Charles A. Murphy
Encyclopedia
Massachusetts House of Representatives
The Massachusetts House of Representatives is the lower house of the Massachusetts General Court, the state legislature of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. It is composed of 160 members elected from single-member electoral districts across the Commonwealth. Representatives serve two-year terms...
and the Chairman of the House Committee on Ways and Means.
Biography
Murphy was raised in BurlingtonBurlington, Massachusetts
Burlington is a town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 24,498 at the 2010 census.- History :It is believed that Burlington takes its name from the English town of Bridlington, however this has never been confirmed....
, Massachusetts
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
. After graduating from the Burlington school system, Murphy went on to attend Villanova University
Villanova University
Villanova University is a private university located in Radnor Township, a suburb northwest of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in the United States...
and Vermont Law School
Vermont Law School
Vermont Law School is a private, American Bar Association accredited law school located in South Royalton, Vermont . The Law School has one of the United States' leading programs in environmental law, and the Law School is currently ranked #1 in Environmental Law by U.S...
.
As a second-year law student at Vermont Law School, Murphy joined the US Marine Corps, where he served from 1989 to 1994 and rose to the rank of Captain. Stationed in Cherry Point, North Carolina, Murphy served a six-month tour as a Staff Judge Advocate for the commanding officer aboard the USS Guadalcanal that deployed to the Mediterranean Sea and Mogadishu
Mogadishu
Mogadishu , popularly known as Xamar, is the largest city in Somalia and the nation's capital. Located in the coastal Benadir region on the Indian Ocean, the city has served as an important port for centuries....
, Somalia
Somalia
Somalia , officially the Somali Republic and formerly known as the Somali Democratic Republic under Socialist rule, is a country located in the Horn of Africa. Since the outbreak of the Somali Civil War in 1991 there has been no central government control over most of the country's territory...
, as part of the 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit
22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit
The 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit is one of seven Marine Expeditionary Units currently in existence in the United States Marine Corps. The Marine Expeditionary Unit is a Marine Air Ground Task Force with a strength of about 2,200 personnel...
. During his time in North Carolina, Murphy also served as a military prosecutor and Special Assistant United States Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina. He returned to New England following his military service and attended the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
, graduating with an MPA
Master of Public Administration
The Master of Public Administration is a professional post-graduate degree in Public Administration. The MPA program prepares individuals to serve as managers in the executive arm of local, state/provincial, and federal/national government, and increasingly in nongovernmental organization and...
.
Political career
Murphy was elected to the Massachusetts House of Representatives in 1997 and is presently serving his sixth term. He represents the 21st Middlesex District, covering BurlingtonBurlington, Massachusetts
Burlington is a town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 24,498 at the 2010 census.- History :It is believed that Burlington takes its name from the English town of Bridlington, however this has never been confirmed....
, Bedford
Bedford, Massachusetts
Bedford is a town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. It is within the Greater Boston area, north-west of the city of Boston. The population of Bedford was 13,320 at the 2010 census.- History :...
, and Precinct 3 of Wilmington
Wilmington, Massachusetts
Wilmington is a town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 22,325 at the 2010 census.-History:Wilmington was first settled in 1665 and was officially incorporated in 1730, from parts of Woburn, Reading and Billerica. Minutemen from Wilmington responded to the alarm...
. In February 2009, Murphy was appointed Chairman of the House Committee on Ways and Means, which is responsible for considering all legislation affecting the finances of the Commonwealth. Murphy has also served as Vice Chair of the Joint Committee on Bonding, Capital Expenditures and State Assets, Vice Chair of the Judiciary Committee and was a member of both the Joint Committee on Consumer Protection and Professional Licensure and the Veterans Affairs Committees. A veteran himself, Murphy has sponsored and led the passage of legislation to provide tuition assistance and workforce training programs for veterans across Massachusetts. He has helped increase state aid to his district by 90% since he was elected. Murphy also played a key role in constructing the 2009 state budget, which contained historical increases for Chapter 70 education funding.
In 2003, Murphy was named “One of the Top 100 Democrats to Watch” by the Democratic Leadership Council
Democratic Leadership Council
The Democratic Leadership Council was a non-profit 501 corporation that, upon its formation, argued the United States Democratic Party should shift away from the leftward turn it took in the late 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s...
, largely in recognition of his efforts to strengthen public safety policies and ensure equality in the state’s judicial system. Murphy was also named “Outstanding Legislator of the Year” by the Massachusetts Legal Assistance Corporation and Southern Middlesex Legal Services.
In 2007, Murphy was a candidate for the 4th Middlesex district State Senate
Massachusetts Senate
The Massachusetts Senate is the upper house of the Massachusetts General Court, the bicameral state legislature of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. The Senate comprises 40 elected members from 40 single-member senatorial districts in the state...
seat vacated by Robert Havern III
Robert Havern III
Robert A. Havern III is a Massachusetts politician who served in the Massachusetts House of Representatives and who represented the Fourth Middlesex District in the Massachusetts State Senate from 1991 to 2007.-Biography:...
. During the campaign, Murphy got into a physical altercation on the House floor with opponent and fellow Representative Patrick Natale
Patrick Natale
Patrick M. Natale is an American attorney and politician who was a member of the Massachusetts House of Representatives from 2005-2009. He was defeated by James J. Dwyer in the 2008 Democratic primary....
. Murphy lost in the Democratic primary to J. James Marzilli, Jr.
J. James Marzilli, Jr.
Joseph James Marzilli, Jr. was a member of the Massachusetts Senate. Marzilli, a Democrat, was elected to the Senate in a special election in December 2007, representing the communities of Arlington, Billerica, Burlington, Lexington and Woburn partway through his ninth term in the Massachusetts...
Personal life
Murphy lives in Burlington with his wife Nan, an elementary school vice principal, and his two daughters, Amelia and Grace.He is also an attorney at the firm of Gibson & Behman in Burlington.