Matthew Scott Murphy[1] (born January 26, 1970) is an American entrepreneur and politician. He represented parts of New York state's Capital District (excluding the city of Albany) in the United 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.
Scott Murphy | |
|---|---|
 Murphy in 2009 | |
| Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from New York's 20th district | |
| In office April 29, 2009 – January 3, 2011 | |
| Preceded by | Kirsten Gillibrand |
| Succeeded by | Chris Gibson |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Matthew Scott Murphy January 26, 1970 Columbia, Missouri, U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse | Jennifer Hogan |
| Children | 3 |
| Residence(s) | Glens Falls, New York, U.S. |
| Alma mater | Harvard University (AB) |
| Occupation | Entrepreneur/venture capitalist |
He is a member of the Democratic Party and was a member of the Blue Dog Coalition in Congress.[2]
Early life, education and career
editThe son of a teacher and mail carrier, Murphy graduated from the David H. Hickman High School in Columbia, Missouri, in 1988,[3][4] He later graduated magna cum laude from Harvard College.
Murphy worked for Bankers 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 the dot-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, Deputy Chief of Staff, and fundraiser for former Governors of Missouri Mel Carnahan and Roger B. Wilson.[citation needed]
U.S. House of Representatives
edit2009 special election
edit
On January 22, 2009, Congresswoman Kirsten Gillibrand, a Democrat representing New York's 20th congressional district, was appointed by Governor David Paterson to fill the United States Senate seat vacated by Hillary Clinton, who assumed the office of United States Secretary of State in the Obama administration.[8]
On February 1, 2009, Murphy was chosen by a unanimous vote of ten Democratic county chairs to be their party's nominee for 2009 special election to fill Gillibrand's seat in the House.[9][10]
Murphy ran against Republican nominee Jim Tedisco from Schenectady, who, until April 2009, was the Minority Leader of the New York State Assembly. Murphy was endorsed by President Barack 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]
Tenure
editOn November 7, 2009, Murphy voted against the Affordable Health Care for America Act.[17] Murphy opposed the Stupak Amendment, which proposed to restrict federal funding and subsidies for plans that cover elective abortion.[18]
In March 2010, Murphy supported the Patient 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.
Committee assignments
editRep. Murphy served on the same two committees as his predecessor, now-Senator Kirsten Gillibrand:
Electoral history
edit| 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 | ||||
| Democratic hold | 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 | ||
Personal life
editMurphy is married to Jennifer Hogan, a native of Washington 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]
References
edit- ^ a b "WEDDINGS; Jennifer Hogan, Scott Murphy". The New York Times. 2000-03-12. Retrieved 2009-02-18.
- ^ "Our People: Scott Murphy". advantagecap.com. Retrieved 2009-02-15.
- ^ "Class of 1988 David H. Hickman High School". Kewpie.net. Retrieved 2016-09-16.
- ^ "The One Hundred Twelfth Commencement Exercises" (PDF). Kewpie.net. Retrieved 2016-09-16.
- ^ New partners commit $30 million to iXL, Elizabeth Vaeth, Atlanta Business Chronicle, January 23, 1998
- ^ "Board of Directors 2008—2009". Upstate Venture Association of New York, Inc. Retrieved 2009-02-15.
- ^ Liu, Irene Jay (2009-03-28). "Gillibrand campaigns for Murphy". Times Union. Albany, NY: Hearst Corporation. Retrieved 2010-10-31.
- ^ "99th in Senate, Gillibrand Faces Many Challenges". Times Union. Albany, NY: Hearst Corporation. 2009-01-24. Retrieved 2010-11-01.
- ^ Hutchins, Ryan; Liu, Irene Jay (2009-02-01). "6 Democrats Make Party's Cut". Times Union. Albany, NY: Hearst Corporation. p. C1. Retrieved 2010-11-01.
- ^ DeMare, Carol (2009-02-02). "Democrats tap new face in 20th District". Times Union. Albany, NY: Hearst Corporation. p. A1. Retrieved 2010-11-01.
- ^ "President Obama Endorses Scott Murphy for Congress" (Press release). scottmurphy09.com. 2009-02-25.
- ^ "Absentee Ballots to Decide N.Y. House Race". Washingtonpost.com. Retrieved 2016-09-16.
- ^ "The Associated Press: Razor-thin NY House election goes to absentees". Google News. Archived from the original on 4 April 2009. Retrieved 13 January 2022.
- ^ "Unofficial Combined Machine and Paper Results for NY 20th Congressional District" (PDF). New York State Board of Elections. 2009-04-23. Retrieved 24 April 2009.
- ^ Liu, Irene Jay; Hornbeck, Leigh (2009-04-25). "Murphy Going to Congress". Times Union. Albany, NY: Hearst Corporation. p. A1. Retrieved 2010-11-01.
- ^ "Murphy sworn in surrounded by his 'very large family'". Times Union. Albany, NY: Hearst Corporation. 2009-04-29. Retrieved 2009-04-29.
- ^ Hossain, Farhana; Tse, Archie (2009-11-08). "House Democrats Who Voted Against the Health Care Bill". The New York Times. Retrieved 2010-05-23.
- ^ "House Vote 884 - Restricts Federal Funding for Abortion". The New York Times. Retrieved 2010-05-23.
- ^ "FINAL VOTE RESULTS FOR ROLL CALL 165" (XML). Clerk.house.gov. Retrieved 2016-09-16.
- ^ "Protecting Students from Sexual and Violent Predators Act". 22 December 2010.
- ^ "Statement of Canvass: 20th Congressional District" (PDF). New York State Board of Elections. May 2009. Retrieved May 15, 2009.
- ^ "NYS Board of Elections". NYS Board of Elections. 2010-11-02. Retrieved 2014-11-17.
External links
edit
- Appearances on C-SPAN
- United States Congress. "Scott Murphy (id: M001178)". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress.