Tom Murry

Thomas Otis "Tom" Murry (born May 8, 1977) is an American politician, attorney, and pharmacist who served as a member of the North Carolina General Assembly representing the state's 41st House district in western Wake County between 2011 and 2015. He defeated incumbent Chris Heagarty in the 2010 general election and was defeated by Gale Adcock in the 2014 general election.[2]

Thomas O. Murry
Member of the North Carolina House of Representatives
from the 41st district
In office
January 1, 2011 – January 1, 2015
Preceded byChris Heagarty
Succeeded byGale Adcock
Personal details
Born (1977-05-08) May 8, 1977
Pine Bluff, Arkansas, U.S.
Political partyRepublican
Spouse(s)Tamara
Children3
ResidenceCary, North Carolina, U.S.
Alma materUniversity of Arkansas (PharmD)
Campbell University (JD)
ProfessionAttorney, Pharmacist[1]
Military service
Allegiance United States
Branch/service Army National Guard
Years of service2014–present
Rank Captain
Unit 130th Maneuver Enhancement Brigade

Early life and education

Murry was born in Pine Bluff, Arkansas. He earned a Doctor of Pharmacy from the University of Arkansas and Juris Doctor from the Norman Adrian Wiggins School of Law at Campbell University.[3]

Career

Murry served as an at-large member of the Morrisville Town Council for five years after winning elections in 2005 and 2009. Murry resigned his council seat to be sworn-in as a member of the North Carolina House of Representatives.[4]

North Carolina House

In May 2010, Murry defeated Todd Batchelor in the Republican primary before facing Democrat Chris Heagarty for in the November general election. Heagarty had been appointed to the seat just months earlier by Gov. Bev Perdue to fill the remainder of the scandal-plagued[5] term of Democratic Rep. Ty Harrell, who had recently resigned.[6] Murry defeated Heagarty by a 54% to 46% margin.[7]

Murry did not face a primary opponent in 2012. Murry defeated his November 2012 general election opponent, Jim Messina, by a 52-48 percent margin.[8]

Tenure

In his first term as Representative of the 41st district, Murry was the primary sponsor of numerous bills involving medical or health care issues in North Carolina, including a GOP-led measure that sought to exempt North Carolina from the federal Affordable Care Act.[9][10]

Murry also sponsored legislation which sought to expand the state's alternative energy marketplace,[11] and drafted a bill seeking to overhaul North Carolina's economic development efforts.[12]

The North Carolina Free Enterprise Foundation (NCFEF) called Murry the most pro-business freshman legislator in the NC State House in 2010.[13]

Murry was ranked as the "Most Effective Freshman" in the North Carolina State House for the 2011-12 legislative session by the North Carolina Center for Public Policy Research.[14]

Later career

Following the 2014 General Election, Murry became the Chief Legal Counsel to North Carolina Supreme Court Chief Justice Mark Martin, assisting the judiciary with legislative activities and strategic initiatives.[15]

North Carolina House of Representatives
Preceded by
Chris Heagarty		 Member of the North Carolina House of Representatives from the 41st district
2011-2015		 Succeeded by
Gale Adcock

References
  1. Sarah Ovaska. "The New Crop – Rep. Tom Murry". NC Policy Watch. Retrieved 2012-01-06.
  2. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2014-12-24. Retrieved 2014-11-05.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  3. "Thomas Murry". Ballotpedia. Retrieved 2020-06-18.
  4. Cooke, Jordan (2011-01-08). "Questions loom about Morrisville council seat". Cary News. Retrieved 2012-01-06.
  5. "Local Democrat facing accusations - In court documents recently filed by Ty Harrell's wife, Melanie Dupon, she said Harrell was "engaging in an adulterous affair with his mistress with whom he is still involved." | abc11.com". Abclocal.go.com. 2009-07-09. Retrieved 2012-01-06.
  6. Johnson, Mark (2009-10-17). "Heagarty will replace Harrell in state House - Local". NewsObserver.com. Retrieved 2012-01-06.
  7. "GOP Makes History by Securing Control of N.C. House, Senate". Carolinajournal.com. 2010-11-03. Retrieved 2012-01-06.
  8. "North Carolina State Board of Elections". Archived from the original on 7 November 2012. Retrieved 20 November 2012.
  9. NC General Assembly webmasters. "North Carolina General Assembly - Bills Introduced by Tom Murry (2011-2012 Session)". Ncga.state.nc.us. Retrieved 2012-01-06.
  10. "Bill Exempting North Carolinians from Health Insurance Mandate Passes House". The Lincoln Tribune. 2011-02-05. Retrieved 2012-01-06.
  11. Murawski, John (30 March 2011). "Bill would require utilities to double use of solar power". Raleigh News & Observer. Retrieved 6 January 2012.
  12. Murawski, John (8 April 2011). "Bill would change state recruiting". Raleigh News & Observer. Retrieved 6 January 2012.
  13. Latest Stories (2011-11-08). "Rep. Tom Murry Ranked Top of Freshman Class by NC Free Enterprise Foundation". CaryCitizen. Retrieved 2012-01-06.
  14. Kulba, Leslee (18 October 2012). "Murry and Messina Face Off In Indy-Minded House District 41". Carolina Journal. Retrieved 20 November 2012.
  15. Campbell, Colin (30 January 2015). "Former Rep. Tom Murry lands legal counsel job at NC Administrative Office of the Courts". Raleigh News & Observer.
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