Michael Murphy (politician)
Michael Murphy, born William Michael Murphy, Jr. in 1949, is a prominent
New Jersey lobbyist and political consultant (partner at the lobbying firm
Impact NJ) who ran for
Governor in the Democratic primary in 1997 and had previously served as the Morris County Prosecutor. He is a scion of the powerful Murphy-Hughes political legacy. His stepfather was two-term Governor and Supreme Court Chief Justice
Richard J. Hughes. His brother,
Brian M. Hughes, is the Mercer County Executive (the county's highest elected official). Another brother, John Hughes, is a federal magistrate judge. His former wife, Marianne Espinosa, is a Superior Court judge.
Murphy, identified by
PoliticsNJ.com as one of New Jersey's 100 most influential people
[Power List: The Top 100 Insiders Who Influence Politics In New Jersey, accessed July 19, 2006], founded Impact NJ in 2004 with a partner, controversial "whiz kid" entrepreneur
Raj Mukherji. Murphy has close friendships with current
Governor of New Jersey Jon Corzine and the state's legislative leaders,
Senate President
Richard Codey and
Assembly Speaker
Joseph Roberts.
Murphy, an attorney since 1975, is a graduate of
Georgetown University and
Seton Hall University School of Law. He serves as the Chairman of the Garden State Preservation Trust, to which he was appointed by former Governor Codey, and is also the immediate Past Chairman and a member of the Board of Trustees of the Public Policy Center of New Jersey. He routinely appears as a guest commentator on various programs, including
CNBC's
Hardball with Chris Matthews and on
MSNBC,
FOX News,
New Jersey Network, and
News 12 New Jersey.
Murphy was said to have been a candidate for
New Jersey Attorney General by Jon Corzine, a spot that ultimately went to
Zulima Farber[Frelinghuysen showing his conservative side, Daily Record, November 23, 2005].
During his run for Governor in the 1997 Democratic gubernatorial primary race, Murphy won 5 counties and placed second in 12. He ran against
James E. McGreevey who was subsequently elected but resigned after admitting a homosexual affair, and Congressman
Robert Andrews. Today, Murphy and Andrews are considered to be strong political allies and friends.
In New Jersey, the County Prosecutor is the equivalent of the District Attorney. Murphy was appointed to the post by former Governor
James Florio. While serving as the top law enforcement official in
Morris County, an affluent suburban community near New York City, Murphy successfully prosecuted Arthur and Irene Seale for the highly publicized kidnapping and murder of
Exxon executive Sidney Reso in 1992. In 1994, he participated in the conviction of Mohammed Abequa, a county resident who murdered his wife, kidnapped his children and fled to his native
Jordan. Working closely with the U.S. State Department and the Jordanian government, Murphy traveled to Jordan to assist in Abequa's trial and subsequent conviction. He served as President of the New Jersey Prosecutors Association.
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Michael Murphy bio on ImpactNJ.com*
Michael Murphy's client list
