Murphy, Charles John Vincent, 1904-

Charles Murphy was a CBS correspondent who accompanied Byrd on his second expedition to Antarctica (BAE II), 1933-1935. Murphy played a major role in crafting the public persona of Richard Byrd, and it was important to Murphy that Byrd's image as a hero be maintained. It was Murphy who wrote the scripts for the weekly radio shows that were broadcast from Little America. Byrd came to regard Murphy as a trusted confidant, and even acted as best man at the reporter's wedding.

Following the South Pole adventure, Murphy played a pivotal role in the writing of Byrd's account of the expedition. He would also go on to wrtie his own biography of the man he so admired, "Struggle: The Life and Exploits of Commander Richard E. Byrd." In addition to ghostwriting for Richard Byrd, Charles Murphy put his journalistic talents to work in books "written by" the Duke and Duchess of Windsor. While spending the remainder of his career as a writer for Fortune Magazine, Murphy also published a number of books under his own name, including the children's story, "Little Toot." He died in 1987 at the age of 83.

From the guide to the Charles J.V. Murphy Papers, 1931-1938, (The Ohio State University. Byrd Polar Research Center Archival Program.)