Rear Admiral Daniel J. Murphy served as Senior Coast Guard Reserve Officer Pacific Area. During wartime, his mobilization assignment is Deputy Commander, Northern California Sector, U.S. Maritime Defense Zone (Pacific). He was nominated for flag rank by President Ronald Reagan on March 4, 1986, and assumed his current assignment in July 1986. He was promoted to Rear Admiral upper half in July 1988.
Rear Admiral Murphy first joined the Coast Guard in 1945 as an enlisted man. He re-entered the Coast Guard as a reservist in 1951, and achieved the rank of Chief Petty Officer. In 1958, he was commissioned Lieutenant (junior grade) and advanced steadily through the officer ranks. His reserve assignments have mainly been in the San Francisco Bay Area. These included duties in law enforcement, as commanding officer of a Reserve Training Unit, as group commander for three different reserve groups in the Northern California region and as district reserve inspector for the Twelfth Coast Guard District before being selected as a Flag Officer.
Rear Admiral Murphy's formal military training include courses at the Naval War College, National Defense University, and the Army War College, Carlisle Barracks, Pennsylvania. He presently serves as a member of the Steering committee for the sixth quadrennial review of military compensation, and as a member of the Department of Defense, Reserve Forces Policy Board.
He has been awarded the Meritorious Service Medal for his outstanding service and leadership of the Reserve program and U.S. Maritime Defense Zone concept, Legion of Merit (1990), Commandant Letter of Appreciation from Admiral William Kime (1990), two Coast Guard Commendation Medals, an Achievement Medal and the Armed Forces Reserve Medal with two hour glass devices.
Rear Admiral Murphy is a lifelong resident of San Francisco. He retired in July 1986 from the San Francisco Police Department with the rank of Captain after a thirty-five year career. He also served on the Board of Directors of Seawest Coast Guard Federal Credit Union for 25 years and 19 years as Chairman. He is married to Claudine P. Murphy, a native of Bakersfield, California.