Patrick Murphy | |
|---|---|
 Official portrait, 2016 | |
| 32ndUnited States Under Secretary of the Army | |
| In office January 4, 2016 – January 20, 2017 | |
| President | Barack Obama |
| Preceded by | Brad Carson |
| Succeeded by | Ryan D. McCarthy |
| United States Secretary of the Army | |
Acting | |
| In office January 11, 2016 – May 17, 2016 | |
| President | Barack Obama |
| Preceded by | Eric Fanning (acting) |
| Succeeded by | Eric Fanning |
| Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromPennsylvania's8th district | |
| In office January 3, 2007 – January 3, 2011 | |
| Preceded by | Mike Fitzpatrick |
| Succeeded by | Mike Fitzpatrick |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Patrick Joseph Murphy (1973-10-19)October 19, 1973 (age 52) Philadelphia,Pennsylvania, U.S. |
| Party | Democratic |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 2 |
| Education | Kings College (BA) Widener University (JD) |
| Military service | |
| Branch/service | United States Army |
| Years of service | 1996–2004 |
| Rank | Captain |
| Unit | 82nd Airborne Division Army Judge Advocate General's Corps |
| Battles/wars | Iraq War |
| Awards | Bronze Star |
Patrick Joseph Murphy (born October 19, 1973) is an American politician and attorney who served as the 32ndUnited States Under Secretary of the Army. He was the first veteran of the Iraq War to be elected to theUnited States House of Representatives, representingPennsylvania's 8th congressional district from 2007 to 2011. Murphy is a former anchor ofTaking the Hill onMSNBC.Murphy is currently on the faculty ofWharton Business School and the Distinguished Chair of Innovation at theUnited States Military Academy.[1][2]
Murphy wasconfirmed byvoice vote asUnder Secretary of the Army by theU.S. Senate on December 18, 2015,[3] after having been nominated for the position by the President on August 5, 2015.[4] Murphy was sworn into the post on January 4, 2016.[5]
Murphy was considered by the leadership of thePresidential transition of Joe Biden to serve as theUnited States Secretary of Veterans Affairs,[6] after having been considered for the same post by President Obama in 2014.[7]Denis McDonough, formerWhite House Chief of Staff was chosen instead.
Murphy was born inPhiladelphia and raised in that city'sNortheast area, the son of a city police officer and a legal secretary.[8] As a high school student, Murphy worked weekends as a security guard in the rowdy"700 Level" of Veterans Stadium duringPhiladelphia Eagles andTemple University football games.[9]
Murphy graduated fromArchbishop Ryan High School in Northeast Philadelphia. He attendedBucks County Community College before enrolling atKing's College, Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, where he was captain of theice hockey team,Student Government President and a member of the Sigma Kappa Sigma fraternity. Murphy was acadet in theU.S. ArmyROTC at the neighboringUniversity of Scranton, graduating from Scranton's Royal Warriors Battalion in 1996.[10]
After earning aBachelor of Arts degree from King's College in 1996, he wascommissioned as asecond lieutenant in the Army Reserve. In lieu of going directly into the active duty Army with a Reserve commission, he remained in the inactive Army Reserve while attending law school and working part-time as a legislative aide to a member of the Pennsylvania state legislature.[11]
Murphy attendedlaw school at theWidener University Commonwealth Law School inHarrisburg, earning aJ.D. in 1999. He became a member of the Trial Advocacy Honor Society and president of theSt. Thomas More Society at Widener.[12]
During law school, he worked in the office of the Philadelphia District Attorney, and later as a leader in the Harrisburg Civil Law Clinic, alegal aid society serving the poor, while concurrently serving as a drillingJAG officer in the Army Reserve. He also served as the legislative aide toThomas Tangretti, a Democratic member of thePennsylvania House of Representatives fromWestmoreland County. He taughtAmerican politics and government atMount Saint Mary's University. After returning from active duty, Murphy joinedCozen O'Connor, a large U.S. law firm based in Philadelphia.
In 2010, Murphy joined the National Leadership SocietyOmicron Delta Kappa, along withPeyton Manning andJoe Paterno.
Murphy attendedThe JAG School and enteredU.S. Army JAG Corps. In 2000, Murphy went onactive duty in the Army, serving as a judge advocate and then joining the military faculty at theU.S. Military Academy at West Point, where he taughtconstitutional law.[13] He has also lectured at theU.S. Air Force Academy, the International Institute for Humanitarian Rights inSanremo,Italy, and atWidener University.[13] After the attacks of September 11, 2001, Murphy volunteered for overseas deployment, serving inBosnia (2002) and inBaghdad during the Iraq War (2003–04).[13]
While in Baghdad as a JAG Corps attorney with theU.S. 82nd Airborne Division, Murphy worked to reconstruct the justice system and helped prosecute Sheik Mohammed Ali Hassan al-Moayad, a lieutenant ofMuqtada al-Sadr.[14] Prior to being assigned to the 82nd, Murphy qualified as aBasic Parachutist and graduated theAir Assault course. He was awarded theBronze Star Medal for meritorious service in Iraq.[15] Following his service in Iraq, he returned toFort Bragg and continued his service as a JAG officer before being released from active duty in 2004.[13]
Murphy's personal decorations include:
Bronze Star Medal
Meritorious Service Medal
Army Commendation Medal
National Defense Service Medal
Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal
Iraq Campaign Medal
Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal
Global War on Terrorism Service Medal
Army Service Ribbon
Presidential Unit CitationIn 2005, Murphy decided to challenge Republican incumbent RepresentativeMike Fitzpatrick inPennsylvania's 8th congressional district as aFighting Dem, building his campaign around "Murphy Plans" for Iraq, ethics reform, online protection, and a GI Bill of Rights.[16]
On May 16, 2006, he won the Democratic primary with about 65% of the vote,[17] against Andrew Warren, a former county commissioner and ex-Republican who badly trailed Murphy in campaign funds.[18]
Polls taken in October 2006 generally showed a tight race between Murphy and Fitzpatrick. On election day, Murphy's campaign, led by campaign manager Scott Fairchild and GOTV Director Brent Welder, engaged in a massive get-out-the-vote effort with over 2000 volunteers knocking on 160,000 doors.[19]
The resulting high turnout in Democratic lower Bucks County and Philadelphia, combined with surprisingly strong returns for Murphy in Republican upper Bucks County, was enough to push Murphy over Fitzpatrick 125,656 to 124,138. Murphy narrowly lost the Bucks County portion of the district (116,669 to 115,645), but decisively won the Philadelphia County portion (6,024 to 5,048) and the Montgomery County portion (3,987 to 2,421).[20][21] Overall, he received 50.3% of the vote. Murphy was helped by a large national Democratic "wave" that swept 31 new Democrats into Congress, enabling the Democrats to win control of the U.S. House for the first time since 1994.[22]
Murphy was only the third Democrat elected to represent Bucks County in American history. He was the first since Peter Kostmayer lost re-election in 1992.[23][circular reference]
Murphy faced RepublicanTom Manion, a retiredMarine Corps ReserveColonel and executive atJohnson & Johnson, as well as independent Tom Lingenfelter. Significant national attention was drawn to the race because of both candidates' connections to the Iraq War.[24] Murphy was a strong critic of Bush's war strategy, while Manion, whose son (1st Lt Travis Manion, USMC) was killed in Iraq in April 2007, supported the Iraq War Surge.[24]
Congressman Murphy won election to a second term with 57 percent of the vote. He won re-election to a second term by increasing his margin in Democratic Lower Bucks County while at the same time winning many rural townships in Upper Bucks and keeping his margin down in Central Bucks. During the campaign, Murphy received support from many nationally known figures includingGeorge Clooney,Scarlett Johansson, andBen Affleck.[25]
Murphy was defeated by Republican nominee and former U.S. CongressmanMike Fitzpatrick, whom Murphy had defeated in 2006. Murphy lost to Fitzpatrick by 7 points.[citation needed]
On April 20, 2011, Murphy announced his candidacy forAttorney General of Pennsylvania. His announcement was accompanied by over thirty endorsements from prominent elected officials and organizations across the state.[26]
On January 14, 2012, the Pennsylvania Democratic State Committee met inState College to determine its statewide endorsements for the 2012 primary season. No candidate got the two-thirds majority necessary to be endorsed by the state party, but Murphy led on both ballots, winning 161 votes (50.6 percent) on the first ballot and 191 votes (60.4 percent) on the second ballot.[27] The political website PoliticsPA reported that "Murphy's strong performance can be credited to years of ground work and party building; many members spoke of times that he had visited their counties and supported their local party." Murphy was nominated by Montgomery County chairman Marcel Groen.[28]
On April 24, 2012, Murphy was defeated 53–47 byKathleen Kane in the primary election for Pennsylvania Attorney General. He did well in the Philadelphia area and the City of Pittsburgh but lost much of the rest of the Central and Southwestern parts of the state.[29]
During his time in Congress, Murphy served on theHouse Armed Services Committee and was on theHouse Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence; he later became a member of theAppropriations Committee.[30] Murphy was a member of theBlue Dog Coalition, a group of moderate to conservative Democratic representatives. In 2008, he was not only one of the first members of Congress to support then Senator Obama; he was the first to actually campaign for him.[citation needed]
Murphy opposed theIraq War troop surge of 2007. He was a cosponsor, with SenatorBarack Obama and CongressmanMike Thompson (D-CA), of theIraq War De-Escalation Act of 2007, which aimed to develop a plan to redeploy American troops out of Iraq starting May 1, 2007. The bill was incorporated into the 2008 National Defense Authorization Act, but was vetoed by President George W. Bush.[31]
On February 13, 2008, he was the only member of theHouse to vote against a resolution congratulating theNew York Giants for the team's victory inSuper Bowl XLII. "As a former 700-level security guard and lifelong Eagles fan, I couldn't, in good conscience, vote for the New York Giants ... The only thing worse would have been a resolution honoring the Dallas Cowboys", Murphy stated.[32]
In the 2007 congressional vote rankings by the non-partisanNational Journal, Murphy scored a 56.5 liberal rating and a 43.5 conservative rating, which is considered "centrist" in the Journal's rankings.[33]
In July 2009, Murphy became the lead advocate for a bill that would repeal the Defense Department'sDon't Ask, Don't Tell policy concerning cisgender gay men and cisgender lesbians serving openly in the armed forces.[34]
In 2008 and 2009, Murphy spearheaded an effort to build theWashington Crossing National Cemetery in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, after decades of Congressional inaction.[35] The cemetery officially opened on December 7, 2009.[35]
In April 2010, the IMPROVE act (Improving Medicare Policy for Reimbursements through Oversight and Efficiency) was signed into law. Murphy authored the bi-partisan bill to help eliminate fraud in the health care system and protect taxpayer dollars. The IMPROVE act was endorsed by the AARP, the National District Attorneys Association, the Credit Union National Association, and the American Bankers Association[36]
In May 2010, the Officer Daniel Faulkner Children of Fallen Heroes Scholarship Act of 2010 passed the house. Murphy sponsored the bill which would assist children whose parent or guardian died as a result of performing service as a law enforcement officer, firefighter, or member of a rescue squad or ambulance crew.[37]
Murphy supports abortion rights. He garnered a 100% rating fromNARAL and "supported the interests ofPlanned Parenthood 100 percent in 2008."[38]
Murphy authored the Student Credit Card Transparency Act of 2009 which said students can be taken advantage of by credit card companies. The bill accomplished this goal by requiring universities and credit card companies to disclose contracts for student credit cards.[39] Murphy garnered significant praise for his support of the creation of a Consumer Financial Protection Bureau in the face of significant special interest opposition.[40]
Murphy's office worked with the Secret Service to secure hundreds of thousands of dollars for victims of the Bernie Madoff Ponzi scheme. Murphy received national praise for his efforts on behalf of Madoff's victims.[41]
Patrick Murphy was a leader in the effort to repeal the military's "Don't ask, don't tell" policy that removed 13,000 service members from the American military for their sexual orientation.[42] Murphy worked tirelessly to convince fellow moderate Democrats to support the issue despite the political risk involved.[43] Murphy was quoted inThe Advocate as saying: “I'm a nice guy, but I'm not in this to make friends. I'm in this to make public policy to make our military stronger and keep our families safe at home. We have paratroopers going down in Baghdad who do not have Arabic translators to back them up because Congress 16 years ago didn't have the guts to do what's right.[44] He introduced abill in the House to repeal Don't Ask, Don't Tell on December 14, 2010.[45]
The bill was approved in a strong bipartisan vote of 250–175 in the House, with the support of 15 House Republicans, including Murphy's home-state colleaguesTodd Platts andCharlie Dent.[46]
Murphy voted forAmerican Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009.[47]
In July 2010, the Improper Payments Elimination and Recovery Act was signed into law by President Obama. Congressman Murphy introduced the original bill in 2007, and partnered with Democrats and Republicans alike to get the bill passed. The bill enacted stricter standards among federal agencies to identify improper payments and recover taxpayer dollars that were misspent. By holding government agencies accountable, the law helped eliminate a significant portion of the $98 billion in wasteful government spending each year. The IPERA has cut Medicare errors in half, and has led to the recovery of over $2 billion in overpayments to contractors per year. In total, Murphy's bill has saved taxpayers over $17 billion so far. The OMB projects that the IPERA will save $50 billion over five years.[48]
Murphy has a permit to carry concealed firearms[49] and considers the right to bear arms is guaranteed by theSecond Amendment to the United States Constitution, but with regulation. In 2007, he co-sponsored legislation that would re-authorize a Federal ban onassault weapons.[50]
The following year he signed onto H.R. 861, a bill to establish national concealed-carry reciprocity.[51] Also in 2008, Murphy was an original co-sponsor of legislation that would repeal the District of Columbia's ban on semi-automatic weapons and mandatory handgun registration.[52]
Murphy voted for theAffordable Health Care for America Act on November 7, 2009.[53]
Murphy authored the IMPROVE act (Improving Medicare Policy for Reimbursements through Oversight and Efficiency) to help eliminate fraud in the health care system and protect taxpayer dollars. The bill was signed into law in 2010.[36] He co-authored the bill with a fellow Army JAG and congressman,Tom Rooney.[54]
Murphy sponsored the Officer Daniel Faulkner Children of Fallen Heroes Scholarship Act of 2010 passed the House. Congressman Patrick Murphy sponsored the bill which would assist children whose parent or guardian died as a result of performing service as a law enforcement officer, firefighter, or member of a rescue squad or ambulance crew.[citation needed]
Murphy voted to keep 150,000 police officers and firefighters on the job after their funding was threatened in 2010. In response to this vote, the President of the Philadelphia-area Fraternal Order of Police said: "It's thanks to Patrick Murphy and this measure that Pennsylvania cops can stay on the job, working to keep families safe"[55]
Murphy was nominated for the position ofUnder Secretary of the Army by the President Obama on August 5, 2015. He wasconfirmed byvoice vote on December 18, 2015,[3] and was sworn into the post on January 4, 2016.[5]
Shortly after being sworn in as theUnder Secretary of the Army, Murphy assumed the role of ActingSecretary of the Army. Murphy served in the role for five months whileEric Fanning awaited confirmation.[56]
During his tenure as Acting Secretary, Murphy developed a reputation for being a "Soldier's Secretary."[56] He became well known to soldiers for visiting units across the world, participating in physical training sessions, and for engaging them directly via social media and personally written army-wide emails.[56] Murphy often spent holidays with the troops, including serving Thanksgiving dinner to deployed Soldiers in Kuwait.[57] A former paratrooper, Murphy rappelled off of the Fox 29 Building while being interviewed on live television.[58]
Murphy focused on the Army's recruitment failures the previous five years, which helped the Army hit its recruitment goals of 132,000 Generation Z recruits joining the Army in 2016.[59]
As the 32ndUnder Secretary of the Army and ActingSecretary of the Army, he led the Army's 1.3 million employees and managed its $148 billion budget.
On January 29, 2016, Murphy issued a formal directive opening all combat arms positions to females.[60] He also doubled the maternity and paternity leave available to troops to 12 weeks[61] and was instrumental in ending the ban on transgender people serving in the Army.[62]
After Fanning's confirmation, Murphy resumed his service as the Under Secretary of the Army.
To better connect active troops and Veterans, Murphy worked with Under Secretary of Defense Peter Levine to allow 18.8 million honorably discharged Veterans to shop online at theArmy and Air Force Exchange Service (AAFES).[63] AAFES's analysis projects total exchange sales increasing across of wide range of possibility, from a low of $226 million annually to a high of $1.13. billion[64] This would generate $60 million to $108 million annually in added dividends to support MWR and quality of life programs, without any increase in taxpayer support of base stores.[64]
Murphy adamantly campaigned to fight the stigma within the military associated with seeking mental health treatment.[65] Murphy's key mental health initiative was the development of multidisciplinary behavioral health teams to be embedded into Soldier work areas.[66] The behavioral health teams streamlined mental health services for Soldiers and allowed mental health care providers to form close relationships with deployable unit leaders.[66]
As Secretary, Murphy oversaw the implementation of the world's largest intranet platform - Army Knowledge Online 2.0.
After leaving the Department of the Army, Murphy continued to advise corporations on ways to more efficiently and effectively deliver healthcare services to Veterans.[67] In 2020, Murphy was named Chair of the Government Advisory Board for the Cerner Corporation, facilitating a partnership with the Departments of Defense and Veterans Affairs to modernize their electronic healthcare records.[67]Murphy also serves as a strategic advisor to Northwell Health, the largest health provider for Veterans in New York State aside from the VA, as wellPenn Medicine and other healthcare entities.[68]
Murphy joined his former Congress colleague,Patrick Joseph Kennedy, as an original board member of Psych Hub, a mental health care company focusing on connecting people with mental healthcare practitioners.[69]
After being defeated for re-election in November 2010, Murphy became a partner at Philadelphia law firmFox Rothschild in the litigation department[70] and an adjunct professor at the Widener University School of Law.[71]
On April 26, 2011, Murphy was awarded the John F. Kennedy Jr. Award from the Brown University Democrats.[72]
In June 2011, President Obama appointed Murphy to theUnited States Military Academy's Board of Visitors.[73]
On March 20, 2013, Murphy made his first official appearance as anMSNBC contributor onThe Rachel Maddow Show. Murphy served as an expert on American politics, international affairs and military issues.[74]
In 2016, Murphy was among the .1% of ROTC graduates to be inducted into the Army ROTC Hall of Fame, along withColin Powell,George C. Marshall,Tammy Duckworth andMark Milley.[75]
Murphy serves on several boards, including the Independence Big Brothers and Big Sisters, the Widener University School of Law National Advisory Board, and he is the vice-chair of theDemocratic National Committee Platform Committee.[76]
In 2020, theStudent Veterans of America honored Murphy with the Eisenhower Distinguished Public Service Award.[77]
Murphy is on the faculty of theWharton Business School where he lectures on "Vetrepeneurship."[78]
On February 5, 2024, Murphy endorsedEugene Vindman in the primary election for Virginia's 7th Congressional District.[79]
His boutique venture capital fund has invested tens of millions of dollars in Veteran-owned companies.
Murphy served as a senior national security fellow at theCenter For American Progress until his return to government service as Under Secretary of the Army.[80][81]
Murphy was a fellow with the Institute of Politics at theUniversity of Chicago in Fall 2014.[82] Murphy has served as an adjunct professor of law atWidener University in Pennsylvania, and as a professor of constitutional law atWest Point.[citation needed]
Murphy joined theWharton School of the University of Pennsylvania as a lecturer in 2022.
Murphy served as the host ofTaking The Hill on MSNBC from 2013 to 2015.[83]
Murphy earned an international CLIO Award in October 2014 for his partnership with Grammy Award-winning bandImagine Dragons and theWounded Warrior Project by highlighting positive veterans stories on their road to recovery on his MSNBC show.[84]
Murphy was featured prominently in theHBO documentaryThe Strange History of Don't Ask, Don't Tell. Murphy was included for his role in leading the effort to repeal the policy. He was also featured in theDiscovery Channel documentaryTaking The Hill, which told the story of the 50 veterans of the globalwar on terrorism who ran for Congress in 2006.[85]
Ben Affleck has credited Murphy for being a major inspiration for his portrayal of the character Stephen Collins in the 2009 movieState of Play.[86]
Murphy served as a military consultant forThank You for Your Service (2017) and the upcomingCall of Duty film.[87]
Murphy authored an autobiography entitledTaking the Hill: From Philly to Baghdad to the United States Congress; it was published by Henry Holt and Co. (February 19, 2008);ISBN 978-0-8050-8695-9
Murphy earned anEmmy Award for producing aDocuseries highlighting heroic nurses during COVID entitled "Side by Side: A Celebration of Service."[88]
Murphy married Jennifer Safford on June 17, 2006, they divorced in 2019. They have two children named Jack and Maggie.[89]
In 2010, Murphy was given the Fenn Award by theJohn F. Kennedy Presidential Library's New Frontier Award Committee. The award is presented to a distinguished young elected official in honor of Dan Fenn, the Kennedy Library's first director and a former member of President Kennedy's staff.[90]
On May 12, 2015, Murphy was a survivor of thederailment of anAmtrak train inPhiladelphia. He suffered minor injuries, and was credited with assisting first responders in rescuing individuals trapped in his car. Several media outlets referred to his actions as "heroic".[91]
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Media related toPatrick Murphy (politician) at Wikimedia Commons
| U.S. House of Representatives | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromPennsylvania's 8th congressional district 2007–2011 | Succeeded by |
| Political offices | ||
| Preceded by Thomas Hawley Acting | United States Under Secretary of the Army 2016–2017 | Succeeded by Karl Schneider Acting |
| Preceded by Eric Fanning Acting | United States Secretary of the Army Acting 2016 | 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 |
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| People | |
