William J. Murphy

William J. Murphy (October 20, 1895 – April 28, 1973) was an American Catholic priest and Jesuit who was the president of Boston College from 1939 to 1945. Born in Massachusetts, he studied at Boston College for two years before entering the Society of Jesus in 1914. He later studied philosophy at Woodstock College and theology at Weston College, and taught at Fordham University and the College of the Holy Cross. In 1934, he was placed in charge of overseeing the schools in the Jesuit province of New England.

In 1939, Murphy became the president of Boston College. His tenure coincided with World War II, during which the school hosted soldiers in the Army Specialized Training Program. Enrollment dropped significantly, requiring the college to fundraise to continue operating. In 1941, the Archbishop of Boston donated a large estate to Boston College. After the end of his presidency, Murphy became the dean of the Shadowbrook novitiate and was later an instructor of tertians in Connecticut.

Early life Murphy was born on October 20, 1895, in Lawrence, Massachusetts. The youngest child of Michael J. and Joan Murphy, he had five siblings. Murphy studied at Lawrence High School, where he graduated in 1912 as the salutatorian. In 1912, Murphy enrolled at Boston College. Murphy entered the Society of Jesus and proceeded to the Jesuit novitiate of St. Andrew-on-Hudson. In 1937, he took on the additional role of assistant to the provincial superior. At the same time, Murphy replaced McGarry as the pastor of the Church of St. Ignatius Loyola in Chestnut Hill.

Just sixteen days after Murphy assumed office, World War II began. In October 1941, Boston College became the first school to participate in the federal government's Engineering, Science, and Management War Training program. After the attack on Pearl Harbor, Murphy; the president of the College of the Holy Cross, Joseph R. N. Maxwell; and the Jesuit provincial superior, James H. Dolan, decided to create an accelerated curriculum to allow students to complete their education in two years before being conscripted into the armed forces. Boston College implemented this curriculum in January 1942. In 1943, the school joined the Army Specialized Training Program (ASTP) and St. Mary's Hall was converted from the Jesuit residence into barracks for 400 soldiers. In 1944, the ASTP was cancelled nationwide in anticipation of D-Day, and the army left campus on June 30, 1944. The significantly reduced study body put a substantial financial strain on the college, requiring it to begin a fundraising campaign in 1944 to allow it to continue operating. From 1944 to 1945, given a greatly increased enrollment at Boston College High School, part of Gasson Hall was used for high school classes.

During Murphy's tenure, a program was created for Jesuits to study the classics, history, and the sciences at the graduate level. and Murphy celebrated the first Red Mass in Massachusetts on October 4, 1941, which was attended by many dignitaries. In 1941, the college acquired the estate of Louis K. Liggett, which included the mansion and of land. When Boston College asked the Archbishop of Boston, Cardinal William Henry O'Connell, for his approval of the purchase, he consented and paid for the estate for the college. The newly acquired building was named Cardinal O'Connell Hall and housed the College of Business Administration from 1941 to 1943. In September 1945, the school opened the Institute of Adult Education at Intown Center, which offered lectures in various courses, for which students did not receive academic credit.

On August 19, 1945, five days after the end of the war in the Pacific, Murphy's six-year term as president came to an end, in accordance with Jesuit custom. He was succeeded by William L. Keleher as president,

Murphy died on April 28, 1973, at Bon Secours Hospital in Methuen, Massachusetts. His funeral was held at the Church of St. Ignatius Loyola in Chestnut Hill and he was buried at the Weston College cemetery.