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{{short description|American politician}}
'''Archibald DeBow Murphey''' (1777-1832) was a [[North Carolina]] [[politician]] known as the "Father of Education" in his state for his proposals that benefited public works and public education.


[[File:Archibald D. Murphey.png|thumb|Murphey]]
Murphey was born near Red House Presbyterian Church in [[Orange County, North Carolina]] (in an area that would later become [[Caswell County, North Carolina|Caswell County]]). His father Archibald Murphey was a [[Pennsylvania]] revolutionary officer, while his mother, Jane DeBow was from [[New Jersey]]. Archibald was one of seven children. He entered the [[University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill|University of North Carolina]] in 1796 and graduated in 1799 with honors.
'''Archibald DeBow Murphey''' (ca. 1777; died February 1, 1832) was an attorney, jurist, and [[politician]] in [[North Carolina]] who was known as the "Father of Education" in his state. While serving as a state senator, he proposed establishing a funded program for public education in the lower grades, in addition to creating public works to enhance economic development in the state.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.learnnc.org/lp/editions/nchist-newnation/5114|title=Archibald Murphey - North Carolina Digital History|publisher=|access-date=20 June 2016}}</ref>


==Biography==
Murphey served as a professor at his college for a few years before he married Jane Armistead Scott, and bought the Hermitage plantation from Jane Armistead Scott's father, John Scott. Murphey was very active in business and political affairs and represented [[Orange County, North Carolina|Orange County]] in the [[North Carolina State Senate]] from 1812 to 1818.
Murphey was born near [[Red House Presbyterian Church]] in [[Orange County, North Carolina]] (in an area that later was organized as [[Caswell County, North Carolina|Caswell County]]). His father Archibald Murphey served in the Revolutionary Army in North Carolina; his mother, Jane DeBow, was from [[New Jersey]]. Archibald was one of seven children. He was first educated at the local [[David Caldwell Log College Site|Dr. Caldwell's Academy]]. He entered the [[University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill|University of North Carolina]] in 1796 and graduated in 1799 with honors.<ref name = nrhpinv>{{Cite web |author1=John C. Baroody |author2=Joe Mobley |author3=John Clauser | title=David Caldwell Log College Site| work = National Register of Historic Places - Nomination and Inventory | date =October 1981| url = https://files.nc.gov/ncdcr/nr/GF1251.pdf | publisher = North Carolina State Historic Preservation Office | access-date = 2014-11-01}}</ref>


Murphey taught at his college for a few years. He moved to [[Hillsborough, North Carolina]] to study law with William Duffy, an established attorney, from July to November 1801, at the home now known as Twin Chimneys. He passed the bar. After marrying Jane Armistead Scott, Murphey bought the Hermitage plantation from her father, John Scott. Murphey became very active in business and political affairs.
Murphey was well-known for his proposals regarding [[internal improvements]], [[Public school (government funded)|public schools]], and [[constitutional reform]]. In 1817, Murphey submitted a legislative report recommending that North Carolina create a publicly financed system of education. In 1819, he drafted a document proposing a program to build roads and canals throughout the state. This proposal was ignored by Murphey's fellow legislators. In 1818, he was elected a [[superior court]] judge by the legislature, but gave up the position after two years to concentrate on his worsening financial situation and to research and publish a history of the State of [[North Carolina]]. Unsuccessful in securing a seat on the [[North Carolina Supreme Court]], he nevertheless sat on the court in its early years to fill in when any of the three judges on the court had to disqualify themselves because of their previous law practices.<ref>[http://books.google.com/books?id=8gYSAAAAYAAJ&printsec=titlepage&source=gbs_summary_r&cad=0#PPA621,M1 North Carolina Reports, NC Supreme Court, 1919]</ref>


He was elected to represent [[Orange County, North Carolina|Orange County]] in the [[North Carolina State Senate]], serving from 1812 to 1818. Murphey was well known for his proposals regarding [[internal improvements]], government-funded [[Public school (government funded)|public schools]], and [[constitutional reform]].
Murphey did not have much luck in accomplishing any of his goals. His state history was never written, lacking the funding that it needed. He did however collect papers that were helpful for later historians. Meanwhile, Murphey's financial problems were getting worse and worse. Being unable to pay his debts, Murphey was even put in jail for twenty days in [[Greensboro, North Carolina]] in 1829.


In 1817, Murphey submitted a legislative report recommending that North Carolina create a publicly financed system of education, which he believed critical to the future of the state. At the time, all education was private, depending on families who could afford to send children to academies or hire private tutors, or students who worked their way through getting an education.
Archibald Murphey died on February 1, 1832. He is buried at the Presbyterian Church in [[Hillsborough, North Carolina]]. The town of [[Murphy, North Carolina]] (despite its spelling) was named after him. Murphey Traditional Academy, an elementary school in Greensboro, North Carolina, also bears his name, as well as [[Murphey Hall]] at the University of North Carolina, and several other schools in Orange and Caswell County.

After his tenure, Murphey continued to work on ideas for the state; in 1819 he drafted a program to build roads and canals throughout the state in order to support economic development. This proposal was ignored by Murphey's fellow legislators.

In 1818, he had been elected by the legislature as a [[superior court]] judge. After two years he gave up the position in order to work to improve his finances. He began to research a history of the State of [[North Carolina]], compiling numerous papers and historical documents.

Although Murphey did not secure an appointment to the [[North Carolina Supreme Court]], he was asked in its early years to fill in when any of the three judges on the court had to recuse themselves because of conflicts of interest from their previous law practices.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://archive.org/details/northcarolinare41courgoog|title=North Carolina Reports: Cases Argued and Determined in the Supreme Court of North Carolina|date=1 January 1919|publisher=state|access-date=20 June 2016|via=Internet Archive}}</ref>

[[File:2008-07-11 UNC-CH Murphey Hall.jpg|thumb|Murphey Hall at UNC]]

Murphey did not succeed in accomplishing his major goals. He never completed his state history, but his associated papers are held by universities: the first volume by [[Harvard University]] and the second volume by the [[University of Virginia]]. Later historians have used these extensively. Murphey's financial problems became more severe, and in 1829 he was jailed for 20 days in [[Greensboro, North Carolina]] because of debts.

Archibald Murphey died at Twin Chimneys in [[Hillsborough, North Carolina]], on February 1, 1832. He is buried at the Presbyterian Church there.

==Legacy and honors==
*The town of [[Murphy, North Carolina]] was named after him.
*[[Murphey Hall]] at the University of North Carolina was named for him.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://classics.unc.edu/departmental-history/murphey-hall-history/|title=Murphey Hall History - Department of Classics - The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill|publisher=|access-date=20 June 2016}}</ref>
*Murphey Traditional Academy, an elementary school in Greensboro, North Carolina, also bears his name, as do several public schools in Orange and Caswell counties.
*An historical marker located along Churton Street in Hillsborough, North Carolina, summarizes his career and indicates the proximity of his grave.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ncmarkers.com/Markers.aspx?MarkerId=G-9|title=Marker: G-9|publisher=|access-date=20 June 2016}}</ref>


==References==
==References==
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==External links==
==External links==
*[http://www.rootsweb.com/~ncccha/biographies/archibaldmurphy.html RootsWeb.com bio]
*[http://www.rootsweb.com/~ncccha/biographies/archibaldmurphy.html RootsWeb.com bio]
*[http://billiongraves.com/pages/record/ArchibaldDebowMurphey/12436644 www.billiongraves.com Monument Picture]
*[https://familysearch.org/tree/#view=ancestor&person=M89J-5JD www.familsearch.org record]

{{Authority control}}


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[[Category:1832 deaths]]
[[Category:1832 deaths]]
[[Category:University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill alumni]]
[[Category:University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill alumni]]
[[Category:North Carolina State Senators]]
[[Category:North Carolina state senators]]
[[Category:North Carolina state court judges]]
[[Category:North Carolina state court judges]]
[[Category:Classical scholars of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill]]
[[Category:People from Caswell County, North Carolina]]
[[Category:19th-century American legislators]]
[[Category:19th-century jurists]]

Latest revision as of 06:26, 20 December 2023

Murphey

Archibald DeBow Murphey (ca. 1777; died February 1, 1832) was an attorney, jurist, and politician in North Carolina who was known as the "Father of Education" in his state. While serving as a state senator, he proposed establishing a funded program for public education in the lower grades, in addition to creating public works to enhance economic development in the state.[1]

Biography[edit]

Murphey was born near Red House Presbyterian Church in Orange County, North Carolina (in an area that later was organized as Caswell County). His father Archibald Murphey served in the Revolutionary Army in North Carolina; his mother, Jane DeBow, was from New Jersey. Archibald was one of seven children. He was first educated at the local Dr. Caldwell's Academy. He entered the University of North Carolina in 1796 and graduated in 1799 with honors.[2]

Murphey taught at his college for a few years. He moved to Hillsborough, North Carolina to study law with William Duffy, an established attorney, from July to November 1801, at the home now known as Twin Chimneys. He passed the bar. After marrying Jane Armistead Scott, Murphey bought the Hermitage plantation from her father, John Scott. Murphey became very active in business and political affairs.

He was elected to represent Orange County in the North Carolina State Senate, serving from 1812 to 1818. Murphey was well known for his proposals regarding internal improvements, government-funded public schools, and constitutional reform.

In 1817, Murphey submitted a legislative report recommending that North Carolina create a publicly financed system of education, which he believed critical to the future of the state. At the time, all education was private, depending on families who could afford to send children to academies or hire private tutors, or students who worked their way through getting an education.

After his tenure, Murphey continued to work on ideas for the state; in 1819 he drafted a program to build roads and canals throughout the state in order to support economic development. This proposal was ignored by Murphey's fellow legislators.

In 1818, he had been elected by the legislature as a superior court judge. After two years he gave up the position in order to work to improve his finances. He began to research a history of the State of North Carolina, compiling numerous papers and historical documents.

Although Murphey did not secure an appointment to the North Carolina Supreme Court, he was asked in its early years to fill in when any of the three judges on the court had to recuse themselves because of conflicts of interest from their previous law practices.[3]

Murphey Hall at UNC

Murphey did not succeed in accomplishing his major goals. He never completed his state history, but his associated papers are held by universities: the first volume by Harvard University and the second volume by the University of Virginia. Later historians have used these extensively. Murphey's financial problems became more severe, and in 1829 he was jailed for 20 days in Greensboro, North Carolina because of debts.

Archibald Murphey died at Twin Chimneys in Hillsborough, North Carolina, on February 1, 1832. He is buried at the Presbyterian Church there.

Legacy and honors[edit]

  • The town of Murphy, North Carolina was named after him.
  • Murphey Hall at the University of North Carolina was named for him.[4]
  • Murphey Traditional Academy, an elementary school in Greensboro, North Carolina, also bears his name, as do several public schools in Orange and Caswell counties.
  • An historical marker located along Churton Street in Hillsborough, North Carolina, summarizes his career and indicates the proximity of his grave.[5]

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Archibald Murphey - North Carolina Digital History". Retrieved 20 June 2016.
  2. ^ John C. Baroody; Joe Mobley; John Clauser (October 1981). "David Caldwell Log College Site" (PDF). National Register of Historic Places - Nomination and Inventory. North Carolina State Historic Preservation Office. Retrieved 2014-11-01.
  3. ^ North Carolina Reports: Cases Argued and Determined in the Supreme Court of North Carolina. state. 1 January 1919. Retrieved 20 June 2016 – via Internet Archive.
  4. ^ "Murphey Hall History - Department of Classics - The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill". Retrieved 20 June 2016.
  5. ^ "Marker: G-9". Retrieved 20 June 2016.

External links[edit]