Tom Murphy (mayor)
| Thomas J. Murphy, Jr. | |
|---|---|
| 57th Mayor of Pittsburgh | |
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In office January 3, 1994 – January 3, 2006 |
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| Preceded by | Sophie Masloff |
| Succeeded by | Bob O'Connor |
| Member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives from the 20th district |
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In office January 4, 1983 – December 15, 1993 |
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| Preceded by | Stephen Grabowski |
| Succeeded by | Barbara Burns |
| Member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives from the 17th district |
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In office January 2, 1979 – November 30, 1982 |
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| Preceded by | Robert Ravenstahl |
| Succeeded by | Bob Robbins |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
August 15, 1944 Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Signature |  |
Thomas J. "Tom" Murphy, Jr. (born August 15, 1944) is a city management consultant and was a Democratic politician from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He served in state government in two capacities, from 1979 to 1982 representing the 17th district, and from 1983 to 1993 representing the 20th district. From January 1994 until January 2006 he served as mayor of Pittsburgh. Murphy is currently the senior resident fellow for urban development at the Urban Land Institute.
The son of a steel worker, his education includes graduation from John Carroll University in Cleveland in 1967 and receiving a graduate degree from Hunter College in urban studies in 1973. From 1970 to 1972, Murphy and his wife, Mona, were in the Peace Corps in rural Paraguay, constructing sanitation facilities and an elementary school. After the Peace Corps, the Murphys returned to Pittsburgh and he became a neighborhood organizer for the North Side before entering local politics.
Murphy served as a state representative from the 17th district from January 2, 1979 until November 30, 1982. He also served in the same capacity representing Pittsburgh's North Side 20th Legislative District from January 4, 1983 to December 15, 1993.
In 1989 he was an unsuccessful candidate for the Democratic primary nomination for mayor of Pittsburgh, losing to Sophie Masloff (who ran unopposed in the November general election later that year).
In 1991 he and two other state legislators spearheaded reforms at the regional Pittsburgh industrial corporation, stressing that the agency needed more minority and female representation in its leadership, that the agency was not focusing on urban redevelopment so much as suburban properties, and that it was awarding grants to financial institutions instead of for industrial concerns.
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