Emmett Louis Murphy
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Emmett Louis Murphy (May 30, 1897 in Colon, Nebraska – June 8, 1970 in Omaha, Nebraska) was an attorney and civic leader from Omaha, Nebraska. He served as assistant attorney general from 1937 to 1945, was federal bankruptcy referee from 1950 to 1962, and was on the board of directors of the National Association of Referees in Bankruptcy from 1957 to 1962. He was the governor of the Nebraska-Iowa district of the Kiwanis club in 1948 and vice-president of Omaha Catholic Charities in 1949 and 1950.
Murphy was born in Colon, Nebraska, on 30 May 1897[1] to John Murphy (born in Kilkenny, Ireland) and Mary Delaney (a first generation Irish-American born in Pennsylvania). He was reared on his father's Saunders County, Nebraska, farm[2] and attended high school at Cedar Bluffs as a part of a class of 5 (all 5 would attend their 50th anniversary many years later along with the school's faculty of 2). Cedar Bluffs had only 11 grades, so he attended 12th grade at Creighton Prep in Omaha.[3] In July 1918 he shipped off to the Great Lakes Naval Training Station to serve in the United States Navy in World War I after 3 years at Creighton University.[4] He never went abroad and returned home Christmas Day that year. On 14 October 1919 he married Georgia Adams,[5] daughter of Clarence Ellsworth Adams and Bertie May Swigert.[6] After the war, he spent two years practicing law in Falls City, Nebraska, before coming to Omaha to work as a lawyer in 1921.[7]
He lived most of his life at 2718 Reed Street in the Minne Lusa neighborhood.[8] His father lived on his farm near Norfolk while Georgia's parents lived at 4216 Fowler near 42nd and Ames Street.[9] He was described as a soft-spoken man with grey hair in a profile in 1959.[10]
Social and civic life
Much of his social life involved his membership in civic and charitable organizations, although there was one interesting report about his musical taste. Julius K. Johnson, the pianist who performed the soundtrack of the 1925 movie, "The Wizard of Oz" (not the more famous 1939 version) and who wrote the Boy Scout Parade March was originally from Omaha. In September 1931, he was hosted by Dr. John A. Tamislea at a local theater in a "stag party". Murphy was a guest along with George Mascott, August Herman, Frank Hodek, Billy Meyers, Chester Heyn, Dr. E. H. Wilson, and Henry G. Lee.[11]
In 1938 he joined a Catholic Charities legal aid bureau in Omaha organized by Catholic Charities director Rev. James J. Morrin under a committee of Paul L Martin, Edith Beckman, Charles Bongardt, William P Lynch, and L J Te Poel.[12] In 1949, he was installed as vice-president of Catholic Charities in Omaha by president Archbishop Gerald Thomas Bergan,[13] and was reelected a year later.[14]
He was very involved in the Kiwanis club. In 1943 he was president of North Omaha Kiwanas district[15] and was elected Lieutenant Governor of division 4 of the Iowa-Nebraska district of Kiwanis in 1944.[16] In 1947 was elected district governor of the Iowa-Nebraska district of Kiwanis[17] and served until 1948.[18] He installed his son, John, as president of North Omaha Kiwanis club in 1958.[19]
He was also keenly interested in education. In 1942 he was a part of the school crisis committee seeking to increase school funding.[20] He served as vice president of the Minne Lusa Elementary school PTA in 1940[21] and was in the Omaha North High School PTA in 1951.[22]
His opposition to a bill seeking to control what kinds of sale prices may be advertised was cited in the Nebraska Unicameral John Adams, Jr, a lawyer and one of Nebraska's first African-American state congressman.[23]
World War II
His political involvement was indicative of a strong sense of patriotism, and in 1942 he registered for World War II draft with his son, Mel [24] (both of his sons, Melvin and John, served in the war. During the war, he was tasked with the prosecution of draft dodgers in the region.[25] He was invited to speak at the April 5, 1943, sendoff of troops selected by draft board No. 3 in the Red Cross canteen at the Omaha YMCA.[26] He was also co-chair of a project by the North Omaha Kiwanis club to provide fresh fruit on all World War II hospital trains passing through town.[27]