John Francis Patrick Murphy

Let me not write in the third person as so many writers do when they write about themselves.

I am an attorney and an aspiring writer, photographer, artist (bad but getting better), acoustic guitar player (worse but getting better), and teacher. I am a member of the Massachusetts and Pennsylvania bars. I have been blessed with many experiences in life, good and bad.

I served twenty-eight years in the United States Navy Reserve as a judge advocate in the Judge Advocate General’s Corps (Ret.). I traveled to virtually all corners of the globe and attained the rank of navy captain (O-6). I spent nearly eight years on active military duty and the rest of my military career on reserve duty, regularly deploying to earth’s far-off places. I carry my ecumenical faith everywhere I go.

I have watched the vast ocean from the deck of navy warships and marveled at them in the same way Patrick and Mary did on their voyage.

As a parallel full-time career, I have simultaneously spent twenty-eight years—and counting—prosecuting criminal cases as an assistant United States attorney (federal prosecutor) in the Eastern District of Louisiana, New Orleans.

I have prosecuted and defended hundreds of cases before navy courts-martial and prosecuted more than a thousand cases in federal court for the US Department of Justice. Today, in the year 2020, I continue to work at the US Attorney’s Office, US Department of Justice, in New Orleans.

I work in a federal office building in New Orleans that is a short distance from where ship Sweden regularly pulled into port after leaving Boston. I find that amazing. I find that humbling.

As a naval officer and prosecutor, I have been privileged to see humanity at its very best, and at its very worst. I have seen people across different places, times, and cultures. I try to learn from everything I see. I strive to reflect that in my writing. I am an optimist by nature and view optimism as an essential ingredient in life and everything I do.

Working as a litigator and naval officer gives you an up-close view of the stark realities of life, in all its stunning dimensions. After living in the Republic of the Philippines for three years on active-duty navy assignment, I developed a better appreciation for the wonders of the world. I understand just how fortunate I am to follow my amazing ancestors.

My future challenge is to grow from being a lawyer and naval officer into an artist in photography, a writer, a teacher, a guitar player, and perhaps a contributor in other media in the creative arts.

I plan to keep raising koi fish in my pond. I believe these are among the most wondrous creatures God has created. God willing, I will do all this with my wonderful wife, Carolyn. Mo Anam Cara-Carolyn.

As I mentioned, it is also my plan to become a teacher in the future, and by doing so, I will follow in the footsteps of my parents, John Francis Murphy and Ann Marie Hickey Murphy.

By following them, I will stand on the shoulders of giants, just like Michael Joseph Murphy did with his parents, Patrick and Mary. That is all part of our unending story, and I intend to live it to the fullest.

You should, too.