Doug Murphy (D-WI)

[Tuna]

 

Name: Douglas “Doug” Glenn Murphy

Seat: Wisconsin, Class I

Party: Democratic

Major Caucus: New Democrat

 

Age: 54, b: 6/2/1962, (0 Points)

Sexuality: Straight, Married, 2 Kids (-5 Points)

• Wife: Heather Gates Murphy (b: 4/5/1965, m: 2001)
• Child #1: Gwendolyn, (b: 2002)
• Child #2: Zachary (b: 2005)

Race/Ancestry: White, Irish-Italian, (0 Points)

Socioeconomic History: Working Class (10 Points)

 

Religion: Evangelical Lutheran Church in America  (0 Points)

 

Educational History

University of Wisconsin-Madison

• Bachelor of Fine Arts, Theatre and Drama, 1980-1984 (5 Points)

• Bachelor of the Arts, American History, 1980-1984 (5 Points)

Harvard University

• Master of Liberal Arts, History, 1997-2001 (20 Points)

 

Professional Career

Captain, United States Marines Corps, 1984-1991 (10 Points)

Blue-Collar Job (10 Points)

• Cook, Old Sully's, 1988-1991

Artist, 1996-2010 (20 Points = 10 x 2 renown)

• Actor, Boston Theatre Company, 1988-1991

• Actor, WGBH-TV, PBS, 1990-1991

• Actor, Home Improvement, “Earl Milligan the Mailman”, 1992-1997

• Narrator for American Experience, 1997-2010

• Narrator, The War, Ken Burns' documentary, 2007

• WGBH-TV, Part-time Narrator of Frontline, 1997-2010

 

Major Cultural Award

Emmy, Narration, The War, 2007 (15 Points)

 

Political Career

• United States Senator from Wisconsin, 2013-present

 

Key Votes

 

113th Congress 2013-2015

Both: Violence Against Women Act Reauthorization AYE

Both: Bipartisan Budget Act of 2013 AYE

114th Congress 2015-2017

Both: Iran Nuclear Agreement Review Act of 2015 AYE

 

POINTS USED: 90/100

 

EARLY LIFE

Douglas Glenn Murphy was born on June 2, 1962, to Patrick and Annabella Murphy in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Patrick worked as an engineer for Rockwell Automation, Inc. Annabella was a stay at home mom who filled in as an organist at the local Catholic parish. A family of six, the Murphys lived on the south side of Milwaukee. 

 

Murphy graduated from South Milwaukee High School in 1980, where he played football as a quarterback. His first passion however was acting and he was a standout member of the drama department. He enrolled in the University of Wisconsin-Madison that fall with the NROTC Scholarship Program where he double majored in Theatre and Drama and American History. After finishing training, Murphy was assigned to 2nd Battalion, 7th Marines based in Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center Twentynine Palms in 1984. Four years later, Captain Murphy completed his active duty service.

 

ACTOR, PBS

Upon completing his four years of active-duty service, Murphy returned to the States where he found work at the Boston Theatre Company as an actor. For a year and a half, he filled mostly supporting roles while also working part-time as a cook at Old Sully's bar in Charlestown. In the summer of 1990, Murphy caught the attention of a talent scout for PBS’ major station WGBH-TV with his performance in Much Ado About Nothing. He was brought onboard part-time at WGBH-TV to assist with various children’s programming. 

 

Murphy’s big break as an actor came in 1992 when he was brought on to appear as a mailman in the ABC sitcom Home Improvement. His performance as Earl Milligan, the endearingly exasperated delivery man who cannot figure out Timothy Taylor’s newly designed mailbox, was well received and he was promptly hired to play a regular role on the show. Murphy moved out to Burbank, California, where he also filled in other smaller roles in ABC programming. He continued as “Earl Milligan” until 1997 when he was approached by PBS to return to WGBH as a voice-over narrator for both American Experience and Frontline. Murphy accepted the offer and returned to Boston.

 

Back in the northeast, Murphy became the regular narrator for American Experience and a fill-in for Will Lyman on American Experience. While in Boston, Murphy enrolled at Harvard University where he earned his Master's in History. In 2004, Murphy relocated back to Wisconsin while still working for PBS. In 2007, he narrated Ken Burns' World War II documentary The War. For his role, Murphy won an Emmy Award for Outstanding Narrator. 

 

POLITICAL CAREER

In the winter of 2010, Murphy departed from PBS after thirteen years with the network to explore a new career in politics. Murphy made his first public foray onto the political scene in the spring of 2011 when he joined demonstrators in Madison, Wisconsin, protesting Governor Scott Walker’s Act 10. For more than a week, he participated in the protests and worked with the Wisconsin Democratic Party to try and organize opposition. While Act 10 ultimately passed, Murphy’s standing in the state skyrocketed. When incumbent U.S. Senator Herb Kohl announced he would not run for reelection in May of 2011, Murphy quickly assembled and launched a run. In a close primary, Murphy managed to win the Democratic nomination. He went on to defeat Tommy Thompson in the general election to succeed Kohl. 

 

PERSONAL LIFE

While attending Harvard in 1998, Murphy met Heather Gates, a Higher Education reporter for the Boston Globe. The two married in 2001 and live in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, with their two children Gwendolyn and Zachary. Although he was raised a Catholic, Murphy joined the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America after attending a series of lectures hosted by the Lutheran Peace Fellowship at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Murphy maintains a small apartment by Union Station in Washington D.C. Just like his campaign bus in 2012, he keeps his Senate office stocked with a fridge full of New Glarus beer. In his spare time, Murphy enjoys hunting in Wisconsin during deer season and playing pickup basketball. The Murphy family owns season tickets for Wisconsin Badgers football. He keeps an autographed Bart Starr Packers helmet and a signed poster of himself with Fred Rogers on display in his office. 

Edited February 25 by Tuna

[Jack]

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