Quick Facts
Biography
Political career
John J. Murphy (born 1959) is an American Republican Party politician from New Jersey.
Currently, he serves as a commissioner on the New Jersey Board of Elections. The staff of the Board of Elections oversees elections and hires/trains poll workers.
He served five three year terms on the Morris County Board of Chosen Freeholders from 1998 to 2012. He served two terms as Freeholder Director and over his tenure was the board's liaison to the Department of Administration and Finance, Department of Economic Development, Department of Law and Public Safety, and Department of Human Services.
He also served five years on the Morris Township governing body from 1994 to 1998. He was Mayor of Morris Township in both 1996 and 1997.
In January 2005, Murphy announced his candidacy for the Republican nomination for the 2005 race for Governor of New Jersey, with plans to advocate for an elected attorney general and an elected auditor general. He planned to decrease waste and fraud in state government. Murphy’s campaign touched on bringing three basic ideas back to state government—accountability, accessibility, and honesty. Murphy finished third in balloting for the Republican nomination, with 14% of the vote, behind Doug Forrester who won the Republican nomination with a plurality of 36%, and Bret Schundler, who received 31%. Murphy won Morris County and was competitive in other counties.
Awards and Recognition
He was honored in 2015 by the Boys Scouts of America at their 20th Annual Morris Lifetime Achievement Awards Dinner. He was recognized for outstanding community service and leadership within the Morris County community.
He has been the recipient of numerous leadership awards including the first annual Alex DeCroce Leadership Award in 2012.
MCEDC (Morris County Economic Development Corporation) honored John Murphy for his contribution to economic development in Morris County with the 2011 Economic Development Leadership Award.
Additionally, he was the recipient of Morris County of Chamber of Commerce’s Leadership Morris Award in 2006.
As a Freeholder, he spearheaded the county acquisition of 300 acres of surplus Greystone Park Psychiatric Hospital property from the State of New Jersey. The Greystone acquisition gave the Interfaith Food Pantry of Morris County the space and ability to build a larger facility that includes 3,200 square feet of warehouse space, refrigerators, freezers, counseling, and interview rooms. Freeholder Murphy stated that, “This project is a great example of how government and private charities like the Interfaith Food Pantry can work together to help meet the very basic needs of our constituents.”.
Community Hope honored John Murphy in 2006 for his leadership and commitment to serving disabled residents. Their Residential and Day Treatment Program on the Greystone property expanded from serving ten individuals to serving twenty five people who are recovering from mental illnesses and transitioning out of psychiatric hospitals.
He was also the recipient of the Morris Tomorrow Schaeberle Leadership Award. This award recognizes outstanding leadership by individuals and organizations for having a valuable and positive impact on the long-term quality of life in Morris County.
He was presented with a plaque from the Mental Health Association of Morris County (MHAMC) as a thank you for his many years as a supporter of the MHAMC and human services in Morris County.
Work
Murphy is currently a partner with the Private Advisor Group, a financial planning and investment firm. They are headquartered in Morristown, NJ.
Volunteer and Personal Life
He is an active member of the Morris Township Volunteer Fire Department and served as the department’s volunteer chief in 1990 and 1991. In 2015, Murphy and two other Morris Township firefighters were awarded the department’s Medal of Honor for rescuing a woman from a burning building. In 1996, he received a commendation for the rescue of a student trapped in a dormitory fire at The Rabbinical College of America.
He served as a head football coach for the Morristown Wildcats for many years and his 6th grade team won the “Super Bowl” of the New Jersey Suburban Youth Football League in 2014.
He and his wife Jennifer have four children. They live in Morris Township.