Thomas Patrick Murphy (13 December 1906 – 11 September 1978) was an Australian politician and a member of the

New South Wales Legislative Assembly The New South Wales Legislative Assembly is the lower of the two houses of the Parliament of New South Wales, an Australian state. The upper house is the New South Wales Legislative Council. Both the Assembly and Council sit at Parliament Ho ...

between 1953 and 1968. He was a member of the Labor Party (ALP) and held the minor government position of Assistant Minister in 1964–65.

Biography

Murphy was the son of a railway worker and was educated in

Patrician Brothers The Patrician Brothers officially named Brothers of Saint Patrick ( la, Congregatio Fratrum a Sancto Patricio), abbreviated F.S.P. is a Catholic lay religious congregation of Pontifical Right for men founded for the religious and literary educa ...

schools in rural NSW. He worked as a clerk in the

New South Wales Government Railways The New South Wales Government Railways (NSWGR) was the agency of the Government of New South Wales that administered rail transport in New South Wales, Australia, between 1855 and 1932. Management The agency was managed by a range of differe ...

between 1923 and 1953. During World War Two he served in the Middle East with the

Royal Australian Army Medical Corps The Royal Australian Army Medical Corps (RAAMC) is the branch of the Australian Army responsible for providing medical care to Army personnel. The AAMC was formed in 1902 through the amalgamation of medical units of the various Australian coloni ...

of the

Second Australian Imperial Force The Second Australian Imperial Force (2nd AIF, or Second AIF) was the name given to the volunteer expeditionary force of the Australian Army in the Second World War. It was formed following the declaration of war on Nazi Germany, with an initial ...

and reached the rank of sergeant. Following demobilization, Murphy settled in Concord in the western suburbs of Sydney and became involved in community organizations including the

Returned and Services League of Australia The Returned and Services League of Australia (RSL) is a support organisation for people who have served or are serving in the Australian Defence Force. Mission The RSL's mission is to ensure that programs are in place for the well-being, care ...

and the Hibernian Australian Catholic Benefits Society, a provider of health and other insurance. After an unsuccessful attempt to win the seat in

1950 Events January * January 1 – The International Police Association (IPA) – the largest police organization in the world – is formed. * January 5 – 1950 Sverdlovsk plane crash, Sverdlovsk plane crash: ''Aeroflot'' Lisunov Li-2 cr ...

, Murphy was elected to parliament as the Labor member for

Concord Concord may refer to: Meaning "agreement" * Pact or treaty, frequently between nations (indicating a condition of harmony) * Harmony, in music * Agreement (linguistics), a change in the form of a word depending on grammatical features of other ...

at the

1953 Events January * January 6 – The Asian Socialist Conference opens in Rangoon, Burma. * January 12 – Estonian émigrés found a Estonian government-in-exile, government-in-exile in Oslo. * January 14 ** Marshal Josip Broz Tito i ...

state election. He defeated the incumbent

Liberal Liberal or liberalism may refer to: Politics * a supporter of liberalism ** Liberalism by country * an adherent of a Liberal Party * Liberalism (international relations) * Sexually liberal feminism * Social liberalism Arts, entertainment and m ...

member John Adamson. The 1953 election saw Labor make significant gains in marginal seats, particularly in the western suburbs. The seat of Concord was highly

marginal Marginal may refer to: * ''Marginal'' (album), the third album of the Belgian rock band Dead Man Ray, released in 2001 * ''Marginal'' (manga) * '' El Marginal'', Argentine TV series * Marginal seat or marginal constituency or marginal, in polit ...

but Murphy was able to retain it for Labor at the next 4 elections, usually by less than 1000 votes and in

1956 Events January * January 1 – The Anglo-Egyptian Sudan, Anglo-Egyptian Condominium ends in Sudan. * January 8 – Operation Auca: Five U.S. evangelical Christian Missionary, missionaries, Nate Saint, Roger Youderian, Ed McCully, Jim ...

and

1965 Events January–February * January 14 – The Prime Minister of Northern Ireland and the Taoiseach of the Republic of Ireland meet for the first time in 43 years. * January 20 ** Lyndon B. Johnson is Second inauguration of Lyndo ...

by less than 100 votes (approximately 0.2% of the total votes cast). Murphy was appointed to the minor government post of Assistant Minister between 30 April 1964 and 13 May 1965 but he held no other party, parliamentary or ministerial office. The seat of Concord was abolished at the

1968 The year was highlighted by protests and other unrests that occurred worldwide. Events January–February * January 5 – "Prague Spring": Alexander Dubček is chosen as leader of the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia. * Januar ...

election and Murphy unsuccessfully stood for the new seat of Yaralla. He retired from public life after his defeat but became a successful businessman with investments in motels and the wholesale shoe business.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Murphy, Thomas 1906 births 1978 deaths Members of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly Australian Labor Party members of the Parliament of New South Wales 20th-century Australian politicians Australian Army personnel of World War II Australian Army soldiers