Evelyn Murphy (born May 14, 1940) is an American businesswoman and politician who was the 67th
Lieutenant Governor of Massachusetts
The lieutenant governor of Massachusetts is the first in the line to discharge the powers and duties of the office of governor following the incapacitation of the Governor of Massachusetts. The constitutional honorific title for the office is His ...
from 1987 to 1991, being the first woman in the history of the state to hold a constitutional office.
She is now the president of The WAGE Project, a
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
nonprofit organization dedicated to eliminating
wage discrimination against women; a resident scholar at the Women's Studies Research Center at
Brandeis University
, mottoeng = "Truth even unto its innermost parts"
, established =
, type = Private research university
, accreditation = NECHE
, president = Ronald D. Liebowitz
, pro ...
, and a corporate director.
Early life and education
Murphy was born in 1940 in
Ancón, Panama
Ancón is a corregimiento in Panamá District, Panamá Province, Panama with a population of 29,761 as of 2010. Its population as of 1990 was 11,518; its population as of 2000 was 11,169. It is sometimes considered a suburb or small town within P ...
, to American citizens. Her father was stationed with the army in the
Panama Canal Zone
The Panama Canal Zone ( es, Zona del Canal de Panamá), also simply known as the Canal Zone, was an unincorporated territory of the United States, located in the Isthmus of Panama, that existed from 1903 to 1979. It was located within the terr ...
, where her mother joined him in 1939. At the age of six weeks, Murphy was brought to her grandmother's home in Massachusetts. She continued to hold dual U.S.-Panamanian citizenship until the age of 19, when she took the oath of U.S. citizenship in Washington, D.C.
Murphy earned a bachelor's degree in mathematics from
Duke University
Duke University is a private research university in Durham, North Carolina. Founded by Methodists and Quakers in the present-day city of Trinity in 1838, the school moved to Durham in 1892. In 1924, tobacco and electric power industrialist James ...
, a master's degree in economics from
Columbia University
Columbia University (also known as Columbia, and officially as Columbia University in the City of New York) is a private research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Church in Manhatt ...
, and a doctorate in economics from Duke University.
She was a
fellow
A fellow is a concept whose exact meaning depends on context.
In learned or professional societies, it refers to a privileged member who is specially elected in recognition of their work and achievements.
Within the context of higher education ...
at the Institute of Politics of
Harvard
Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of higher le ...
's Kennedy School of Government.
Political career
Murphy served as Massachusetts Secretary of Environmental Affairs from 1974 to 1978. In September 1979 President
Jimmy Carter
James Earl Carter Jr. (born October 1, 1924) is an American politician who served as the 39th president of the United States from 1977 to 1981. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, he previously served as th ...
named her to the chairmanship of the National Advisory Committee on Oceans and Atmosphere.
In 1982 Murphy sought the Democratic nomination for Lieutenant Governor, losing to John Kerry. In 1983 she was appointed Secretary of Economic Affairs, a position she held until 1985.
Lieutenant governor
In 1986 Murphy ran for Lieutenant Governor against State Senator
Gerard D'Amico
Gerard D'Amico is an American politician who served in the Massachusetts Senate from 1977 to 1987 and was a member of the Worcester, Massachusetts School Committee from 1972 to 1976. He was a candidate for Lieutenant Governor of Massachusetts in 1 ...
in the Democratic primary, winning by 374,714 votes (60.10%) to 248,671 votes (39.89%) for D'Amico. In the general election, the
Dukakis-Murphy team garnered 1,157,786 votes (65.15%) versus 525,364 votes (19.56%) for
George Kariotis
George S. Kariotis (February 22, 1923 – July 7, 2013) was an American businessman who was the Republican Party nominee for Governor of Massachusetts in 1986.
Kariotis was born on February 22, 1923. He was the son of Greek immigran ...
and Nicholas Nikitas.
During her tenure as Lieutenant Governor, Murphy had little communication with Governor Dukakis.
She described their relationship by stating "there is no good will here and certainly no mutual respect".
Dukakis did not invite Murphy to key meetings and did not tell her when he was out of state campaigning for
President of the United States
The president of the United States (POTUS) is the head of state and head of government of the United States of America. The president directs the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United Stat ...
.
Thus, she would serve as acting governor without even knowing it.
1990 gubernatorial election
After Dukakis announced that he was not running for
Governor of Massachusetts in 1990, Murphy entered the race. With strong name recognition and a solid base of liberal support, Murphy was the early frontrunner. In July 1989, Murphy led Attorney General
Francis X. Bellotti 42% to 18% in a
Boston Globe
''The Boston Globe'' is an American daily newspaper founded and based in Boston, Massachusetts. The newspaper has won a total of 27 Pulitzer Prizes, and has a total circulation of close to 300,000 print and digital subscribers. ''The Boston Glob ...
poll. That November, Murphy still led Bellotti, but only by 2%. In January, after Bellotti's first wave of television commercials and the entry of
Boston University
Boston University (BU) is a private research university in Boston, Massachusetts. The university is nonsectarian, but has a historical affiliation with the United Methodist Church. It was founded in 1839 by Methodists with its original campu ...
President
John Silber
John Robert Silber (August 15, 1926 – September 27, 2012) was an American academician and candidate for public office. From 1971 to 1996, he was President of Boston University (BU) and, from 1996 to 2002, Chancellor. From 2002 to 2003, he again ...
into the race, Murphy fell to 20% to Bellotti's 38% and Silber's 16%.
At the 1990 Democratic Convention, Bellotti won the convention endorsement with 51% to Murphy's 40% on the second ballot. Silber received 15.5% on the first ballot, which allowed him to run in the primary.
Murphy's campaign appeared to be badly hurt by the public perception that she was close to the unpopular Dukakis and therefore tried to make a break with the Dukakis Administration.
Dukakis twice postponed a trade mission to Europe because Murphy hinted at a news conference that she would execute her own economic plan while serving as acting governor.
After the incident, Murphy's unfavorable rating rose to 49% in a Boston Globe/
WBZ-TV
WBZ-TV (channel 4) is a television station in Boston, Massachusetts, United States, airing programming from the CBS network. It is owned and operated by the network's CBS News and Stations division alongside independent station WSBK-TV (channe ...
poll, compared to 38% a month earlier.
A week before the primary, Murphy withdrew from the race so that she would not be a spoiler in the race and cost fellow liberal Bellotti the nomination.
Bellotti would lose the nomination to Silber 53% to 44%.
Corporate career
In 1990 Murphy entered the corporate world. She became managing director of the law firm Brown, Rudnick, Freed & Gesmer, and corporate director of Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Massachusetts, Shawmut National Banks, Fleet National Bank, Fleet Mortgage Company, and Fleet Credit Card Corporation. Blue Cross recruited her to the position of executive vice president in charge of federal and stage media and civic relations. During the latter job, she founded Blue Cross' HealthCare Policy Institute.
Today Murphy is a resident scholar at the Women's Studies Research Center at Brandeis University, vice chair of the board of SBLI USA Mutual Life Insurance Company, a director of the
Citizens Energy Corporation
Citizens Energy Corporation is a non-profit organization that primarily aids poor and elderly households in Massachusetts and internationally by organizing projects to provide discounted and free home heating services and supplies. They also co ...
, a director of the
Commonwealth Institute
The Commonwealth Education Trust is a registered charity established in 2007 as the successor trust to the Commonwealth Institute. The trust focuses on primary and secondary education and the training of teachers and invests on educational pro ...
, and a trustee of
Regis College.
She has been awarded 11 honorary degrees and over 100 national, state, and local awards.
The WAGE Project
Her 2005 book, ''Getting Even: Why women don't get paid like men and what to do about it'' was the product of a research effort lasting eight years.
In conjunction with the book, Murphy founded The WAGE Project (Women Are Getting Even) to battle wage discrimination against working women.
She has testified before
U.S. Senate
The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States.
The composition and powe ...
and
House
A house is a single-unit residential building. It may range in complexity from a rudimentary hut to a complex structure of wood, masonry, concrete or other material, outfitted with plumbing, electrical, and heating, ventilation, and air condi ...
committee hearings on pay discrimination against women.
See also
*
List of female lieutenant governors in the United States
As of January 18, 2023, there are 22 women currently serving (excluding acting capacity) as lieutenant governors in the United States. Overall, 118 women have served (including acting capacity).
Women have been elected lieutenant governor from 4 ...
References
External links
*
Papers of Evelyn F. Murphy, 1940-2015: A Finding Aid.Schlesinger Library
Radcliffe Institute, Harvard University.
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Murphy, Evelyn
1940 births
Duke University Trinity College of Arts and Sciences alumni
Columbia University alumni
Lieutenant Governors of Massachusetts
Massachusetts Secretaries of Environmental Affairs
Living people
Women in Massachusetts politics
Massachusetts Democrats
21st-century American women