Thomas Dowler Murphy 1866-1928

MURPHY

Posted By: Errin Wilker
Date: 7/27/2014 at 12:23:12

Thomas Dowler Murphy was born on a farm near Monroe, Iowa, July 10, 1866, and died in Red Oak September 15, 1928. His parents were Hugh M. and Caroline (Dowler) Murphy. The son attended school in the country, Monroe High School, and Simpson College, Indianola, being graduated from the latter in 1888. He then became a partner with Edmund B. Osborne in publishing the Red Oak Independent, a Republican paper, established the year before. They also soon began, in a small Way, to manufacture and sell calendars, designating that department of their work the Hawkeye Art Company. This business grew and in 1891, they incorporated it as the Osborne & Murphy Company. In 1895, Mr. Murphy sold his interest in the calendar business to Mr. Osborne and agreed not to engage in the calendar business for at least five years, but became sole owner of the Independent. He then purchased the Red Oak Express, a Republican paper, combined the two and continued it under the name of the latter, and for a few years devoted his time to newspaper work. In 1899, Mr. Osborne removed his calendar plant to Newark, New Jersey. In 1900, Mr. Murphy was joined by William Cochrane, and they organized the Thomas D. Murphy Company, manufacturers of calendars, with Mr. Murphy as president and Mr. Cochrane as secretary and sales manager. In the course of years, good management and economy caused it to become one of the greatest concerns in the production of art calendars in America. Mr. Murphy retained the chief ownership of his newspaper, having organized the Express Publishing Company, of which he was president. However, he gave only directing care to that property after 1900. In his later years, he was vice president of the Red Oak National Bank, and a director in the Red Oak Trust and Savings Bank. In recent years, he traveled a great deal, partly to gather rare art specimens for their calendar work. His love and talent for writing led to the publication of several books—British Highways and Byways, 1908; In Unfamiliar England, Highways, 1914; On Sunset Highways, 1915; Oregon, the Picturesque, 1917; New England Highways and Byways, 1924; and Seven Wonders 1910; Three Wonderlands of the American West, 1912; On Old World of the American West, 1926.

Source: Annals of Iowa, Third Series, Vol. XVI, No. 7, January 1929, Pg. 552-553.