James Murphy, FAIA, (1834–1907) was an Irish-American architect active in late-nineteenth- and early twentieth-century New England, who designed numerous Roman Catholic churches and related structures.

Soon after his arrival, he entered the Brooklyn, New York, firm of Patrick C. Keely as an apprentice.

By the mid-1860s, the duo opened a branch office in Providence, Rhode Island.

[1] Murphy continued to specialize in church design for the ever-growing number of Roman Catholic parishes during the late nineteenth century, particularly in the southern New England area of Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut.

In 1870, Murphy joined the American Institute of Architects, and was elevated to Fellowship in 1885.