Harry (Henry) Murphy arrived in Fort William from Iowa in 1888. For a short time he operated a meat shop on Simpson Street, afterwards establishing the Western Stevedore Company with his brother James Murphy and Port Arthur coal merchants Louis and Phil Walsh. By 1921, their business was responsible for handling package freight over the docks and throughout the two cities. Murphy also ran several lumber camps at Nezah along the Canadian Pacific Railway.
In 1915, Murphy was appointed acting Mayor when Samuel Crawford Young was absent due to military duties. He was then acclaimed as Mayor three times, from 1916 to 1918, and won the 1919 election almost as effortlessly. Murphy pushed to abolish the ward system and institute a smaller Council, but was unsuccessful in these attempts. He also insisted on the use of hydro power, re-opening the Canadian Car & Foundry Company in Fort William, and setting up a pulp and newsprint manufacturing center. Murphy had some success in securing railway equipment orders for the Canadian Car & Foundry Company, and in opening the Mission Mill, which later joined with the Abitibi Power and Paper Company of Canada.
Murphy ran as a Liberal in the 1937 Ontario election on a ballot that also included Joseph Crawford running as an Independent Liberal. The vote was split between the two, resulting in a Conservative victory by Frank Spence. Sadly, Murphy was found dead in his compartment aboard a Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR) train en route to Toronto five days after the Ontario election took place.
Born: September 14, 1870 in West Liberty, Muscatine County, Iowa
Died: October 11, 1937 on a CPR train near Toronto, Ontario at the age of 67
Councillor: 1912-1915
Reeve: Reeve of Neebing
Mayor: 1916-1919
Previous Mayor: George Alexander Graham
Next Mayor: Mayor Albert Hugh Dennis
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