Walter Francis Murphy, Jr. (November 21, 1929 – April 20, 2010) was an American political scientist and writer.

Born in Charleston, South Carolina, Murphy received a Distinguished Service Cross and was awarded a Purple Heart for his service in the United States Marine Corps during the Korean War, eventually retiring with the rank of colonel. He earned a bachelor's degree from the University of Notre Dame in 1950 and a PhD from the University of Chicago in 1957.

Murphy taught government at the United States Naval Academy before returning to graduate school. After earning his PhD, he spent a year as a fellow at the Brookings Institution. He held the position of McCormick Professor of Jurisprudence at Princeton University, a chair whose first occupant was Woodrow Wilson. As a professor, he was undergraduate thesis advisor for Samuel Alito. His professional writing, consisting mostly of non-fiction works on political science, included Constitutional Democracy: Creating and Maintaining a Just Political Order; he has also written three popular novels, including The Vicar of Christ.^[1]

Murphy died of cancer at age 80. Murphy's name was on the "Selectee List".^[2][3]