William Francis Murphy (May 11, 1885 – February 7, 1950) was an American Catholic prelate who served as the first Bishop of Saginaw from 1938 until his death in 1950.
Biography
Early life
William Murphy was born on May 11, 1885, in Kalamazoo, Michigan, to William and Mary (née Gibson) Murphy.[1] His parents were Irish immigrants who came to the United States from County Wexford.[2] One of ten children, Murphy was the youngest child and only son; three of his sisters became nuns.[2] He received his early education at the parochial school of St. Augustine's Parish and at Lefevre Institute, both in Kalamazoo.[3]
In August 1935, Murphy published a defense, based on canon law and precedent, of the political activities of Reverend Charles Coughlin. A diocesan priest, Coughlin had a national radio show that broadcast inflammatory political content, including antisemitic comments.[6] In 1937, Archbishop Edward Mooney named Murphy as Coughlin's censor. Murphy served as intermediary between Mooney and Coughlin in negotiations about Coughlin's return to radio.[7]
During his administration, Murphy established offices of Catholic Charities in the Michigan towns of Saginaw, Bay City, Alpena, and Bad Axe, and promoted social and charitable work among the poor.[2] He organized the Mexican Apostolate to minister to Catholic migrant workers, and encouraged drives for money, food, and clothing for World War II victims in Europe.[2] During one Christmas message, Murphy said, "Christ began His mission of saving and redeeming the human race by being born in the squalor of a stable. He ennobled poverty."[2]Murphy was a close friend of poet Edgar Guest with whom he often golfed and fished. Guest wrote of Murphy: