Tom Murphy: Tough but fair

GAINESVILLE - Three former members of the Hall County state Legislative delegation remember Tom Murphy as a tough but fair Georgia House Speaker who was the key to making the state into what it is today.

Murphy died Monday night at the age of 83 after a period of declining health following a stroke several years ago.

Nathan Deal, now serving in Congress, remembers that his first vote as a state Senator was the only vote cast against one of Murphy's bills. Deal, now a Republican but at that time a Democrat, like Murphy, recalled Tuesday that he was introduced to Murphy right after that vote by then-state Representative Joe T. Wood, Sr., "as our new state Senator."

Deal said Murphy was sitting at his desk, chewing on his trademark unlighted cigar, and "never looked up, never said 'how are you?', never asked 'what is your name?' but, instead, demanded to know why I had voted against his bill."

He said when he replied he did so because he didn't think it was a good bill , Murphy paused and replied "that's what you ought to do." Deal said from then on he and Murphy had a good relationship.

Deal, Wood and former State Representative Jerry Jackson all agreed that Murphy's reputation as a tyrant was exaggerated, agreeing with others who have termed him as "gruff on the outside but a teddy bear on the inside." Jackson said Murphy might chastise you if you voted against him on a bill but Jackson says he never knew him to hold it against a legislator.

"...if you came back and said that 'my folks at home just don't want this, they're not with you on this,' he understood," and that, Jackson added, "is the difference in politics then and politics now."

Wood remembered Murphy as the person man who was largely responsible for MARTA, the Georgia Dome, the World Congress Center and other things - such as improvements to the state's education and health care systems - that help make Georgia the envy of the South today.

Wood recalled Murphy's impassioned plea for lawmakers to approve the legislation creating Atlanta's rapid rail system, MARTA, which faced heavy opposition from rural lawmakers who controlled the legislature at the time.

Wood says Murphy stepped down from his desk in front of the assembled house members and to the well of the house. Wood says he recalls Murphy clearing his throat and bowing his head briefly before looking up and declaring that MARTA was right for Atlanta and right for Georgia.

"And, he said 'as you know I'm as rural as anybody in here but' he said 'we've got to support this legislation because Atlanta is Georgia."

The bill, which had already been defeated, but was up for reconsideration passed.

Murphy will lie in honor at the state Capitol Friday. (See separate story).

Wood, Jackson and Deal appeared Tuesday on the Martha Zoller Show on WDUN NEWS TALK 550, like AccessNorthGa.com, a division of Jacobs Media Corporation.