Peter Michael Murphy
Peter M. Murphy served as Counsel to the Commandant of the Marine Corps, Headquarters Marine Corps, Washington, D.C.
Murphy devoted his life to principled public service, quiet courage, and faithful care for Marines, service members, veterans, and their families. Born in 1945 and raised in Yonkers, New York, he served as a United States Army infantry officer in Germany during the Vietnam era before earning his bachelor’s degree magna cum laude from Long Island University and his law degree from St. John’s University School of Law. After early service in the Navy Office of General Counsel, Murphy was appointed Counsel to the Commandant of the Marine Corps in 1984.
For the next two decades, he served six Commandants—Generals P.X. Kelley, Alfred Gray, Carl Mundy, Charles Krulak, James Jones, and Michael Hagee—during a period that spanned the Beirut Barracks bombing, Iran-Contra, the first Gulf War, the implementation of Goldwater-Nichols, the attacks of September 11, and the wars that followed. As Counsel, he led a global legal team and advised the Marine Corps on ethics, procurement, environmental stewardship, labor law, legislation, major investigations, acquisition, homeland security, and matters touching the highest interests of the Corps and the Nation. He was widely respected for moral courage, judgment, dignity, and devotion to the rule of law.
Murphy’s service was never confined to the Pentagon. He visited wounded Marines at Bethesda and treated junior Marines with the same respect he gave senior leaders. Murphy helped establish the Injured Marine Semper Fi Fund and served on The Fund’s Board of Directors. In 2004, General Hagee named him an Honorary Marine—an extraordinary tribute to a civilian whose life embodied honor, courage, and commitment.
Peter Murphy passed away on November 15, 2013, at age 68. His legacy endures in the Marine Corps he helped guide, the lawyers and leaders he mentored, and the families The Fund continues to serve. Team Semper Fi was later named in his honor, ensuring that his steady dedication lives on through the courage, recovery, and fellowship of wounded, ill, and injured service members.