Page:The Biographical Dictionary of America, vol. 08.djvu/37

 MUEFEEE

MURPHY

Other Stories (1895); The Juggler (1897); The Young Mountaineers, short stories (1897); The Story of Old Fort Loudon (1899); The Bush- whackers and Other Stories (1899); The Champion (1902); A Spectre of Power (1902), and numerous contributions to leading magazines.

MURFREE, William Hardy, representative, was born in Hertford county, N.C., Oct. 2, 1781; son of Hardy and Sally (Brickell) Murfree, and grandson of "William and Mary (Moore) Murfree. He was graduated at the University of North Carolina in 1801, was admitted to the bar and entered upon the practice of his profession. He represented Hertford county in the North Caro- lina legislature in 1805, and 1812; was a presi- dential elector voting for Madison in 1813, and a representative in the 13th and 14th congresses, 1813-17, where he supported Madison's adminis- tration and the war of 1812. He removed from Murfreesboro, N.C., in 1823 to his estate in Wil- liamson county, Tenn., where he spent the rest of his life. He was married in 1808 to Elizabeth Mary, daughter of James Maney of Hertford county, N.C. He died in Nashville, Tenn., in 1827.

MURFREE, Wiiliam Law, author, was born in Murfreesboro, N.C, July 19, 1817; son of Wil- liam Hardy and Elizabeth Mary (Maney) Murfree, and grandson of Col. Hardy Murfree (q.v). He removed to Tennessee with his parents about 1823, was graduated at the University of Nash- ville in 1836 and studied law. He was admitted to the bar, and practised in Franklin, Nashville, and Murfreesboro, Tenn. He was man-ied, Nov. 22, 1843, to Fanny Priscilla, daughter of David Dickinson of Murfreesboro, Tenn. He lost his fortune during the civil war and in the financial panic of 1873, and in 1881 removed with his family to St. Louis, Mo., where he devoted himself to professional and literary work. He edited the Central Law Journal in St. Louis, 1886-88. Owing to the loss of his eyesight he relinquished active pursuits in 1889 and returned to his home at Murfreesboro, Tenn., where he spent the rest of his life. He contributed sketches of life in Mississippi and Florida and papers on the political and industrial status of the South to leading magazines, also on legal subjects to law journals, and is the author of several notable law-books, including: A Treatise on the Law of Sheriffs (1884); Official Bonds (1885), and Practice before the Justice of the Peace (1886). He died in Murfreesboro, Tenn., Aug. 23, 1892.

MURLIN, Lemuel Herbert, educator, was born in Neptune, Ohio, Nov. 16, 1861; son of Orlando and Esther (Hankins) Murlin. He was graduated from the Convoy high school, had charge of the boys' department in Fort Wayne college, Indiana, 1886-87, and graduated from De Pauw university A.B., 1891, S.T.B., 1892. He was a teacher in

De Pauw, 1891-92; pastor, of the M.E. church, Vincennes, Ind., 1892-94, and was elected presi- dent of Baker university, Baldwin, Kansas, in 1894, when he raised $16,000 in four months to pay the college debt. He was married in 1893 to Ermina Fallas, A.M., Ph.D., at the time of her marriage professor of modern languages at Cor- nell college, Iowa. He pursued special studies in the University of Pennsylvania and Clark univer- sity, 1899, and accompanied by his wife, visited Europe for study and research and as delegate to the general conference of the M.E. church. 1900, and to the ecumenical conference of Methodists, London, 1901. He received the degree S.T.B. from University of Denver in 1897; D.D. from Cornell college, Iowa, in 1897, and B.D. from Gar- rett Biblical institute in 1899.

MURPHY, Archibald De Bow, statesman, was born near Milton, Caswell county, N.C, in 1777; son of Col. Archibald Murphy. He entered the second class in the University of North Carolina, Jan. 15, 1795; was graduated with the highest distinction in 1799, and remained there as professor of ancient languages, 1800-01. At this time he owned only three books and none on law. He was admitted to the bar in 1802, through the friendship of one of the examining judges, and after admission studied under Wil- liam Duffy of Hillsborough, and soon took a prom- inent place at the bar. He was a senator in the general assembly, 1812-18; was chairman of the board of internal improvements, 1818-23, and his annual reports on the public policy of the state of transportation by canals to join together the great sounds on the seaboard were said to have been equalled only by the papers of De Witt Clin- ton on state canals and of John C Calhoun on national roads and waterways. On the subject of public education he recommended a system of support for public schools and academies and a state appropriation for the better equipment of the university. In 1818 he was elected by the general assembly a judge of the superior courts and presided in the supreme court in several causes under appointment by the governor. He resigned his seat on the bench in 1820 and resum- ed practice in Hillsborough. He was a trustee of the University of North Carolina, 1802-32. He planned an exhaustive history of the soil, climate, legislation, civil institutions, literature etc. of North Carolina in 1821, and collected a vast mass of material in the state and from the state paper office in London, and in 1826 received authority from the general assembly to raise by lottery a sum sufficient for its publication: but beyond one or two chapters on the Indian tribes he accomplished but little, ruined health and a fortune dissipated by speculation putting an end to his enterprise. He is the author of: A Memoir