John Murtha | |
|---|---|
 Murtha in 2008 | |
| Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromPennsylvania's12th district | |
| In office February 5, 1974 – February 8, 2010 | |
| Preceded by | John Saylor |
| Succeeded by | Mark Critz |
| Member of thePennsylvania House of Representatives from the72nd district | |
| In office May 20, 1969 – February 5, 1974[1] | |
| Preceded by | Edward McNally (elect)[a] |
| Succeeded by | James Whelan |
| Personal details | |
| Born | John Patrick Murtha Jr. (1932-06-17)June 17, 1932 New Martinsville, West Virginia, U.S. |
| Died | February 8, 2010(2010-02-08) (aged 77) Arlington, Virginia, U.S. |
| Resting place | Grandview Cemetery |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse | Joyce Murtha |
| Children | 3 |
| Education | Washington and Jefferson College University of Pittsburgh (BA) Indiana University of Pennsylvania |
| Civilian awards | |
| Signature |  |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |  United States |
| Branch/service |  United States Marine Corps |
| Years of service | 1952–1990 |
| Rank |  Colonel |
| Battles/wars | Vietnam War |
| Military awards | |
Murtha speaks on the FY1995 National Defense Authorization Act Recorded September 29, 1994 | |
| a.^ McNally was elected in November 1968. However, he died shortly after being elected, and thus was never sworn in.[3] | |
John Patrick Murtha Jr. (/ˈmɜːrθə/MUR-thə; June 17, 1932 – February 8, 2010) was anAmerican politician from theCommonwealth ofPennsylvania. Murtha, aDemocrat, representedPennsylvania's 12th congressional district in theUnited States House of Representatives from 1974 until his death in 2010.[4][5][6][7] He is the longest-serving member of the United States House of Representatives ever elected from Pennsylvania.
A former Marine Corps officer, Murtha was the firstVietnam War veteran elected to theU.S. House of Representatives. A member of thePennsylvania House from 1969 to 1974, he narrowly won a special election to Congress in 1974 and was successively reelected every two years until his death. In the first decade of the 21st century, Murtha had been best known for his calls for a withdrawal of American forces inIraq, as well as questions about his ethics.[8]
In 2006, after the Democrats won control of the House of Representatives in the2006 midterm elections he made an unsuccessful bid to be electedHouse Majority Leader during the110th Congress (2007–2009) with the support of the newHouse Speaker,Nancy Pelosi, losing toSteny Hoyer of Maryland.[9][10] As the Democrats became the majority party in the House in 2007, Murtha re-assumed his chairmanship of theHouse Appropriations'Defense Subcommittee. He had previously chaired this subcommittee from 1989 to 1995 and served as itsranking member from 1995 to 2007.
Murtha was born into an Irish-American family inNew Martinsville, West Virginia, near the border withOhio andPennsylvania, and grew up inPaden City, West Virginia and thenWestmoreland County, Pennsylvania, a largely suburban county east ofPittsburgh. He was the son of Mary Edna (née Ray) and John Patrick Murtha.[11]
As a youth, he became anEagle Scout. He also worked delivering newspapers and at a gas station before graduating fromThe Kiski School, an all-male boarding school inSaltsburg, Pennsylvania.
Murtha leftWashington and Jefferson College in 1952 to join theMarine Corps and was awarded theAmerican Spirit Honor Medal for displaying outstanding leadership qualities during training. He became adrill instructor atParris Island and was selected forOfficer Candidate School atQuantico, Virginia. He was then assigned to theSecond Marine Division,Camp Lejeune,North Carolina. As an undergraduate, Murtha was initiated into theKappa Sigma fraternity.
Murtha remained in theMarine Forces Reserve and ran asmall business, Johnstown Minute Car Wash (which still operates in the West End section of Johnstown). He also attended theUniversity of Pittsburgh on theG.I. Bill, and received a degree in economics. Murtha later took graduate courses from theIndiana University of Pennsylvania.
Murtha left the Marines in 1955. He remained in the Reserves after his discharge from active duty until he volunteered for service in theVietnam War, serving from 1966 to 1967, serving as abattalionstaff officer (S-2Intelligence Section) with the1st Battalion, 1st Marine Regiment,1st Marine Division, receiving theBronze Star withValor device, twoPurple Hearts, and theVietnamese Cross of Gallantry. He retired from the Marine Corps Reserve as acolonel in 1990, receiving theNavy Distinguished Service Medal.
Soon after returning from Vietnam, Murtha won the Democratic nomination for what was then the 22nd District, which was based in Johnstown. He lost fairly handily to longtimeRepublican incumbentJohn Saylor.
Murtha was elected to represent the72nd legislative district in thePennsylvania House of Representatives in a special election on May 20, 1969. The election was triggered by the death of RepresentativeEdward McNally, who died in November 1968.[12] He was elected to a full term in 1970.
Congressman Saylor died in October 1973, nine months into his 13th term. Murtha immediately jumped into the special election contest in what was now the 12th District. In the February 1974 special election, which took place during the burgeoningWatergate scandal, Murtha defeated one of Saylor's former aides, Harry Fox, by only 242 votes, and was sworn in on February 20.[1] He defeated Fox for a full term by a significantly wider margin in the general election that November and was re-elected 17 times.
Murtha faced tough primary challenges in 1982, 1990 and again in 2002. The 1982 challenge occurred when the Republican-controlled state legislature took advantage of Murtha's connection toAbscam and incorporated most of the district of fellow Vietnam War veteran and DemocratDon Bailey of Westmoreland County into the 12th District. The 2002 challenge occurred when the state legislature redrew the district of DemocratFrank Mascara to make it more Republican-friendly, shifting a large chunk of Mascara's former territory into Murtha's district. Mascara opted to run against Murtha in the Democratic primary since the new 12th was geographically more his district than Murtha's. However, Mascara was badly defeated.[13] Murtha was a moderate-to-conservative democrat.
In 2002, Murtha managedNancy Pelosi's campaign to become House Minority Whip where she defeatedSteny Hoyer.[1]
In 2006, Murtha's Republican challenger was Diana Irey, a county commissioner fromWashington County, the heart of Mascara's former district. Irey attacked Murtha for his criticism of the Iraq war. Even though Irey was Murtha's strongest Republican opponent in decades, she polled well behind Murtha throughout the campaign. A poll by thePittsburgh Tribune-Review on October 12, 2006, showed Murtha with a commanding lead over Irey, 57%–30%.[14] In the November election, Murtha won 61%–39%.[15]
On June 9, 2006, Murtha informedMinority LeaderNancy Pelosi that he would run forMajority Leader if the Democrats gained control of the House in the2006 midterm elections. Despite Murtha receiving Pelosi's support,Steny Hoyer was elected to the post.[9][2]
On March 18, 2008, Murtha endorsedHillary Clinton, formerFirst Lady and thensenator from New York, inher bid for the presidency.[16]
On February 6, 2010, two days before his death, Murtha became the longest-serving Pennsylvania congressman in history.[17] Although he was not sworn into office until February 20, 1974, House of Representatives rules state that Murtha's service began at his election because the seat was vacant.
In 2009, Murtha heard details fromFort Benning U.S. Army soldiers on how their current uniforms and equipment were not providing camouflage inIraq andAfghanistan during a personal visit. Murtha immediately took action and convinced the army to fix the camouflage problem, resulting inMultiCam being selected by the Secretary of the ArmyJohn McHugh for all incoming soldiers deploying to Afghanistan in 2010, only weeks after Murtha had died.[18]
In 1980, during his fourth term as a Congressman, Murtha became embroiled in theAbscam investigation, which targeted dozens of congressmen. The investigation entailed FBI operatives posing as intermediaries for Saudi nationals hoping to bribe their way through the immigration process into the United States. Murtha met with these operatives and was videotaped. He did agree to testify againstFrank Thompson (D-NJ) andJohn Murphy (D-NY), the two Congressmen mentioned as participants in the deal at the same meeting and who were later videotaped placing the cash bribes in their trousers. The FBI videotaped Murtha responding to an offer of $50,000, with Murtha saying, "I'm not interested... at this point. [If] we do business for a while, maybe I'll be interested, maybe I won't," right after Murtha had offered to provide names of businesses and banks in his district where money could be invested legally.[19] The U.S. Attorney's Office reasoned that Murtha's intent was to obtain investment in his district. Full length viewing of the tape shows Murtha citing prospective investment opportunities that could return "500 or 1000" miners to work.
Murtha was targeted byCitizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington as one of the 20 most corrupt members of Congress.[20][21][22]
In September 2006, theCitizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) listed Murtha under Five Members to Watch in its Second Annual Most Corrupt Members of Congress Report. The report cited Murtha's steering of defense appropriations to clients of KSA Consulting, which employed his brother Robert, and the PMA Group, founded by Paul Magliocchetti, a former senior staffer on the Appropriations Committee Subcommittee on Defense.[23]
In 2008,Esquire Magazine named him one of the 10 worst members of Congress because of his opposition to ethics reform and the $100 million a year he brought to his district inearmarks.[24] TheWall Street Journal has called him "one of Congress's most unapologetic earmarkers."[25] According to thePennsylvania Report, Murtha was one of "Pennsylvania's most powerful congressmen" and a "master of crossing the aisle and bringing pork into his district."[26]
In February 2009,CQ Politics reported that Murtha was one of 104 U.S. representatives to earmark funds in the 2008Defense appropriations spending bill for alobbying group that had contributed to his past election campaigns. The spending bill, which was managed by Murtha in his capacity as chairman of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense, secured $38.1 million for clients of thePMA Group in the single fiscal law.[27] The PMA Group was under investigation by the FBI.[28]
In March 2009, theWashington Post reported that a Pennsylvania defense research center regularly consulted with two "handlers" close to Murtha while it received nearly $250 million in federal funding via Murtha's earmarks. The center then channeled a significant portion of the funding to companies that were among Murtha's campaign supporters.[29]
Murtha voted for the October 2002 resolution[30] that authorized the use of force againstIraq. However, he later began expressing doubts about the war. On March 17, 2004, when Republicans offered a "War in Iraq Anniversary Resolution" that "affirms that the United States and the world have been made safer with the removal of Saddam Hussein and his regime from power in Iraq,"[31] whenJ. D. Hayworth called for a recorded vote, Murtha voted against it.[32]
Still, in early 2005 Murtha argued against the withdrawal of American troops from Iraq. "A premature withdrawal of our troops based on a political timetable could rapidly devolve into a civil war which would leave America's foreign policy in disarray as countries question not only America's judgment but also its perseverance," he stated.[33]
In 2006, after Murtha became a leading critic of the Iraq War, a conservative website, theCybercast News Service (part ofL. Brent Bozell III'sMedia Research Center) published an article that "quoted Murtha opponents as questioning the circumstances surrounding the awarding of his two Purple Hearts."[34] The attack recalled the "swiftboating" tactic used against SenatorJohn Kerry two years early.[34] A Murtha spokesman called the allegations "an attempt to distract attention from what's happening in Iraq."[34]
On November 17, 2005, Murtha submitted H.J. Res. 73 in theHouse of Representatives, calling for the redeployment of U.S. troops in Iraq, saying, "The U.S. cannot accomplish anything further in Iraq militarily. It is time to bring them home."[35]
The bill cited lack of progress towards stabilizing Iraq, the possibility that a draft would be required to sustain sufficient troop numbers, Iraqi disapproval of US forces and approval of attacks on the soldiers, and the increasing costs of the war. The bill proposed that deployment to Iraq be suspended and that US Marines establish an "over-the-horizon" presence in nearby countries.[36]
Murtha's comments forced a heated debate on the floor of the House on November 18.[37] Republicans led byDuncan Hunter of California, chairman of theHouse Armed Services Committee, responded by proposing their own resolution (H. Res. 571), which many Republicans said was intended to demonstrate that those calling for immediate troop withdrawal from Iraq were "out of the mainstream." Murtha himself took the floor during debate on the resolution after the Democrats yielded all their time to him, and denounced the Hunter resolution as a sham. As expected, Hunter's resolution was defeated, with only three congressmen voting aye.
On November 19, 2005, during debate on adopting the rule for the resolution, CongresswomanJean Schmidt (R-Ohio) made a statement attributed toDanny Bubp, anOhio state Representative and Marine Corps reservist. The statement, "He also asked me to give Congressman Murtha a message: that cowards cut and run; Marines never do," was seen as an unwarranted "cheap shot" against Murtha, and outraged Democrats brought House business to a halt for ten minutes until Schmidt herself asked and received permission to withdraw her comments. Bubp has since stated that he never mentioned Murtha when making the quoted comment. He added that he would never question the courage of a fellow Marine. Bubp later said, "I don't want to be interjected into this. I wish (Congresswoman Schmidt) never used my name."[38]
TheHaditha incident occurred on November 19, 2005, and since then there have been differing accounts of exactly what took place.
In November 2005 Murtha announced that a military investigation into the Haditha killings had concluded that U.S. Marines had intentionally killed innocent civilians.[39] Referring to the first report about Haditha[40] inTime magazine, Murtha said:[41]
It's much worse than reported inTime magazine. There was no firefight. There was no IED that killed these innocent people. Our troops overreacted because of the pressure on them and they killed innocent civilians in cold blood. And that's what the report is going to tell.
The Marine Corps responded to Murtha's announcement by stating that "there is an ongoing investigation; therefore, any comment at this time would be inappropriate and could undermine the investigatory and possible legal process."[42] Murtha was criticized by conservatives for presenting a version of events as simple fact before an official investigation had been concluded.[43]
In August 2006, Staff SergeantFrank Wuterich filed a lawsuit against Murtha for character defamation during an ongoing investigation into the Haditha incident. In April 2009 this suit was dismissed by a federal appeals court, which ruled that Murtha could not be sued because he was acting in his official role as a lawmaker when he made the statements.[44]
On December 21, 2006, the US military charged Wuterich with 12 counts of unpremeditated murder against individuals and one count of the murder of six people "while engaged in an act inherently dangerous to others."[45] Charges were subsequently dropped against seven of the eight Marines involved: Capt. Lucas McConnell,[46] Lt. Col. Jeffrey Chessani,[47] Sgt. Sanick Dela Cruz,[48] Lance Corporal Stephen Tatum,[49] Lance Corporal Justin Sharratt, Capt. Randy Stone, and 1st Lt. Andrew Grayson. Only Staff Sergeant Frank Wuterich still faced trial on 9 counts of involuntary manslaughter,[50] and in 2012 as part of a plea deal he pleaded guilty to one count of negligent dereliction of duty.[51]
In a speech atFlorida International University on June 24, 2006,[52] Murtha said that the military presence in Iraq was hurting U.S. credibility, citing a poll by thePew Research Center indicating that people in several countries considered the U.S. in Iraq to be a greater threat to world peace than eitherIran orNorth Korea.[53] When theSouth Florida Sun-Sentinel reported the speech on June 25, it asserted without further evidence that it was Murtha'sown view that the U.S. was a greater threat to world peace: "American presence in Iraq is more dangerous to world peace than nuclear threats from North Korea or Iran, U.S. Representative John Murtha, D-Pa., said to a crowd of more than 200 in North Miami Saturday afternoon."[54]
TheSun-Sentinel story was picked up by the wire services and theDrudge Report website,[55] leading several conservative pundits, includingBill O'Reilly,[56]Tucker Carlson,[57] andNewt Gingrich[58] to comment. After theSun-Sentinel issued a correction,[59] O'Reilly publicly apologized.[60]
After having endorsedHillary Clinton, commenting on the prospects for the election ofBarack Obama during the2008 presidential campaign, Murtha became the subject of controversy after deriding many of his ownconstituents as "racists" who would not vote for Obama because he isblack. In response to the outrage at his comments, he apologized but then reiterated the point by saying, "[T]here's still folks that have a problem voting for someone because they are black. This whole area, years ago, was really redneck."[61]
Murtha generally opposedgun control, earning an "A" rating from theNRA Political Victory Fund.[62]
In 2004, he was one of only two congressmen to vote for a measure proposing reinstatement ofthe draft.[63]
Murtha voted for theAffordable Healthcare for America Act (HR 3692), which passed the House 220–215 on November 7, 2009.[64] He said of the bill, "For nearly a century, both Democrats and Republicans have failed to enact comprehensive health care reform. Today's historic vote moves us closer to solving America's health care crisis."[65] However, Murtha did not support allowing abortions as part of health care reform. He voted for theStupak–Pitts Amendment to the health care bill that prohibits elective abortions for people covered by the public healthcare plan and to prohibit people receiving federal assistance from purchasing a private healthcare plan that includes abortions, except when the woman's life is in danger.[66] He also voted for a bill to prohibit pregnant minors from crossing state borders to obtain abortions.[67]
In August 2009, Murtha refusedRepublican challenger Tim Burns' invitation to attend atown hall meeting focused on healthcare (at the time, Murtha had not yet hosted a town hall meeting);[68] however, Murtha had held several conference call sessions with his constituents focused on healthcare.[68]
Murtha, ananti-abortion Democrat, did not receive favorable ratings from abortion and reproductive health interest groups.[69] Planned Parenthood, whose stated purpose is "to provide comprehensive reproductive and complementary health care," gave him a rating of 50% in 2009.[70][71] He received a rating of 50% from the National Family Planning and Reproductive Health Association, which advocates "access to voluntary, comprehensive andculturally sensitive family planning and reproductive health care services and... reproductive freedom for all".[70][72]
He married his wife Joyce on June 10, 1955. They had three children: a daughter, Donna, and twin sons, Patrick and John M., who live in Johnstown.
Murtha was first hospitalized withgallbladder problems for a few days in December 2009 and had surgery on January 28, 2010, atBethesda Naval Hospital. Longtime friend and fellow Pennsylvania Democratic representativeBob Brady said Murtha'slarge intestine was damaged during the normally routinelaparoscopic surgery, causing an infection.[73][74][75] Due to thecomplication, Murtha was again hospitalized two days later, and died on the afternoon of February 8, 2010, in the Virginia Hospital Center inArlington, Virginia, with his family by his side.[76][77] He was buried on February 16, 2010, atGrandview Cemetery inJohnstown, Pennsylvania.[78]
Speaker of the HouseNancy Pelosi said in a statement on the day of his death, "With the passing of John Murtha, America has lost a great patriot." House Republican LeaderJohn Boehner said, "Our nation has lost a decorated veteran."[79][80]
On April 9, 2010,Secretary of the NavyRay Mabus signed an official memo to theChief of Naval Operations, designating the naming of anamphibious transport dock (LPD), a type of naval warship, as theUSS John P. Murtha (LPD-26).[81] TheNavy Times said the official announcement "added fuel to an already smoldering backlash online."[82]
In October 2011, it was revealed that the FBI had investigated Murtha for possible ethics violations.[83] No charges were ever filed.[84]
Aspecial election was held to fill the seat left vacant by the late congressman, taking place on May 18 to coincide with that state's primaries for Senate and governor.[85] The Democratic candidate,Mark Critz, defeated Republican candidateTim Burns to win Murtha's seat.[86]
The University of Pittsburgh houses The John P. Murtha Congressional Papers containing the documentation of Representative Murtha and his duties while in office. The collection contains correspondence, legislative files, reports, subjects covering the Defense Department, the Department of the Interior, economic development, energy, and labor. The collection also contains photographic and audio-video materials, memorabilia, and awards.[87][88]
TheJohn Murtha Johnstown–Cambria County Airport is named after the Congressman.
Despite some lingering confusion about the nature in which it was done, it appears now that John P. Murtha has officially resigned as a member of the Pennsylvania General Assembly, effective February 5 [...] The new U.S. Representative from the 12th Congressional District was sworn in as a member of Congress last Wednesday [February 20].
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link). Reuters AlertNet. Retrieved February 11, 2013.
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| Pennsylvania House of Representatives | ||
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| Preceded by Edward McNally Elect | Member of thePennsylvania House of Representatives from the72nd district 1969–1973 | Succeeded by |
| U.S. House of Representatives | ||
| Preceded by | Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromPennsylvania's 12th congressional district 1974–2010 | Succeeded by |
| International | |
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| National | |
| People | |
| Other | |
