Scott Murphy | |
|---|---|
 Murphy in 2009 | |
| Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromNew York's20th district | |
| In office April 29, 2009 – January 3, 2011 | |
| Preceded by | Kirsten Gillibrand |
| Succeeded by | Chris Gibson |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Matthew Scott Murphy (1970-01-26)January 26, 1970 (age 56) Columbia, Missouri, U.S. |
| Party | Democratic |
| Spouse | Jennifer Hogan |
| Children | 3 |
| Education | Harvard University (AB) |
Matthew Scott Murphy[1] (born January 26, 1970) is an Americanentrepreneur and politician. He represented parts of New York state'sCapital District (excluding the city ofAlbany) in theUnited States House of Representatives for a portion of one term from April 2009 until January 2011. He was defeated for election to a full term on November 2, 2010.
He is a member of theDemocratic Party and was a member of theBlue Dog Coalition in Congress.[2]
The son of ateacher andmail carrier, Murphy graduated from theDavid H. Hickman High School inColumbia, Missouri, in 1988,[3][4] He later graduatedmagna cum laude fromHarvard College.
Murphy worked forBankers Trust for two and a half years in the early 1990s before becoming an entrepreneur. In 1994, he co-founded an interactive media company, Small World Software. In 1998 the company, which had grown to 25 employees, was purchased by the internet-consulting company iXL.[5] He then served as one of the heads of the purchased entity, rebranded "iXL New York". iXL later went bankrupt in 2002 during the end of thedot-com bubble. In 2001 Murphy joined Advantage Capital Partners, an Impact Investing Company that attempts to bring businesses, technologies and jobs to communities that have historically lacked access to investment capital.
He is a past-President of the Board of Directors of Upstate Capital Association, (fka Upstate Venture Association of New York, Inc.)[6] He worked as an aide, DeputyChief of Staff, andfundraiser for formerGovernors of MissouriMel Carnahan andRoger B. Wilson.[citation needed]
On January 22, 2009,CongresswomanKirsten Gillibrand, a Democrat representingNew York's 20th congressional district, was appointed byGovernorDavid Paterson to fill theUnited States Senate seat vacated byHillary Clinton, who assumed the office ofUnited States Secretary of State in theObama administration.[8]
On February 1, 2009, Murphy was chosen by a unanimous vote of ten Democraticcountychairs to be their party's nominee for2009 special election to fill Gillibrand's seat in the House.[9][10]
Murphy ran againstRepublican nomineeJim Tedisco fromSchenectady, who, until April 2009, was theMinority Leader of theNew York State Assembly. Murphy was endorsed byPresidentBarack Obama and Senator Gillibrand.[11]
The initial count from the election had Murphy leading by approximately 60 votes out of more than 150,000 cast.[12][13] However, by April 24, after re-tallies and absentee ballot counting, Murphy was ahead by 399 votes,[14] and Tedisco conceded the election.[15] Murphy was sworn in on April 29.[16]
On November 7, 2009, Murphy voted against theAffordable Health Care for America Act.[17] Murphy opposed theStupak Amendment, which proposed to restrict federal funding and subsidies for plans that cover elective abortion.[18]
In March 2010, Murphy supported thePatient Protection and Affordable Care Act,[19] known today as Obamacare.
In December 2010, Murphy voted for the Protecting Students from Sexual and Violent Predators Act,[20] which require criminal background checks for school employees and prohibits the employment of school employees who refuse to consent to a criminal background check, make false statements in connection with one, or have been convicted of one of a list of felonies or any other crime that is a violent or sexual crime against a child. The felonies included are homicide, child abuse or neglect, rape or sexual assault, crimes against children, spousal abuse, kidnapping, arson, and physical assault, battery, or drug-related offenses, committed within the past five years.
Rep. Murphy served on the same two committees as his predecessor, now-Senator Kirsten Gillibrand:
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Scott Murphy | 70,240 | |||
| Independence | Scott Murphy | 6,754 | |||
| Working Families | Scott Murphy | 3,839 | |||
| Total | Scott Murphy | 80,833 | 50.23 | ||
| Republican | Jim Tedisco | 68,775 | |||
| Conservative | Jim Tedisco | 11,332 | |||
| Total | Jim Tedisco | 80,107 | 49.77 | ||
| Majority | 726 | ||||
| Turnout | 160,940 | ||||
| Democratichold | Swing | −11.9 | |||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Scott Murphy | 91,577 | 37.42 | |
| Working Families | Scott Murphy | 6,642 | 2.71 | |
| Independence | Scott Murphy | 8,858 | 3.62 | |
| Totals | Scott Murphy (Incumbent) | 107,077 | 43.75 | |
| Republican | Chris Gibson | 110,813 | 45.28 | |
| Conservative | Chris Gibson | 19,363 | 7.91 | |
| Total | Chris Gibson | 130,176 | 53.19 | |
| None | Blank/Void/Write-In | 7,501 | 3.06 | |
| Total votes | 244,754 | 100 | ||
Murphy is married to Jennifer Hogan, a native ofWashington County.[1] They have three children, Simone, Lux and Duke. All three attend school in New York City while living part time in Glens Falls.[citation needed]
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| U.S. House of Representatives | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromNew York's 20th congressional district 2009–2011 | Succeeded by |
| U.S. order of precedence (ceremonial) | ||
| Preceded byas Former U.S. Representative | Order of precedence of the United States as Former U.S. Representative | Succeeded byas Former U.S. Representative |
