Biography of
Captain William Kinney Murphy
p. 1652
CAPTAIN WILLIAM KINNEY
MURPHY. The roll of those men
who have been the builders of Southern Illinois would not be complete without
the name of Captain William Kinney Murphy, lately
deceased. The men who seize an opportunity when it comes to them are rare and
when found are quite certain to be successful, but the men who make
opportunities for themselves are still more uncommon and are certain to be
discovered only among the ranks of the great captains of industry.
It was to
this latter class that Captain Murphy belonged. Although
he confined his operations to a comparatively small portion of the country, his
genius as a financier and a promoter of successful enterprises, make him compare
favorably with some men whose names are blazoned forth upon the front sheets of
our daily newspapers. He was chief among the business men, financiers and
agriculturists of Perry county throughout the years of his life, and the record
which he left behind as a politician was an enviable one. With his remarkable
power of foreseeing future events he knew just when a new project should be
launched. At various points through Southern Illinois he has left monuments to
his memory in the shape of financial institutions, and all of these have met
with only the most unvarying success, thanks to his steady hand upon their
rudders. While it is P.
1653 quite natural for
a man to desire success and material prosperity for himself and family, yet
there was more than this behind the work of Captain Murphy. He had a deep
love for the land of his birth, and desired nothing so much as the prosperity of
the country and her people. For this, therefore, the people of Perry county and
of Southern Illinois owe him a debt of gratitude which they can not repay,
except by their endeavors to be as public spirited and to give as freely of
themselves as did their benefactor.
William Kinney Murphy was born on
the 12th of July, 1835, on “Four Mile Prairie,” on a farm now owned by
Porter
Baird. His father was the Honorable Richard G. Murphy, who came from White
county, Tennessee, in 1821, and settled in Perry county. William K. Murphy
was
brought up on the farm, but his father was determined that he should have an
education, so his school days were spent in the private school conducted by the
famous Benjamin G. Roots, who later became renowned through his work as a civil
engineer and as chief engineer of the construction work of both the Illinois
Central and of the Wabash, Chester and Western railroads. When his father
considered him old enough to leave school he decided to give him a chance to try
his wings in the business world, and to that end sent him to the cattle markets
of Minnesota with a drove of fine cattle. Other drivers were along, but the lad
had a good opportunity to learn how to take care of himself, and see how
business of this type was carried on.
He later took up the study of law with William McKee,
but the swift pace of events brought about the bombardment of
Fort Sumter before he was admitted to the bar, and he forgot that such a man as
Blackstone ever existed. He was soon engaged in the attempt to raise a regiment,
and after he had succeeded a weary wait followed, while he tried to get it
accepted by the war department. At last this end was accomplished and his
enlistment took place on the 15th of August, 1862. He was commissioned captain
of Company H, of the One Hundred and Tenth Illinois Infantry.
Captain Murphy
was forced to resign from the army in April of 1863, on account
of ill health. He went reluctantly
back to his deserted law books
and was admitted to the bar. He formed a partnership with the Honorables
John and Thomas Boyd, the firm being known as Murphy and
Boyd Brothers.
This association was continued for many years, and Captain Murphy
became a
noted lawyer and one of the most successful in Southern Illinois. He was
particularly well known as a criminal lawyer. As a public speaker and
effective advocate his fame was widespread. This success at the bar laid
the foundations of his later success as a financier and business man. The
qualities that brought him the confidence of his clients and the esteem of
the brother lawyers, brought him later the trust of those who had money to
invest, and the regard of his confreres.
It was an easy step from the
law to politics, and he entered this field to become the recognized leader
of Democracy in Perry county. The first political office that he held was
master-in-chancery in his county. He was presently elected to the lower
house of the general assembly and after the expiration of his term in that
body was sent to the state senate. He was almost universally a delegate to
all of the conventions in which his county participated, showing how
unbounded was the confidence in which he was held by the people. In 1882 he
was nominated for Congress and was defeated by only two hundred and
sixty-one votes in a district that normally polls three thousand
Republicans. He was a regular delegate at the national Democratic
conventions, and was one of the number who brought about the third
nomination of Grover Cleveland, The president partially rewarded him
by appointing him collector of internal
P. 1654
revenue for his district. This
post he accepted in 1893 and made his headquarters at Cairo. One year of his
service was held under the McKinley administration, five years in all being
spent in this capacity. In 1896, when the money question was the leading
issue, Captain Murphy became a “sound money” man, and was a delegate to the
convention that nominated Palmer for president and
Buckner for
vice-president upon that platform. He was a warm friend of General Palmer‘s
and the general was only one of the many prominent politicians and business
men of the state of Illinois who were proud to claim Captain Murphy as a
friend.
Deciding that the world of business was more interesting than that of the
law courts,
Captain Murphy
resolved to abandon the practice of law. He had
previous to this time been a factor in the development of the coal mining
interests in this section, along the route of the Illinois Central Railroad.
He had organized the Beaucoup Coal Mining Company, and opened up a mine on
the old Cairo Short Line Railroad, two miles north of Pinckneyville. He was
the president and manager of this plant until the resources of the mine were
exhausted, and then, although
he continued to acquire and maintain other
mining interests, he never went into the industry again as an operator.
Instead he decided to take up banking, and he immediately took the initial
steps towards the organization of a string of banks across Southern
Illinois. His maiden venture in this direction was the organization of the
private bank of the
Murphy-Wall
Company, which in recent years has been
converted into the
Murphy-Wall
Bank and Trust Company. Until the end of his
life he was always president and leading stockholder in this reliable old
institution. He next organized the First National Bank of Murphysboro,
Illinois, and after several years’ service as president of this bank
resigned to take charge of newer ventures. The First State Bank of Thebes,
Illinois, owes its existence to this man, and he became its first president.
He was also the organizer and first president of the First State Bank of Illmo, Illinois. For a time he was president of the City
National Bank of
Murphysboro, and he was one of the leaders in the establishment of the
Citizens State and Savings
Bank of Murphysboro, as well
as of the Savings Bank of the same city. In all of these institutions he
was a director and the leading spirit up to the time of his death.
Banking alone did not engage
his attention through these years. He was active in numerous business
enterprises. He organized the Murphysboro Electric Light and the Gas Light
Companies, and was chosen first president of both concerns. In these
enterprises he showed the true pioneer spirit, and how urgently he felt the
need of progress. He was one of the organizers of the Southern Illinois
Milling Company, of Murphysboro, and was a heavy stockholder in the
company. He aided in the organization of the Pinckneyville Milling Company
and was a chief stockholder. In both of these firms he was a prominent
member of the board of directors. In the launching of the Hinke, Ismery
Milling Company of Kansas City, Kansas, he was one of the most conspicuous,
and later as treasurer and one of the directors of the company had a large
share in its success. In all of these industries Captain Murphy held large interests until he passed away. His wide experience and
a sterling common
sense made him a man to whom to defer in any gathering. He possessed the
necessary initiative ability and the power to influence others through the
force of his own enthusiasm. A remarkable man, in his death the county
suffered a loss which can scarcely be estimated.
Captain Murphy was married to
a girl with whom he had grown up on “Four Mile Prairie.” This was
Penina
Ozburn, a daughter of Hawkins Ozburn. Mrs. Murphy was born on the 16th of
December, 1836, and
P. 1655
she became the mother of
two
children:
Hawkins O. and Sarah V., the latter of whom married Joseph
Crawford, of Pinckneyville, and died at the age of thirty-six years. Captain
Murphy died in December, 1911. He was a member of Mitchell Lodge, No. 85, of
the Masonic order.
Hawkins O. Murphy,
the only
son of Captain Murphy, was born in Pinckneyville, Illinois, on the 6th of
December, 1862. He first attended the public schools, and after the
completion of his preparatory work he was sent to Washington University, St.
Louis, and later to Georgetown College at Washington, D. C. After the
completion of his education came his introduction to the business through
the medium of the firm of C. H. Glister & Company. He was a member of this
firm of merchants for eight years and then he embarked in business for
himself as a men furnisher and. clothier. He ran this business for five
years and then leaving Pinckneyville went to Murphysboro, where he opened
the Murphy Shoe Store.
After conducting this business for three years he
turned to banking. He became assistant cashier of the First State Bank of
Thebes, and two years later took the position of cashier of the First state
Bank of Illino, Illinois. He remained here for three years, and then his
father and business associates having acquired large timber interests in
Louisiana Mr. Murphy was sent to that state to take them in charge. He made
his headquarters at Maryville, Louisiana, and stayed there for several
years, overseeing the sawmill and the cutting and hauling of the timber.
When the industry was abandoned he returned to Pinckneyville and took up
the management of Captain Murphy’s farming interests, which were extensive.
Captain Murphy had purchased large quantities of farming land throughout
Southern Illinois, and had been operating it on the tenant system. He had
taken especial pride in the fine horses and mules with which he had stocked
some of his places, and his importations of stock from time to time had done
much to raise the standard of horses and mules in the county. Mr. Murphy is
now continuing his father’s policy and since his death, being one of the
three beneficiaries under the will, has had a great deal to do in the
settling and managing of the estate.
Unlike his father,
Mr. Murphy is a
Republican in politics. He was a member of the city council of Thebes and during
his short residence at Illino, Illinois, was elected mayor of the town.
On the 12th of September, 1900, Mr. Murphy was married to May Roberts, a daughter of A. H. Roberts, one of the
oldest and most prominent merchants of Murphysboro, where the ceremony took
place. Mr. Murphy is prominent in the fraternal world. He is a Mason, being a
member of the Blue Lodge. He organized the Knights of Pythias lodge at
Pinckneyville and was its first chancellor commander. He also organized the
Elks lodge in Murphysboro, was its first exalted ruler and represented the
order in the national convention. The universal opinion is that Mr. Murphy is a
worthy son of his father, and when one stops to consider what this means one is
certain that no higher compliment could be paid him.
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