He was raised in South Orange, New Jersey and attended Phillips Exeter Academy, graduating in 1935.
From 1939 to 1948, he worked as an electric furnace helper and metallurgist for the Duraloy Company and Carnegie-Illinois Steel Corporation in Pennsylvania.
[1] In January 1954, Furman was named Assistant Counsel in the Governor's Office.
In May 1958, Governor Robert B. Meyner nominated him to be New Jersey Attorney General.
[1] After retiring from the bench, he served as counsel to the firm of Purcell, Ries, Shannon, Mulcahy & O'Neill in Bedminster.