Maureen Murphy (politician)

Maureen Murphy
Member of the Cook County Board of Review from the 1st district
In office December 1998 – December 2006
Preceded by	Position created
Succeeded by	Brendan F. Houlihan
Chair of the Cook County Republican Party
In office 2002–2004
Preceded by	Manny Hoffman
Succeeded by	Gary Skoien[1]
Member of the Illinois House of Representatives from the 36th district
In office 1993–1997
Preceded by	Andrew J. McGann
Succeeded by	James D. Brosnahan
Worth Township Clerk
In office 1985–1989
Personal details
Born	Maureen Toolan (1952-11-14)November 14, 1952 Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
Died	August 9, 2008(2008-08-09) (aged 55) Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
Political party	Republican
Spouse	Jack Murphy ​ (m. 1970)​
Children	5
Occupation	Realtor

Maureen Murphy (née Toolan; November 14, 1952 – August 9, 2008) was an American politician in the Republican Party. She held several offices in Illinois, serving as a member of the Illinois House of Representatives and the Cook County Board of Review, and chairing the Cook County Republican Party from 2002 to 2004.

Early life and career

She was born Maureen Toolan in Chicago and grew up in the suburb of Blue Island, Illinois.[2][3] She married Jack Murphy in 1970, and they settled in the Chicago suburb of Evergreen Park.[3] They had five sons, one of whom died shortly after birth in 1983.[3]

After working as a realtor, Murphy served on the Evergreen Park High School Board (to which she was elected in 1982) and as Worth Township Clerk (from 1985 to 1989).[3] In 1988, she ran unsuccessfully for the Republican nomination for Cook County Recorder of Deeds, losing the Republican primary to Bernard Stone.

Political career

She was elected to the Illinois House of Representatives representing Illinois' 36th district from 1993 to 1997; while State Representative, she chaired the House revenue committee. Maureen Murphy also served as Worth Township Republican Committeeman.[4]

Murphy served as Chairman of the Cook County Republican Party from 2002 to 2004; she was the first woman to hold that position.[3]

She also served as the 1st district Commissioner of the Cook County Board of Review from 1998 to 2007. In her last two years of the board, she joined Joseph Berrios to block the reforms championed by its remaining member, Larry Rogers, Jr.[5] On November 7, 2006 Murphy was defeated in her bid for reelection losing to Democrat Brendan F. Houlihan by a narrow margin of 2.4%.[6]

During the 2008 Republican Party presidential primaries, Murphy worked on behalf of the presidential campaign of former U.S. Senator Fred Thompson as a congressional district chair for Illinois's 1st congressional district.[7]

Maureen was the first woman, first Republican, and first suburban resident to serve on the Cook County Board of Review.

Death

Murphy died from lung cancer at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago on August 9, 2008, at the age of 55.[3]

References

1. Welebir, Morgan (April 19, 2004). "GOP going back to basics". nwitimes.com. The Times of Northwest Indiana. Retrieved November 10, 2020.
2. "Maureen Murphy". Legacy.com. Retrieved April 27, 2023.
3. Trebe, Patricia (August 13, 2008). "Maureen Murphy: 1952 - 2008". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved April 27, 2023.
4. 'Illinois Blue Book 1995-1996,' Biographical Sketch of Maureen Murphy, pg. 83
5. Pallasch, Abdon M. (December 25, 2006). "Corporate property tax breaks may slow down. Board of Review changes may help homeowners". Chicago Sun-Times.
6. (Source: Cook County Clerk)
7. Peters, Gerhard; Woolley, John T., eds. (November 8, 2007). "Press Release: Thompson Campaign Announces Illinois Leadership Team". The American Presidency Project. University of California, Santa Barbara. Retrieved August 20, 2021.