Denis Murphy (Australian politician)

Denis Murphy was an Australian Labor Party politician, historian and biographer.

Denis Murphy was born in Nambour in 1936. Murphy taught as an academic at the University of Queensland, writing extensively on the history of Labor in that state. He was instrumental in the push during the late 1970's to have the Queensland branch of the party reformed. After the success of the reform and federal intervention, he became State Branch President.

He was later elected to the Parliament of Queensland for the state electorate of Stafford.

Murphy completed biographies on a number of Queensland Labor figures, notably T J Ryan and Bill Hayden. He was working on a biography of Andrew Fisher before his death.

Murphy was diagnosed with cancer in 1983 and died in 1984. He did not have the opportunity to make a speech as a Member of Parliament.

External Links

• Denis Murphy display at the University of Queensland Library