was elected to the New Jersey General Assembly in 1885; while in office as parks commissioner he laid out and completed the parks of Essex County; from March 24, 1886 to 1889, he was a trustee for the Reform School for Boys. President McKinley appointed him one of the commissioners to the Paris Universal Exposition in 1900. He held official positions in numerous financial institutions, social, and civic bodies. There is a life size statue of him in Weequahic Park in Newark. Post-Gubernatorial Life After leaving office, he remained involved in New Jersey Republican Party affairs for the rest of his life. He was a delegate to the Republican National Convention five times, and at the 1908 Republican National Convention, he was a candidate for the vice presidential nomination to serve as running mate to William Howard Taft, that eventually went to New York Representative, James S. Sherman. He died in Palm Beach, Florida at age 74 and was buried in Mount Pleasant Cemetery, Newark in Section F, Lot 159/160. See also List of governors of New Jersey References Further reading New Jersey Historical Commission, The Governors of New Jersey 1664-1974: Biographical Essays. Trenton, NJ, The Commission, 1982. Paul A. Stellhorn and Michael J. Birkner, Editors. Olsen, Bernard, A Billy Yank Governor: The Life and Times of New Jersey's Franklin Murphy, 2000, Phoenix Publishing, Missoula, Montana. Sobel, Robert (Editor), Raimo, John (Editor), Biographical Directory of the Governors of the United States, 1789-1983, Greenwood Publishing Group, Stryker, William S., Record of Officers and Men of New Jersey in the Civil War. Trenton, NJ: John Murphy, 1876. External links Biography of Franklin Murphy (PDF), New Jersey State Library Franklin Murphy on Newark History Franklin Murphy, Sons of the American Revolution 1846 births 1920 deaths American Episcopalians Burials at Mount Pleasant Cemetery (Newark, New Jersey) Chairmen of the New Jersey Republican State Committee Republican Party governors of New Jersey Republican Party members of the New Jersey General Assembly Politicians from Newark, New Jersey People of New Jersey in the American Civil War Sons of the American Revolution Union Army officers