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John E. Murphy Jr.

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American lobbyist and politician
John E. Murphy Jr.
official portrait, circa 1975
Member of the Massachusetts House of Representatives for the 13th Essex District
In office
1971–1985
Preceded byPhilip C. O'Donnell
Succeeded byPeter G. Torkildsen
Personal details
Born (1943-04-03) April 3, 1943 (age 81)
Richmond, Virginia
Political partyDemocratic
RelationsJohn E. Murphy (father)
Alma materProvidence College
Suffolk Law School
OccupationLawyer
Lobbyist

John E. Murphy Jr. (born April 3, 1943) is an American politician and lobbyist who served in the Massachusetts House of Representatives from 1971 to 1985.

Early life

Murphy was born on April 3, 1943, in Richmond, Virginia. His father, John E. Murphy also served in the House and was a Peabody District Court judge. He attended The Newman School, Providence College, and Suffolk Law School.

Politics

In 1970, Murphy was elected to the House in his first ever bid for elected office. In 1978 he became majority whip. Murphy was a Massachusetts delegate to the 1980 Democratic National Convention, and served on the convention's platform committee.

In 1983 Murphy was promoted to majority leader when George Keverian was removed from the position by Speaker Thomas W. McGee after Keverian decided to run for speaker himself.

In 1984 Murphy lost his re-election bid by 228 votes to Republican Peter G. Torkildsen.

Lobbying

After leaving the House, Murphy practiced law and later joined Issues Management, a lobbying firm managed by former Senate President Kevin B. Harrington. In 1992 he received $130,000 from the YMCA after the organization received $12.2 million in state funds for a new building in the Boston Navy Yard. The project was criticized by The Boston Globe as by 1993, the state-of-the-art facility had a nightly occupancy rate of about 8% due to its remote location. The paper criticized Murphy's role in the deal, as the payment was never reported to the state and his fee was based on the successful completion of the project - both of which violated state law and because Murphy did not disclose the payment before a bankruptcy judge who forgave about $350,000 of Murphy's debts. By 1993 Murphy had 14 clients, which included racetracks, hospitals, a billboard company, solid waste facilities, and an electric utility. His close relationship with House Speaker Charles Flaherty was cited as a reason for his success. In 1996, Flaherty pleaded guilty to felony tax evasion and admitted to violations of state conflict of interest law for receiving free vacation housing from lobbyists. Murphy was fined $2,000 by the Massachusetts Ethics Commission for providing Flaherty with use of a vacation home.

References

  1. ^ 1983–1984 Public Officers of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.
  2. ^ Murphy, Jeremiah V. (June 27, 1993). "A pol who forgot the first rule of politics". The Boston Globe.
  3. "The Political Graveyard: Index to Politicians: Murphy, J." Political Graveyard. Retrieved 15 November 2024.
  4. "Democrats Name McGee, Murphy". The Daily Item (Lynn, Massachusetts). June 16, 1980. Retrieved 15 November 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. Collins, Laurence (October 30, 1983). "Challenge to McGee May Signal New Era". The Boston Globe.
  6. "High price of friendly deals: Public and private roles blur in $12.2m allocation for YMCA". The Boston Globe. June 27, 1993.
  7. ^ McNiff, Brian S. (December 18, 1996). "Lobbyist is fined $2K for Flaherty vacation". Telegram & Gazette.
  8. "Massachusetts House Speaker Charles F. Flaherty charged with felony tax fraud; Will admit guilt on federal tax and state ethics allegations" (Press release). U.S. Attorney for the District of Massachusetts. March 27, 1996.
  9. UPI (March 27, 1996). "Mass. House speaker in tax fraud plea". upi.com.
  10. "In the Matter of Charles F. Flaherty, Jr". Massachusetts State Ethics Commission. March 27, 1996.
Massachusetts House of Representatives
Preceded byGeorge Keverian Majority Leader of the Massachusetts House of Representatives
1983–1984 		Succeeded byW. Paul White
Preceded byGeorge Keverian Majority Whip of the Massachusetts House of Representatives
1978–1983 		Succeeded byVincent J. Piro
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