Franklin Murphy graduated from the University of Kansas in 1936, where he was inducted as a member of the Beta Theta Phi fraternity. A mere 12 years later, on July 1, 1948, he was appointed Dean of the Medical School. There, he gained a strong reputation for his improvements to the Medical School and gained significant name recognition traveling around the state to promote his Kansas health plan. He also helped to desegregate both the Medical School and the Lawrence campus. After 3 years as Dean of the Medical School, the Board chose the 35-year-old Murphy as University Chancellor in 1951.

Murphy was officially installed as Chancellor in a convocation ceremony on September 17, 1951. As Chancellor, Murphy was responsible for many changes and the institution of new programs on campus. He encouraged the growth of KU's role as a research institution, establishing Distinguished Professorships, the Greater University Fund, and the area studies programs. He lobbied for a legislative measure to increase the state school building fund by one-quarter mill in order to build new dormitories. During his 9-year tenure, the faculty pay scale rose by 60%. As Chancellor, Murphy made significant improvements to the University, but he was not to stay.

Murphy was a political rival of Kansas Governor George Docking. After repeated conflicts with the governor, including a heated clash wherein Docking opposed Murphy's advocacy for higher faculty salaries, Murphy announced his resignation on March 16, 1960. Popular as chancellor, Murphy's resignation was opposed by many. On March 14, 1960, amid rumors that Murphy would resign, over 4,000 students crammed into Hoch Auditorium for a protest meeting. They were unsuccessful at convincing Murphy to stay, and on July 1, 1960, he left to become chancellor of the University of California-Los Angeles (UCLA). In 1968 he left that position to become chairman and later CEO of the Times Mirror Corporation, staying with the company until his death in 1994.