Résumé

Architectural Draftsman, Winsor Soule, Architect, Santa Barbara, CA, 1917-1921. In 1917, Soule's office was located at 529 East Arrellaga Street in Santa Barbara. The Santa Barbara City Directory of 1918-1919 (p. 429) recorded that Murphy had his own office, in the same space as that of Soule. By 1920, Soule had moved his office to the second floor of the building at 1206 State Street. (See Santa Barbara, California, City Directory, 1920, p. 429.)

Partner, [Winsor] Soule, Murphy and [Theodore Mitchell] Hastings, Architects, Santa Barbara, CA, 1922-1931. This partnership maintained its address at 1206 State Street. Soule, Murphy and Hastings formed either late in 1921 or early 1922.

Partner, Soule and Murphy, Architects, Santa Barbara, CA, 1932-1953. In 1942, the Soule and Murphy office was situated at 116 East Sola Street in Santa Barbara. One of the firm's last large works was for Geneva Hall at the San Francisco Theological Seminary in San Anselmo, CA, (1952).

Vice-President, Santa Barbara Mutual Building and Loan Association, Santa Barbara, CA, c. 1942. (See Santa Barbara, California, City Directory, 1942, p. 241 and Santa Barbara, California, City Directory, 1943, p. 217.) After his practice with Soule dissolved in 1953, Murphy devoted full-time to banking. He served as the Chairman of the Board of the Santa Barbara Building and Loan Association in 1955. (See Santa Barbara, California, City Directory, 1955, p. 379.)

Archives

Archival documents on Soule, Murphy and Hastings c. 1920-1930 have been housed at the Architecture and Design Collection of the University Museum, University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB).

Relocation

John Frederic Murphy was born in Winterset, IA, a town that, twenty years later, also gave America the movie star Marion Mitchell Morrison (aka "John Wayne," 1907-1979).

While working as an architectural draftsman for Winsor Soule in 06/1917, Murphy dwelled at

John and Marjorie Murphy moved to 707 Moreno Road by 1917, a house that they would occupy for over 30 years. (See Santa Barbara, California, City Directory, 1917, p. 201.) As per the 1930 US Census, the Murphy Family resided at 707 Moreno Road in Santa Barbara, in a house valued at about $8,500. (See Ancestry.com, Source Citation Year: 1930; Census Place: Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, California; Page: 4A; Enumeration District: 0015; FHL microfilm: 2339949, accessed 02/05/2019.) They continued to reside here in 1942.

Both Murphy and his wife were buried in the Santa Barbara Cemetery, Santa Barbara, CA.

Spouse

He wed Marjorie Conner (born 04/18/1888 in Des Moines, IA-d. 12/20/1980 in Los Angeles, CA) on 07/02/1915 in Los Angeles County, CA. The 1930 US Census noted that Marjorie was an artist.

Her parents were William Conner (born c. 04/1845 in Ireland), a lawyer in Des Moines, and Eva S. Gatch (born c. 09/1853 in OH), who had five children, four of whom survived in 1900.

Children

Marjorie and Frederic had a daughter, Elizabeth Ridgway Murphy Carter (born 12/06/1921 in Santa Barbara, CA-d. 06/04/2005).

She married John Carter (born c. 1914 in Wilkinsburg, PA). In 07/1954, she and John took a yearlong trip in Europe. They departed aboard the S.S. Prins Willem Van Oranje, sailing from Montreal, QC, to Antwerp, Belgium on 07/221954. (See Ancestry.com, Source Citation The National Archives at Washington, D.C.; Washington, D.C.; Series Title: Passenger Lists of Vessels and Airplanes Departing from Atlantic Seaports of Canada; NAI Number: 3317686; Record Group Title: Records of the Immigration and Naturalization Service, 1787-2004; Record Group Number: 85; Series Number: A3530; NARA Roll Number: 07, accessed 02/05/2019.)

Biographical Notes

Murphy made his the professionally necessary grand tour of Europe in 1924. His US passport application of 1924 listed his study itinerary as. France, Belgium, Great Britain, Italy, Spain and Switzerland.

This passport application listed Murphy as standing 6-feet tall, with a high forehead, wide, moustachioed mouth, round chin, dark complexion, oval face, and straight nose. His eyes and hair were described as brown.

• Winterset, IA (Architect's Birth)
  Winterset, IA 50273

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