Source : Murphy

Source Title Catalogue of the Magnificant Library of the Late Hon. Henry C. Murphy.....
Description Mr. Murphy was born in Brooklyn in 1810 and departed this mortal coil in 1882. His books, that brought him comfort in life, returned cash to his family two years later. In life, he was a politician who became mayor of Brooklyn and later a congressman twice with a defeat in between. In 1852 he was a serious candidate for president until people remembered he was Irish. He then served as United States Minister to Holland continuously until Abraham Lincoln recalled him. He then went to Albany as a State Senator.

As a book collector he was exceptional. His library was complex and complete to the point of obsession but it was the age to obsess and he did so very effectively. It is no longer possible to do what he did. In his time he saw the opportunity and made the most of it. That chance will not come again.
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