Patrick Washington Murphy
Birth dateSeptember 17, 1837
Birth placeQuebec, Lower Canada (now Canada)
Death dateNovember 1, 1901
Death placeSan Francisco, California, U.S.
Resting placeSanta Clara Mission Cemetery,
Santa Clara, California, U.S.
RelationsMartin Murphy Jr. (father),
Bernard D. Murphy (brother),
Elizabeth Yuba Murphy (sibling),
Martin Murphy Sr. (grandfather),
John Marion Murphy (uncle),
Daniel Martin Murphy (uncle)
SpouseMary Catherine O'Brien (m. 1870–1875; her death)
PartyDemocratic
OfficeCalifornia State Senate, 3rd District
Term start1865
Term end1866
PredecessorJuan Y. Cot
Office 1California State Senate, 3rd District
Term start 11868
Term end 11869
Successor 1Romualdo Pacheco
Office 2California State Senate, 3rd District
Term start 21877
Term end 21881
Predecessor 2William J. Graves
Successor 2Warren Chase
Office 3California State Assembly, 3rd District
Term start 31881
Term end 31883
EducationSanta Clara College
OccupationPolitician, businessman, rancher

Patrick Washington Murphy (September 17, 1837 – November 1, 1901), also known as P. W. Murphy, was a Canadian-born American politician and rancher.[1][2][3] He was the founder of Santa Margarita, California. Murphy was a Democrat representing Ventura, Santa Barbara, and San Luis Obispo Counties; and served in the California State Senate; and was a member of the California State Assembly. He is from the Murphy family who were on the first wagon train to cross the Sierra Nevada, they were early settlers in California, and the founders of early Santa Clara Valley.[4][5] Murphy was nicknamed the "Black Prince" due to his complexion.[6]

Early life

Patrick Washington Murphy was born on September 17, 1837, in Quebec, Lower Canada (now Canada), to parents Mary Bulger and Martin Murphy Jr. His father was born in County Wexford, Ireland; their family migrated seeking religious freedom as Catholics.[7][8] He was one of eleven children, and his brother Bernard D. Murphy was also a politician who served in the same legislative house concurrently.[9]

Migration

In 1840, the Murphy family moved to Atchison County, Missouri to a settlement called Irish Grove.[10]

On May 6, 1844, the family started a wagon train from Missouri to California; it was made up of the Stephenson family, Townsend family and the Murphy family, called the Stephens–Townsend–Murphy Party. It was the first wagon train to cross the Sierra Nevada in 1844, and the journey took nine months to California.[7]

Career

Murphy graduated from Santa Clara College (now Santa Clara University).

In the 1860s, his father bought 9,000 acres (3,600 ha) of land from Joaquín Estrada to form a cattle ranch in what is now known as Santa Margarita, California (formerly Rancho Santa Margarita).[11] This ranch was run by his son Patrick.[5][11] This grew to a ranch of 61,000 acres (247 km2) (part of Santa Margarita de Cortona Asistencia, Rancho Atascadero and Rancho Asuncion), with Rancho Santa Margarita serving as headquarters. In 1876, Murphy bought an additional 9,000 acres (36 km2) (formerly Rancho Punta de la Concepcion).

Murphy gave the Southern Pacific Railroad the allowance to run their track through his Santa Margarita Ranch land.[12] This decision has defined the current route of the train.[12]

Murphy was a Democrat representing Ventura County, Santa Barbara County, and San Luis Obispo County.[2] Murphy served in the California State Senate in 1865–1866, 1868–1869, and 1877–1881.[2] He was a member of the California State Assembly from 1881–1883.

Governor William Irwin appointed him brigadier general of the Second Brigade of the California National Guard.[11] He was one of the founders and directors of the San Luis Obispo Water Company and Bank of San Luis Obispo.[13][14]

Murphy was known for his rancho hospitality, he hosted many gatherings and kept many of the traditions of the Californios.[11] He was president of the San Luis Obispo Agricultural Society in 1883, and president of the Irish Land League of California.[11]

Death and legacy

Murphy died of pneumonia on November 1, 1901, at the Lick House Hotel in San Francisco.[2][3]

At the time of Patrick's death the ranch was 25,000 acres (10,000 ha) in size.[2] His ranch sold in 1904 to the Fernando (Frank) Reis family.[12]

The family were the subject of Marjorie Pierce's book, The Martin Murphy Family Saga (2000);[7] and the PBS documentary film, The Forgotten Journey (2021), produced by John Krizek.[15]

References

  1. ^ "Patrick W. Murphy". JoinCalifornia. Retrieved 2025-11-09.
  2. ^ ""Black Prince" Dies Suddenly" (Obituary). San Francisco Chronicle. November 2, 1901. p. 16. Retrieved 2025-11-09. – via Newspapers.com
  3. ^ "Obituary for Patrick W. Murphy". Los Angeles Evening Post-Record. November 2, 1901. p. 4. Retrieved 2025-11-09. – via Newspapers.com
  4. ^ Sherman, Lola (May 20, 1960). "Family had roots in Ireland, were first settlers to cross Sierra to California". Peninsula Times Tribune. p. 6. Retrieved 2025-11-08. – via Newspapers.com
  5. ^ Woodman, Katharina. "The Murphy Story". Sunnyvale Heritage Park Museum. Retrieved 2025-11-09.
  6. ^ "Obituary for Patrick W. Murphy" (Obituary). Boston Evening Transcript. 1901-11-02. p. 8. Retrieved 2025-11-09. – via Newspapers.com.
  7. ^ Cheek, Martin (November 10, 2006). "MH Founding Father Became Leading Citizen". Morgan Hill Times. Retrieved 2025-11-07.
  8. ^ "Martin Murphy" (Obituary). The Pacific Bee. October 24, 1884. p. 3. Retrieved 2025-11-09. – via Newspapers.com
  9. ^ "Bernard D. Murphy". JoinCalifornia. Retrieved 2025-11-03.
  10. ^ "Death of Notable California Pioneer". Appeal-Democrat. March 29, 1865. p. 1. Retrieved 2025-11-07. – via Newspapers.com
  11. ^ Beedle, Peggy; Price, Barry A.; Applied EarthWorks Inc. (September 2008). "Cultural Landscape Report for Santa Margarita Ranch". p. 21. Archived November 5, 2011 at the Wayback Machine.
  12. ^ Roe, Cheri. "Rancho Days". Santa Margarita Historical Society. Retrieved 2025-11-09.
  13. ^ "Coast News Itemized". San Francisco Banner. July 20, 1895. p. 2. Retrieved 2025-11-09. – via Newspapers.com
  14. ^ "Notice of Sale of Real Estate and Personal Estate". The Independent. April 8, 1903. p. 7. Retrieved 2025-11-09. – via Newspapers.com
  15. ^ "The Murphy Family Story". Sunnyvale Heritage Park Museum. Retrieved 2025-11-09.

Further reading