61 Facts About Phil Murphy

Philip Dunton Murphy was born on August 16,1957 and is an American financier, diplomat, and politician serving as the 56th governor of New Jersey since January 2018.

Phil Murphy is involved in many civic organizations and philanthropic pursuits.

Phil Murphy served as finance chairman for the Democratic National Committee in the mid-late 2000s under Howard Dean.

In December 2019, Phil Murphy became the chairperson of the Democratic Governors Association, a position he held for a year.

In July 2022, Phil Murphy became the first National Governors Association chair from New Jersey.

The family was Irish American, with Phil Murphy being third generation.

Phil Murphy played soccer as a boy, an interest that stayed with him in later life.

Phil Murphy's mother believed strongly in the importance of education, and Phil and his three older siblings all earned college degrees.

Phil Murphy graduated from Needham High School, along with former Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker, in 1975.

Phil Murphy graduated from Harvard University in 1979 with an AB degree in economics.

Phil Murphy then attended the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School, where he received a MBA in 1983.

Phil Murphy moved to Middletown Township, New Jersey, in the late 1990s.

In 2016 Phil Murphy released five years' worth of federal tax returns.

Phil Murphy began his career with a summer associate internship at Goldman Sachs in 1982.

From 1993 to 1997 Phil Murphy headed the firm's Frankfurt office.

Phil Murphy was active in the Atlantik-Brucke organization, including co-founding its International Advisor Council.

From 1997 to 1999 Phil Murphy served as the President of Goldman Sachs.

The $55 million investment was made the year before Phil Murphy took the Asia post and it is unclear to what extent Phil Murphy was aware of the firm's operational characteristics.

In 1998 Phil Murphy told the Wall Street Journal that "We [at Goldman Sachs] are elite in the sense the Marine Corps is elite".

In 1999 Phil Murphy secured a spot on the firm's management committee.

In 2001 Phil Murphy became global co-head of the firm's Investment Management Division.

Phil Murphy liked both Dean's vision for the party and the discipline Dean brought to the task, and the two became close friends.

Phil Murphy was a big donor to Democratic candidates, giving them almost $1.5 million by 2009.

Phil Murphy has served as the grand marshal of the St Patrick's Day Parade in Rumson, New Jersey, several times.

Phil Murphy has helped lead local charities to support troubled teens and domestic abuse survivors.

Phil Murphy has served on the boards of the US Soccer Foundation and the US Soccer Federation World Cup Bid Committee for 2018 and 2022.

In May 2005 Acting Governor Richard Codey named Phil Murphy to chair the New Jersey Benefits Task Force on public sector employee benefits in response to the New Jersey pension crisis, a particularly long-running instance of the state-level pensions crises taking place nationwide.

Phil Murphy served as United States Ambassador to Germany under President Barack Obama from 2009 to 2013.

The United States diplomatic cables leak, published by WikiLeaks in 2010, contained negative statements Phil Murphy signed about senior German politicians, including a remark by Phil Murphy that Merkel was "insecure" and unfavorable comments by embassy staff about Guido Westerwelle, the German foreign minister.

Phil Murphy later said that the episode was "incredibly awkward and embarrassing" but that the two countries worked through it, and that in the end Germany-United States relations were stronger than ever.

On May 29,2013, it was announced that Phil Murphy was stepping down from the post.

Phil Murphy was mentioned as a potential candidate in the 2013 New Jersey gubernatorial election, but did not run.

Phil Murphy started the firm in 2009 after leaving the DNC position, but it was put on hold due to his ambassadorial nomination.

Phil Murphy gave speeches about his experiences in Germany, especially in connection with the 25th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall.

In 2014 Phil Murphy created New Start New Jersey, a nonprofit progressive policy think tank that held a number of events around New Jersey.

In September 2015 Phil Murphy launched a progressive organization named New Way for New Jersey, which held a number of town halls, including some by telephone on Sunday evenings, and encouraged Democrats to sign petitions critical of incumbent Governor Chris Christie.

Phil Murphy supported Hillary Clinton in the 2016 Democratic primary and fundraised for her.

In May 2016 Phil Murphy announced his candidacy for the Democratic nomination in the 2017 New Jersey gubernatorial election.

Comparisons with unpopular former governor Jon Corzine, another wealthy former Goldman Sachs executive, were a challenge Phil Murphy had to meet.

Phil Murphy initially planned to lend $10 million to the campaign but to aggressively fund-raise.

Phil Murphy was the first declared Democratic candidate for governor, although several other candidates were expected to run.

The move came as Phil Murphy was corralling dozens of endorsements, including all of those from North Jersey county party committees and the most populous Central Jersey county committees.

In January 2017 Phil Murphy was endorsed by New Jersey's two US senators, Bob Menendez and Cory Booker.

Phil Murphy had the endorsements of all 21 county party organizations.

Phil Murphy donated $1.5 million to the various county party organizations as well as to some candidates for local offices.

Phil Murphy captured the endorsement of the first major national figure to inject himself into the race, former Vice President Joe Biden.

Phil Murphy had the fundraising support of wealthy entertainment figures Jon Bon Jovi and Whoopi Goldberg.

On October 1,2020, Phil Murphy announced he would seek reelection, with Oliver as his running mate.

Phil Murphy ran unopposed in the 2021 Democratic primary after two challengers were disqualified.

Phil Murphy defeated Republican nominee Jack Ciattarelli in the general election, albeit by much closer margin than in 2017, with his reelection campaign harmed by the long duration of some of the state-level COVID-19 executive orders.

Phil Murphy became New Jersey's first Democratic governor since Brendan Byrne, in 1977, to be reelected.

On January 16,2018, Phil Murphy was sworn in as the 56th governor of New Jersey at the Trenton War Memorial, succeeding Chris Christie.

In one of his first executive orders, Phil Murphy signed to revive subsidies for wind power in the state.

Phil Murphy ensured that the state sued the US Environmental Protection Agency for suspending the Clean Water Rule.

Phil Murphy began 2021 with approval ratings hovering in the high 50s.

In July 2022, Phil Murphy was elected chair of the National Governors Association, becoming the first person from New Jersey to hold the office.

Phil Murphy signed an executive order that would require all state departments and agencies to protect patients and health care professionals against legal repercussions for providing, receiving, assisting in providing or receiving, seeking, and traveling to New Jersey for gender-affirming health care services.

In 2015, Phil Murphy received an honorary degree from Hamilton College.

Phil Murphy first met his future wife, Tammy Snyder, in 1987 when they both worked at Goldman Sachs, but Phil Murphy did not ask her out for another six years.

Tammy Snyder Phil Murphy has held a variety of financial, civic, and political positions as well as having been a homemaker.

On March 4,2020, Phil Murphy underwent surgery in New York City to remove cancerous tumors in his kidneys.