Honoring the Legacy of Rep. Mary Murphy

 

Former Rep. Mary Murphy (DFL-Hermantown) was honored this week at the State Capitol.

She was a history and social studies teacher in Duluth when she decided to demonstrate to her students the essentials of government by running for the Minnesota House of Representatives. She won election in 1976, and became the longest-serving woman — and the state’s second-longest-serving legislator — who served 46 years, from 1977 to 2023.

During her historic 23 legislative terms, Murphy championed  women’s rights, labor, education, criminal justice reform, and investments in public infrastructure. She chaired several committees during her tenure, including Capital Investment, Redistricting, State Government Finance & Veterans Affairs, Cultural & Outdoor Resources, Judiciary, Education & Economic Competitiveness, Ethics, and Energy.

Born and raised in Hermantown, Murphy lived in her childhood home her entire life. She continued to teach until her 1997 retirement. She died on December 25, 2024, at age 85.

More than two dozen former legislators visited the State Capitol for Mary Murphy Day, proclaimed by Governor Tim Walz as April 21, 2025.

Rep. Leon Lillie (DFL-North St. Paul) noted in the celebration of Murphy’s life: “There weren’t even women’s bathrooms here when she started.”

Speaker Emerita Melissa Hortman said, “Mary had incredible persistence, determination, experience, patience, and legislative skill. She was trusted by Minnesotans in both parties; she had a reputation for fairness that was unassailable, and when she spoke, everyone stopped to listen. Mary approached her life and her work with kindness and integrity.”

Members shared stories of Murphy before passing legislation that recognized her passion for access to libraries by renaming the state’s construction grant program for libraries in her honor.

“Through her leadership, over 120 libraries have been made more accessible to better serve residents across the state,” said Karen Pundsack, executive director at Great River Regional Library.