia: Robert Napier leads an expedition to free captive British officials and missionaries. * January 3 – The 15-year-old Mutsuhito, Emperor Meiji of Jap ...

1869 Events January–March * January 3 – Abdur Rahman Khan is defeated at Tinah Khan, and exiled from Afghanistan. * January 5 – Scotland's oldest professional Soccer, football team, Kilmarnock F.C., is founded. * January 20 & ...

and

1870 Events January–March * January 1 ** The first edition of ''The Northern Echo'' newspaper is published in Priestgate, Darlington, England. ** Plans for the Brooklyn Bridge are completed. * January 3 – Construction of the ...

. In 1870, he was charged with

bigamy In cultures where monogamy is mandated, bigamy is the act of entering into a marriage with one person while still legally married to another. A legal or de facto separation of the couple does not alter their marital status as married persons. I ...

and was absent from the Legislature for most of the session. He was again a member of the State Assembly in

1881 Events January–March * January 1– 24 – Siege of Geok Tepe: Russian troops under General Mikhail Skobelev defeat the Turkomans. * January 13 – War of the Pacific – Battle of San Juan and Chorrillos: The ...

1882 Events January–March * January 2 ** The Standard Oil Trust is secretly created in the United States to control multiple corporations set up by John D. Rockefeller and his associates. ** Irish-born author Oscar Wilde arrives in t ...

and

1883 Events January–March * January 4 – ''Life'' magazine is founded in Los Angeles, California, United States. * January 10 – A fire at the Newhall Hotel in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, United States, kills 73 people. * Ja ...

. He was a member of the New York State Senate (5th D.) from 1884 to 1889, sitting in the 107th, 108th, 109th, 110th, 111th and

112th New York State Legislature The 112th New York State Legislature, consisting of the New York State Senate and the New York State Assembly, met from January 1 to May 16, 1889, during the fifth year of David B. Hill's governorship, in Albany. Background Under the provisi ...

s. On March 3, 1898, Murphy was appointed by Mayor Robert A. van Wyck as

Commissioner of Health of the City of New York The Commissioner of Health of the City of New York is the head of the city's Department of Health and Mental Hygiene. The commissioner is appointed by the Mayor of New York City, and also serves on the city's Board of Health with the chairperson ...

, a post which he held for nearly three years, until van Wyck appointed him the first

on February 22, 1901. He remained in office until January 1, 1902, when he tendered his resignation to incoming Mayor

Seth Low Seth Low (January 18, 1850 – September 17, 1916) was an American educator and political figure who served as the mayor of Brooklyn from 1881 to 1885, the president of Columbia University from 1890 to 1901, a diplomatic representative of t ...

. Murphy was already in poor health, and could not eat any solid food. Instead, he was fed especially prepared liquid meals through a silver tube inserted into his stomach. Thus he was absent most of the time from his office, and appointed Ex-Chief of Police

William Stephen Devery William Stephen Devery (January 9, 1854 – June 20, 1919), nicknamed "Big Bill". was the last superintendent of the New York City Police Department police commission and the first police chief in 1898. Devery and Frank J. Farrell later co-ow ...

as First Deputy Police Commissioner to take care of the department during his absence. He died on March 4, 1903, and was buried at Kensico Cemetery in

Valhalla, New York Valhalla is a hamlet and census-designated place (CDP) within the town of Mount Pleasant, in Westchester County, New York, United States, in the New York City metropolitan area. Its population was 3,162 at the 2010 U.S. Census. The name was in ...

. Surviving him was his widow, Mary, with whom he had had no contact for more than 30 years.

Medal of Honor citation

Rank and organization: Lieutenant Colonel, 170th New York Infantry. Place and date: At

North Anna River The North Anna River is a principal tributary of the Pamunkey River, about long,U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map accessed April 1, 2011 in central Virginia in the United States. ...

, Va., 24 May 1864. Entered service at: New York, N.Y. Birth: Ireland Date of issue: 15 January 1897.

This officer, commanding the regiment, kept it on the field exposed to the fire of the enemy for 3 hours without being able to fire one shot in return because of the ammunition being exhausted.

References

External links

*
March 4, 1903 obituary of Michael C. Murphy New York evening World March 4. 1903
{{DEFAULTSORT:Murphy, Michael C 1839 births 1903 deaths Democratic Party New York (state) state senators Democratic Party members of the New York State Assembly Irish emigrants to the United States New York City Police Commissioners Irish-born Medal of Honor recipients American Civil War recipients of the Medal of Honor Union Army officers United States Army Medal of Honor recipients Commissioners of Health of the City of New York 19th-century American politicians Burials at Kensico Cemetery Military personnel from County Limerick Police officers from County Limerick

Biography

Medal of Honor citation

References

Further reading

External links