Charles Francis Murphy (1890 – 1985) was an American

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 architect

Architect

An architect is a person trained in the planning, design and oversight of the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to offer or render services in connection with the design and construction of a building, or group of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the...

 based in Chicago, Illinois.

Biography

Born in Jersey City, New Jersey

Jersey City, New Jersey

Jersey City is the seat of Hudson County, New Jersey, United States.Part of the New York metropolitan area, Jersey City lies between the Hudson River and Upper New York Bay across from Lower Manhattan and the Hackensack River and Newark Bay...

, Murphy was educated at the De La Salle Institute

De La Salle Institute

De La Salle Institute is a Catholic, Lasallian, secondary school located in the Bronzeville neighborhood on the South Side of Chicago, Illinois. The school is currently housed on two separate campuses. The original school, now called the Institute Campus is for men...

 in Chicago.

Murphy's first job was as a secretary

Secretary

A secretary, or administrative assistant, is a person whose work consists of supporting management, including executives, using a variety of project management, communication & organizational skills. These functions may be entirely carried out to assist one other employee or may be for the benefit...

, joining the offices of D.H. Burnham & Company in 1911, where he was steadily promoted to become personal secretary to the architect Ernest Graham

Ernest R. Graham (architect)

Ernest Robert Graham was an American architect from Chicago. He was the co-founder of Graham, Anderson, Probst & White. He designed the National Postal Museum in Washington, D.C. and the Equitable Building in in New York City...

. When Graham died in 1937, Murphy moved on to co-found the architectural practice Shaw, Naess & Murphy, despite that fact that he still had no formal training as an architect. The practice was later renamed C.F. Murphy Associates and then Murphy/Jahn Inc. in 1981 as Helmut Jahn

Helmut Jahn

Helmut Jahn is a German-American architect, well known for designs such as the US$800 million Sony Center on the Potsdamer Platz, Berlin, the Messeturm in Frankfurt and the One Liberty Place, formerly the tallest building in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and Suvarnabhumi Airport, an international...

 took over as president.

Murphy was awarded an honorary degree from St. Xavier University

St. Xavier University

Saint Xavier University is a four-year, coeducational institution of higher learning located in the southwest side of Chicago, Illinois.- History :...

 in 1961, and became a fellow of the American Institute of Architects

American Institute of Architects

The American Institute of Architects is a professional organization for architects in the United States. Headquartered in Washington, D.C., the AIA offers education, government advocacy, community redevelopment, and public outreach to support the architecture profession and improve its public image...

 in 1964.

Selected buildings

• Richard J. Daley Center (1965)
• McCormick Place, Chicago (1970) convention centre rebuilt following a fire in 1967
• O'Hare Airport