Encyclopedia Dubuque
"Encyclopedia Dubuque is the online authority for all things Dubuque, written by the people who know the city best.”
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Affiliated with the Local History Network of the State Historical Society of Iowa, and the Iowa Museum Association.
MURPHY, Charles J.
MURPHY, Charles J. (Dubuque, IA, August 5, 1918--Cedar Rapids, IA, Oct. 11, 2004). Murphy, postmaster in Dubuque from 1963 to 1990, was one of the last politically appointed postmasters in the United States. Chosen by President John F. KENNEDY, Murphy saw revenue from the Dubuque office soar from one million dollars in 1963 to nearly twenty-five million by 1990. (1)
The son of Richard Louis MURPHY, Charles served two years as a Second District Democratic Committeeman and had worked in campaigns for Democratic candidates for governor and lieutenant governor. (2)
During his term of office, the now familiar red, white, and blue jeeps were introduced. Mail processing operations were moved from the main post office to the postal annex on White Street, express mail was introduced, letter carriers were motorized with jeeps, and a parking lot for mail vehicles was constructed.
Murphy, son of the late United States Senator Richard Louis MURPHY, graduated from DUBUQUE SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL and LORAS COLLEGE. He owned and operated MURPHY ADVERTISING from 1946 until his appointment in 1963. Active in politics, Murphy was a member of the Democratic State Central Committee and a delegate to the 1956 Democratic National Convention.
Locally, Murphy served as county chairman of the American Cancer Society and chaired its Iowa state campaign in 1951. He served two terms as president of the Dubuque Chamber of Commerce and received two Distinguished Service Awards. He was instrumental in the organization of P.E.O.P.L.E., an organization which dealt with the relocation of U.S. 61 and 151,and served as chairman of the lay advisory board of Mercy Hospital and the "Umbrella of Mercy" campaign. He belonged to both the DUBUQUE SHOOTING SOCIETY and the DUBUQUE GOLF AND COUNTRY CLUB. (3)
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Source:
1. Kruse, Len. My Old Dubuque, Dubuque, Iowa: Center for Dubuque History-Loras College, 2000, p. 217
2. "Approval Expected in Month," Telegraph-Herald, December 23, 1962, p. 1
3. Kruse
