Kevin Murphy (April 9, 1937 – March 5, 2012) was appointed as Irish

Ombudsman An ombudsman (, also ,), ombud, ombuds, ombudswoman, ombudsperson or public advocate is an official who is usually appointed by the government or by parliament (usually with a significant degree of independence) to investigate complaints and at ...

by the President of Ireland,

Mary Robinson Mary Therese Winifred Robinson ( ga, Máire Mhic Róibín; ; born 21 May 1944) is an Irish politician who was the 7th president of Ireland, serving from December 1990 to September 1997, the first woman to hold this office. Prior to her electi ...

, upon nomination by both Houses of the

Oireachtas The Oireachtas (, ), sometimes referred to as Oireachtas Éireann, is the Bicameralism, bicameral parliament of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. The Oireachtas consists of: *The President of Ireland *The bicameralism, two houses of the Oireachtas ...

. His term of office began November 1, 1994 and ended in 2003.

Career

He was educated at

Synge Street CBS Synge Street CBS (colloquially Synger) is a boys' non-fee-paying state school, under the auspices of the Edmund Rice Schools Trust, located in the Dublin 8 area of Dublin, Ireland. The school was founded in 1864 by Canon ...

before joining the civil service in 1955. Murphy served in the Department of Industry and Commerce, in the Department of Finance, and joined the newly created Department of the Public Service in 1973. He became Secretary-General of the latter in 1983. In 1987, he was appointed Secretary-General, Public Service Management and Development at the Department of Finance. He was appointed Ombudsman in November 1994. where he dealt with complaints against government departments, local authorities, and other public bodies. Under the terms of the

Freedom of Information Act Freedom of Information Act may refer to the following legislations in different jurisdictions which mandate the national government to disclose certain data to the general public upon request: * Freedom of Information Act 1982, the Australian act * ...

, 1997, he also held the newly created office of Information Commissioner from April 1998.IJPP Obituaries
Irish Journal of Public Policy. 2012-05-22. The Information Commissioner may review decisions of public bodies in relation to requests for access to information. In June 2003,

Emily O'Reilly Emily O'Reilly is an author and former journalist and broadcaster who became Ireland's first female Ombudsman in 2003, succeeding Kevin Murphy. On 3 July 2013, she was voted European Ombudsman by the European Parliament. She was re-elected ...

succeeded him in both posts. Although Murphy retired from employment in 2002 when he turned 65, he has continued to serve Ireland in public life, including sitting on a committee to appoint members of the new Irish Press commission in 2006.

Personal life

Murphy was educated at

. He was married with four children and died 6 March 2012, aged 75.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Murphy, Kevin Ombudsmen in the Republic of Ireland 2012 deaths 1937 births People educated at Synge Street CBS