Murphy grew up in Connecticut and was always urged by his parents to pursue a liberal arts education. They attended many "Little Three" (Amherst, Wesleyan and Williams Colleges) football games, feeling the spirit of the colleges and rivalries. One day in Oct. of 1969, Murphy and his father visited Amherst College and Murphy fell in love with the campus and atmosphere immediately.
At the College, Murphy took advantage of the open curriculum and found his passion for European studies. He concentrated on medieval history and graduated with honors. Murphy excelled so much in his area of study that his professor, Fred Cheyette, even arranged a private tutorial so that he could learn how to read the Latin abbreviations of medieval documents.
Murphy not only pursued his intellectual curiosity in his academics but also on the College's newspaper, The Amherst Student, where he felt as if he was working for The New York Times. At the time, the paper came out twice a week and had no computers with which to edit articles and create the layout. Murphy followed the traditional path of roles at the newspaper, starting as a staff writer and eventually finishing as the paper's number two man. Although he spent much time on his medieval history course, the newspaper for Murphy was really his true area of study. "In some ways my real major was The Amherst Student," said Murphy. "I spent more time working on the newspaper than anything else, and I loved every minute of it."
After graduating from the College, Murphy implemented the liberal arts philosophy in his future occupations. He pursued his passion for journalism and began working for the small education magazine, Change, that was devoted to issues involving higher education. First, he worked as a "gopher" and then eventually became the associate editor. Murphy enjoyed working for Change (1975-77) because it was during a time of much campus unrest and action.
After Change, Murphy moved to The Wilson Quarterly, a national review of ideas and information published by the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars at the Smithsonian Institution, and began writing freelance articles for different magazines including The Atlantic Monthly and Harper's Magazine. He spent eight years at The Wilson Quarterly and finished as the senior editor. He was then asked to join The Atlantic Monthly and accepted offer.
At The Atlantic Monthly, a magazine that is devoted to politics, literature, science and the arts, Murphy worked for 20 years holding the number two position and, for a time, held the top position. He also wrote his own column titled, "Innocent Bystander." During his time there, the magazine was a finalist for 70 National Magazine Awards and was a winner 13 times.
In 2006, The Atlantic Monthly decided to move its offices from the Boston area to Washington D.C. However, Murphy preferred to stay in Boston with his family and decided to fulfill book contracts. At the same time, Graydon Carter, editor-in-chief of Vanity Fair asked Murphy if he was interested in being the editor-at-large for the magazine. Murphy took the position and is still at Vanity Fair today. He is responsible for editing the works of a core group of writers and generating ideas for major reports and feature assignments.
In addition to working for Vanity Fair, Murphy has published four books with one more on the way. His most recent book, "Are We Rome?", compares the fall of the Roman Empire to the fate of the U.S. Murphy believes that the College played a large part in the creation of this book. "'Are We Rome?' crosses all boundaries-history, literature, journalism, personal experience, sociology-and can't be pigeon-holed. It reflects the education I received at Amherst," said Murphy.
However, this is not where the list of activities ends for Murphy. He is also very heavily involved with two museums based on two very important literary figures: William Shakespeare and Emily Dickinson. He is on the board of governors of the Folger Shakespeare Library in Washington D.C., which has the greatest selection of Shakespearana in the world and is very well-established. Murphy is also on the board of governors for the Emily Dickinson Museum in Amherst. The Emily Dickinson has a small but active following and Murphy is confident that it will become a very successful place. "It's already a small gem and I wish more Amherst students would go over and take a look. I predict that in twenty years this small museum complex will be a regional destination showplace."
To tie his bond even tighter to the College, Murphy joined the board of trustees. "As a member of the board I find this an intensely exciting time for Amherst. Under Tony Marx, new initiatives are coming to fruition," said Murphy. "The replacement of loans with grants in financial aid sends an important signal nationwide. The Center for Community Engagement rekindles Amherst's historic sense of service."
Murphy now resides in Medfield, Mass. with his wife Anna Marie and three children, John Cullen III, 24, Anna Jane, 22 and Timothy Peter, 20. He is very grateful for the education he received from Amherst and the lasting imprint it has made on him for all of these years. "When I think of the things that have made a fundamental difference in my life, I don't have to spend a lot of time pondering," said Murphy. "It comes down to my parents, to my wife and to Amherst."
Murphy's many achievements prove that the Amherst education is not only purely for academics but also for life. His ability to engage himself in so many aspects of life goes back to the cornerstones of the Amherst College educational experience. "There isn't a day that goes by that I don't call Amherst to mind and draw on something I learned there-not just 'book learning,' but rather what it means to be an adult and a responsible citizen," said Murphy. "Maybe we shouldn't think of Amherst as a four-year residential liberal arts college. It's more like a 60-year liberal arts college, the first 4 years of which are residential."