Former Rep. Mary Murphy (DFL-Hermantown) was a teacher whose life was a lesson.
After 12 years as a history and social studies instructor at Duluth Central High School, she decided to demonstrate to her students the essentials of government by running for the Minnesota House of Representatives, winning election in 1976, and continuing to teach until her 1997 retirement.
She became the House’s longest-serving woman and the state’s second-longest-serving legislator, her tenure stretching to 46 years. On Monday, Murphy — who died on Dec. 25, 2024, at age 85 — received tributes from several of her former House colleagues and a proclamation from Gov. Tim Walz.
“She’d be so proud of all the women and what they’ve done in this space,” said Rep. Leon Lillie (DFL-North St. Paul). “There weren’t even women’s bathrooms here when she started.”