Thomas W. Murphy Jr. (born October 29, 1942) was an American schoolteacher, newspaper publisher and politician from

Maine Maine () is a state in the New England and Northeastern regions of the United States. It borders New Hampshire to the west, the Gulf of Maine to the southeast, and the Canadian provinces of New Brunswick and Quebec to the northeast and ...

. Murphy, a

Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

, served eight terms (1981-1988; 1997-2004) in the Maine House of Representatives. During his time in the House, he was chosen minority leader of the Republican caucus on three separate occasions (1985-1988; 1999-2000). He also served as chair of the Maine Republican Party for 1988–1989. Murphy was born on October 29, 1942 in

New Haven, Connecticut New Haven is a city in the U.S. state of Connecticut. It is located on New Haven Harbor on the northern shore of Long Island Sound in New Haven County, Connecticut and is part of the New York City metropolitan area. With a population of 134 ...

. He served in the United States Marine Corps Reserves from 1960 to 1966 and graduated from the

University of Nebraska-Lincoln A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, th ...

in 1967 with a B.S. in education. He moved to Maine and became a resident of

Kennebunk, Maine Kennebunk is a town in York County, Maine, United States. The population was 11,536 at the 2020 census (The population does not include Kennebunkport, a separate town). Kennebunk is home to several beaches, the Rachel Carson National Wildlife R ...

, which he would later represent in office. He began teaching at Kennebunk High School in that same year. He taught at KHS from 1967 to 1980 and again from 1988 to 1996. In 1980, Murphy became the editor and publisher of The Tourist News, a local newspaper aimed at the tourist population of southern Maine.

References

1942 births Living people Politicians from New Haven, Connecticut People from Kennebunk, Maine United States Marine Corps reservists Minority leaders of the Maine House of Representatives Maine Republican Party chairs Schoolteachers from Maine University of Nebraska–Lincoln alumni 20th-century American newspaper publishers (people) {{Maine-politician-stub