Former Minnesota state Rep. Mary Murphy, a Duluth-area Democratic-Farmer-Labor lawmaker who was the longest-serving woman legislator in Minnesota history, has entered hospice care after suffering a stroke.

In a Monday social media post, House Speaker Melissa Hortman said Murphy had a stroke last week and has since suffered a “second series of complications,” which led her family to seek end-of-life care.

Rep. Mary Murphy, DFL-Hermantown. (Courtesy of the Minnesota House of Representatives)

“Mary has had some visitors. Her family hopes that Mary could feel and appreciate their presence,” Hortman said in the post. “While heart-wrenching, the family has determined that hospice is the best solution.”

As of Monday, Murphy continued to receive comfort care at a hospital until she could be placed in a hospice care facility, something the family expected to happen soon, according to Hortman.

Murphy, 85, of Hermantown, was first elected to her Duluth-area district in 1976 and served 46 years before losing re-election by just 33 votes in 2022. She was among the few remaining DFL lawmakers in the Minnesota House representing a predominantly rural district.

In a November interview with the Pioneer Press, Murphy said she thought political power used to be spread more evenly throughout the state.

“The metro area, the other areas, still have to pull together, but it’s not as elastic as it used to be,” she said.

Murphy, who taught social studies and American history at Duluth Central High School until retiring in 1997, was the second-longest-serving lawmaker in Minnesota history.

Some of Murphy’s achievements while serving in the House include a successful push for a minimum wage for tipped employees and legislation increasing penalties for domestic abuse and stalking, according to a biography from House Public Information Services.

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