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.
Personal life Murphy was born in Colon, Nebraska, on 30 May 1897"E.L. Murphy Rites Friday", Omaha World Herald; 08-05-1970; Page: 60 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"Slate Murphy for U.S. Post", Omaha World Herald; 02-26-1937; Page: 7 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."Entire Class Will Reunite ", Omaha World Herald; 05-31-1963; Page: 8 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."Melvin E Murphy is Chip Off Old Block", Omaha World Herald; 07-11-1942; Page: 4 He never went abroad and returned home Christmas Day that year. On 14 October 1919 he married Georgia Adams,"Friends Help Murphys Celebrate Anniversary", Omaha World Herald; 10-15-1944; Page: 12 daughter of Clarence Ellsworth Adams and Bertie May Swigert."Cowboy, Barber C. H. Adams Dead", Omaha World Herald; 5-24-1945; Page: 34 After the war, he spent two years practicing law in Falls City, Nebraska, before coming to Omaha to work as a lawyer in 1921."Donato Appointed to Murphy Job as Chief Aid to U. S. Attorney", Omaha World Herald; 07-02-1945; Page: 7
He lived most of his life at 2718 Reed Street in the Minne Lusa neighborhood."Find way to 'Beat' Tags", Omaha World Herald; 06-03-1931; Page: 2 His father lived on his farm near Norfolk while Georgia's parents lived at 4216 Fowler near 42nd and Ames Street."Friends Help Murphys Celebrate Anniversary", Omaha World Herald; 10-15-1944; Page: 12 He was described as a soft-spoken man with grey hair in a profile in 1959."Credit Easy, Payment Not", Omaha World Herald; 09-16-1959; Page: 19
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."Social Notes", Omaha World Herald; 09-17-1931; Page: 19
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."Legal Help Body Formed by Catholics", Omaha World Herald; 04-21-1938; Page: 5 In 1949, he was installed as vice-president of Catholic Charities in Omaha by president Archbishop Gerald Thomas Bergan,"$68,119 Spent by Charities", Omaha World Herald; 01-08-1949; Page: 2 and was reelected a year later."Catholic Group Picks Officers", Omaha World Herald; 01-21-1950; Page: 2
He was very involved in the Kiwanis club. In 1943 he was president of North Omaha Kiwanas district"Youths to Work as Corn Detasselers", Omaha World Herald; 07-26-1943; Page: 5 and was elected Lieutenant Governor of division 4 of the Iowa-Nebraska district of Kiwanis in 1944."Kiwanis Unit Has Elections", Omaha World Herald; 10-13-1944; Page: 24 In 1947 was elected district governor of the Iowa-Nebraska district of Kiwanis"Omaha Attorney Heads District Kiwanis", Omaha World Herald; 10-11-1947; Page: 11 and served until 1948."Installed Club Head", Omaha World Herald; 06-16-1949; Page: 8 He installed his son, John, as president of North Omaha Kiwanis club in 1958."Kiwanis to Install Division 8 Officer", Omaha World Herald; 01-01-1958; Page: 8
He was also keenly interested in education. In 1942 he was a part of the school crisis committee seeking to increase school funding."School Crisis Group Named to Boost Tax", Omaha World Herald; 03-08-1942; Page: 13 He served as vice president of the Minne Lusa Elementary school PTA in 1940"PTA Elections", Omaha World Herald; 05-26-1940; Page: 30 and was in the Omaha North High School PTA in 1951."Star Tavern Shift Opposed", Omaha World Herald; 07-11-1951; Page: 4
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."Unfair Sales Measure Sets Off Filibuster", Omaha World Herald; 02-28-1941; Page: 6
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 "Emmett Murphy, Son, Register Together", Omaha World Herald; 02-17-1942; Page: 5 (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."All Elistment Activities are Halted Here", Omaha World Herald; 12-07-1942; Page: 6 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."Public is Invited to Selectees Sendoff", Omaha World Herald; 03-28-1943; Page: 59 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."North Omaha Kiwanis Gives Fruit for Hospital Trains", Omaha World Herald; 03-06-1945; Page: 6
Legal career He announced that he opened a law office with Clair M. Roddewig at 418–19 Union State Bank Building in downtown Omaha at 19th and Farnam in April 1930.Advertisement, Omaha World Herald; 04-06-1930; Page: 31 Roddewig graduated from Creighton in the 1920s and went on to become the Attorney General of South Dakota, General Counsel of the Office of Defense Mobilization, was a Delegate to 1964 Democratic National Convention from Illinois, was acting president of the Chicago School Board from 1962 to 1964, and was vice-chairman of the board of Mutual of Omaha upon his death in 1975.
Candidate for municipal court judge The first evidence of his personal politics appeared in 1936 when he ran for a position as municipal court judge."Who's who in city primary", Omaha World Herald; 04-05-1936; Page: 15 He spoke in his candidacy in support of reform of police court conduct and procedure."As the Public Pulse Beats", Omaha World Herald; 05-12-1936; Page: 20 To that point, police court gave only very little time to each case and allowed very unruly behavior, which Murphy and others claimed resulted in many who were being tried for drunken driving not being adequately prosecuted and escaping without punishment."Police Court Haste Helps Drunk Driver", Omaha World Herald; 05-02-1936; Page: 3 He was also one of the candidates who voiced strong opposition to Senate File 160, known as the Foreign Language Bill, which would make illegal the teaching in "private, denominational, parochial, or public schools" of any subject in any language other than English, stating in a speech, "I fought that vicious foreign language bill" "."candidates Parade G-Men, Buses, Rookie Cops, Woodchoppers as Issues", Omaha World Herald; 04-10-1936; Page: 10 He ran 12th in the primary where only 10 would advance to the general election. Although two of the 12 subsequently dropped out, his request to be added to the definition was denied."Two Ask Places on Muny Judge Ballot", Omaha World Herald; 09-28-1936; Page: 4
Assistant to the Omaha Attorney General However his public stature was quite grown, and in February 1937 he was notified that he would be accepted as assistant to the District Attorney in Omaha as a replacement of Fred Q. Hawxby with approval of the US congress."Slate Murphy for U.S. Post", Omaha World Herald; 02-26-1937; Page: 7 He was to serve U.S. District Attorney Joseph T. Votava along with fellow assistant A. C. Epperson."Omaha at a Glance", Omaha World Herald; 01-11-1938; Page: 2 In this position, many of his cases were heard by Judge James A. Donohoe and worked with clerk R. C. Hoyt."Omaha at a Glance", Omaha World Herald.; 09-16-1938; Page: 12
Neighboring state Kansas remained dry after the repeal of prohibition in 1933, and controls on alcohol continued in Omaha. Thus much of Murphy's work involved prosecuting people seeking to transport alcohol into Kansas or illicitly produce alcohol. In 1938 he prosecuted an interesting case against Lester Morehouse who ran an illegal still on a river island or east of Fort Calhoun, Nebraska. Murphy prosecuted the case and followed up in the US circuit court of appeals where Morehouse's representation claimed the island was not in Nebraska,"Omaha Still Case Before St. Louis Court", Omaha World Herald; 03-18-1938; Page: 9 and the court upheld the conviction."Island Still Owner's Conviction Upheld", Omaha World Herald; 04-23-1938; Page: 1
He remained involved with politics, campaigning in his home neighborhood of Florence on behalf of Democratic House of Representatives reelection of Charles F. McLaughlin in 1938."Candidates Kept Busy by Dozen Rallies", Omaha World Herald; 10-27-1938; Page: 8 McLaughlin won, and remained the representative until 1943 (succeeded by Howard H. Buffet). Murphy frequently traveled to Grand Island, Nebraska, for his work. In 1938 he took part in a trail which convicted Arthur E Collins and sent him to 15 years in prison in Alcatraz."Omaha at a Glance", Omaha World Herald.; 09-16-1938; Page: 12 When Collins field a habeas corpus complaint in 1939, Murphy went to California to receive a deposition from Federal District Judge Thomas Charles Munger in Collins complaint against warden of the Alcatraz Federal Penitentiary, James A. Johnston."Tables Turned: Judge Gives a Deposition", Omaha World Herald; 07-21-1939; Page: 11 In a case he cited as his most memorable when he resigned as assistant district attorney in 1945,"Donato Appointed to Murphy Job as Chief Aid to U. S. Attorney", Omaha World Herald; 07-02-1945; Page: 7 Murphy was the lead prosecution in the successful trial of the First Mortgage Acceptance Corporation head L C "safety Sam" Holmes for fraud, the group selling over a million dollars in participation certificates in mortgages which the prosecution claimed were worthless."Safety Sam Testifies in Own Defense", Omaha World Herald; 04-30-1940; Page: 2
In March 1945 his fellow assistant DA, William H. Meier was replaced by Warren C. Schrempp,"Schrempp Named as Aid to Votava", Omaha World Herald; 03-26-1945; Page: 2 and he himself resigned in August 1945 to be succeeded by Anthony Z. Donato."Donato Appointed to Murphy Job as Chief Aid to U. S. Attorney", Omaha World Herald; 07-02-1945; Page: 7 However, he continued to work for the district attorney, and in 1946, was again working in Votava's office as a special attorney for the lands division of the district attorney."Debate Stirs Kimball Case", Omaha World Herald; 03-06-1946; Page: 6