After scaling the heights of global finance and international relations, then helping the least among us, a former U.S. Ambassador sets sights on new and even broader goals

by Laura D.C. Kolnoski • Photos By Doug Polle

Man of the world Philip D. Murphy has his sights firmly set on the Garden State these days. The former U.S. Ambassador to Germany, Goldman Sachs executive, and busy philanthropist is “deadly serious” about running to be our next governor. The official announcement had not come by early March when he was focused on a different post—Grand Marshall of the Rumson St. Patrick’s Day Parade. A native of Massachusetts, he could barely contain his enthusiasm.

“I wish my late parents were here to see this,” Murphy said. “When I was a kid, we’d get the day off from school and go to Southie [South Boston] for the parade, where we’d see the Kennedys marching. It was beyond my wildest dreams to think I’d be part of one. I am honored beyond words.”

Murphy, who recounts that, “My family was middle class on a good day,” has been focused on myriad issues since returning to Middletown from his four-year ambassadorship in 2013. After serving as National Finance Chairman for the Democratic National Committee at the request of Howard Dean, he was appointed Ambassador to Germany by President Barack Obama in 2009. (He had experience there while an executive with Goldman Sachs.)

“It was incredibly humbling; I didn’t expect it,” he said of the position. “It was one of the great honors of my life. President Obama is logical. I had lived in Germany, spoke German, and knew the lay of the land. I don’t think my financial background was a factor, as the financial crisis with the Euro had not taken hold, but it turned out to be a good fit because I spent a lot of time focused on the Euro.” His family (wife Tammy and children ages twelve, ten, eight, and six at the time) moved with him for the “extraordinary, life-changing, transformative experience.”

“We made friends from all over the world,” Murphy recalled. “The embassy was located beside the Brandenburg Gate next to where the Berlin Wall once stood. The ambassador’s residence was 25 minutes away in what was the American sector when Berlin was divided.” While there, Murphy’s official duties included tackling daily international issues as well as connecting with German youth to give them a “sense of the American experience” through conducting numerous Town Halls, which he described as “magical experiences.”

Once back home, Murphy and his wife dove into a plethora of philanthropic pursuits. Both from large families, the couple set their sights on issues involving social justice, education, environmental conservation, and civic awareness. Among the first was the creation of 2nd Floor, a teen helpline, which has fielded more than 700,000 calls and is credited with saving dozens of lives. Murphy shared its success before a global gathering at the United Nations.

“Over 12 years ago, one of my Goldman Sachs colleagues from London had to leave a meeting early to volunteer for Childline, a partially government-funded helpline in the United Kingdom—one with no stigma attached,” Murphy related. “Young people could call for any reason, from homework trouble to suicidal thoughts. I thought that was extraordinary. I told Tammy and we fell in love with the idea. We looked for an agency to work with that had skill in phone-based operations, and found 180 Turning Lives Around. A group of kids named it 2nd Floor for the privacy that implies.” The couple funded the early stages of the service, now operating statewide. Murphy, who served as Board President of 180 Turning Lives Around, will be honored along with Tammy by both the organization and State Senator Joseph Kyrillos, Jr. on April 17 at the Rumson Country Club.

The family’s passion for soccer led to Murphy becoming the majority owner of Sky Blue FC, a professional soccer club which has participated in the National Women’s Soccer League since 2013. The team’s home field is at Rutgers University, and its new season begins in April. Murphy has also served on the board of the U.S. Soccer Foundation.

A 1979 Harvard graduate, Murphy earned three master’s degrees, including one from The Wharton School. At Goldman Sachs, he headed its Frankfurt office with oversight in Germany, Switzerland, Austria, and Central Europe, later serving as President of Goldman Sachs Asia. He was instrumental in establishing the firm’s Jersey City high-rise office building, 30 Hudson, the city chosen for its convenient waterfront location. Thousands of people work there today, and he was occupant number one.

Murphy’s Goldman Sachs career, combined with his gubernatorial ambitions, inevitably generate comparisons with former N.J. Governor Jon Corzine, another long-time Goldman exec. To that
Murphy responds, “Jon is a friend of over 30 years, but I’m not Jon. We are different types in many respects, particularly in the way we approach politics.” Further generating speculation over his candidacy, Murphy recently boarded the annual “Walk to Washington” train ride to the nation’s capitol with state business leaders, politicians, and other movers and shakers for the first time. Equal parts rolling party and networking event, talk of policy trumped politics on the trip, he said, adding that “I had a ball.”

“I want to fix New Jersey and its middle class more than I want to be governor. That’s how I’m spending my life now.”

Last November at the New Jersey Institute of Technology in Newark, with their friend Jon Bon Jovi beside them onstage, the Murphys announced the creation of New Start New Jersey, a nonprofit organization seen as a precursor to his gubernatorial campaign.

“When we moved back from Germany, I expected a stronger economy,” Murphy said. “So, Tammy and I decided to go down two tracks—start New Start New Jersey and look at potentially running for governor. I have been having meetings and doing a lot of thinking about it. I’ve got no magic wand to fix what ails us, but
I’m a product of the middle class. I want to fix New Jersey and its middle class more than I want to be governor. That’s how I’m spending my life now.”

Among the organization’s goals are modernizing the state’s infrastructure, enhancing its education system, and reinvigorating job growth through training and improved access to higher education.

Murphy has the full support of his family—children Josh, Emma, Charlie, and Sam, three dogs, a bird and a hamster. He called Tammy, who also worked in finance in the U.S. and Europe, “a force in her own right—deeply involved in the environment, education, and healthcare.” Tammy has served as Chairperson for the Monmouth Medical Center Foundation and Advisory Boards of The
College Foundation at the University of Virginia and the Rumson Country Day School, as well as trustee of the Monmouth Conservation Foundation and the Count Basie Theatre.

“We asked ourselves if we came out [of Germany] as normal as we went into it,” Murphy said. “We are still the same six… and hope we always will be.”

Philip Murphy
Murphy Endeavors
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