Denis Murphy (Australian politician)

Denis Joseph Murphy (6 August 1936 – 21 June 1984), was an Australian Labor Party politician, historian and biographer. Murphy was born in Nambour, Queensland.^[1] He was the youngest of nine children and went to an all boys Catholic school, St Joseph's Nudgee College.^[1] After graduating, Murphy went on to study high school PE teaching and later became an educator at Redcliffe State High School.^[2] As Murphy worked he went back to university and completed his master's degree in Queensland's state enterprises in 1965 at the University of Queensland.^[2] In 1966 he left his job as a PE teacher and took on a full-time position as a lecturer at the University of Queensland.^[3] He taught there as an academic historian and wrote primarily on the history of the Australian Labor Party.^[3]

Murphy became a member of the Australian Labor Party in 1967.^[1] During the 1970s, Murphy led a push for party reform, alongside Peter Beattie and Manfred Cross.^[2] He maintained his position at University of Queensland whilst he pushed for reform and completed biographies on a number of Queensland ALP figures, notably Thomas J. Ryan and Bill Hayden.^[4] In 1980 he became the State Branch President and was subsequently elected to the Parliament of Queensland for the electorate of Stafford at the 1983 state election.^[1][2]

Murphy was diagnosed with cancer in 1983 and died in 1984, aged 47.^[2] He died before having the opportunity to make a speech as a Member of Parliament.^[1] Peter Beattie made a speech instead for Murphy and led a conference of over 200 delegates in a moment of silence in honour of Murphy's life.^[5] Murphy died in Brisbane, Queensland and is buried in Mooloolah Cemetery.^[2]