Austin John Murphy | |
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Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Pennsylvania's 20th district |
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In office January 3, 1993 – January 3, 1995 |
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Preceded by | Joseph Gaydos |
Succeeded by | Frank Mascara |
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Pennsylvania's 22nd district |
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In office January 3, 1977 – January 3, 1993 |
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Preceded by | Thomas Morgan |
Succeeded by | District eliminated |
Member of the Pennsylvania Senate from the 46th district |
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In office January 5, 1971 – January 4, 1977 |
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Preceded by | William Lane |
Succeeded by | Barry Stout |
Constituency | Parts of Greene, Fayette, and Washington Counties |
Member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives from the 48th district |
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In office January 7, 1969 – November 19, 1970 |
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Preceded by | District created |
Succeeded by | Barry Stout |
Constituency | Parts of Washington County |
Member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives from the Washington County district |
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In office January 6, 1959 – November 30, 1968 |
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Personal details | |
Born |
North Charleroi, Pennsylvania |
June 17, 1927
Political party | Democratic |
Alma mater |
Duquesne University University of Pittsburgh |
Military service | |
Allegiance | United States |
Service/branch | U.S. Marine Corps |
Years of service | 1944–1946 |
Austin John Murphy (born June 17, 1927) was a Democratic member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Pennsylvania from 1977 to 1995.
Born in North Charleroi, Pennsylvania, Murphy grew up in New London, Connecticut. He later returned to Charleroi and served in the United States Marine Corps from 1944 to 1946. He earned a B.A. at Duquesne University in 1949 and an LL.B. at the University of Pittsburgh in 1952 and was admitted to the Pennsylvania bar in 1953. He practiced law in Washington, Pennsylvania, and was an assistant district attorney for Washington County from 1956 to 1957. Murphy started his political career as a member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives, where he served from 1959 to 1971. He then served in the Pennsylvania State Senate from 1971 to 1977. In 1976, he was elected to the United States House of Representatives, replacing longtime incumbent Thomas E. Morgan. He served as a delegate to the Democratic National Conventions in 1984 and 1988.
In 1990, Murphy's opponent in the Democratic primary, William Nicolella, accused Murphy, a husband and father, of living a double life, having an affair with another woman in Washington, with whom he had a son out of wedlock. Nicolella later presented a secretly recorded videotape showing Murphy leaving the home of his Washington mistress. Murphy acknowledged fathering a child out of wedlock, but steadfastly rejected accusations of a double life.