Charles Francis Murphy

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Charles Francis Murphy (1858 - 1924) was a U.S. political figure, head of New York City's Tammany Hall.

Murphy succeeded Richard Croker as leader of Tammany Hall in 1902 and became the most powerful boss in Tammany's history. The son of Irish immigrants, Murphy quit school at age fourteen and worked a series of jobs, saving money until he purchased a saloon. He eventually amassed four such establishments and made a significant percentage of his fortune. He soon became a member of Tammany Hall, and by 1892, Murphy became the leader of Manhattan's so-called Gas House District. His stature in the Tammany organization rose until, in September 1902, Murphy became the undisputed leader of Tammany Hall, a title he maintained until his sudden death in 1924.

In contrast to his predecessor Croker, the taciturn and teetotaling Murphy (his nickname was "silent Charlie") brought an air of respectability to Tammany Hall. He furthered this end by promoting a new crop of Tammany politicians — chief among them Al Smith — who moved the machine away from the Robin Hood methods of Boss Tweed and toward a Progressive Era style that rewarded the loyalty of the poor with reforms like factory safety and child labor laws. Thus, Murphy is credited with transforming Tammany into a political organization capable of drawing the votes of the ever-growing numbers of new immigrants from Eastern and Southern Europe, a feat that kept Tammany in power until the early 1930s.