Friends and colleagues took to social media to remember Mary Murphy upon the news of her death on Wednesday. Murphy was the longest-serving female legislator and second-longest-serving member of the Minnesota House.

Murphy, a Democrat who represented Hermantown, died at the age of 85 on Christmas Day, just two days after suffering a stroke.

House Speaker Melissa Hortman, DFL-Fridley, announced Murphy’s death in a post on Facebook, which read: “She was a wonderful state representative and human being. So many people will miss her, and remember her and her accomplishments fondly.”

“Mary was in so many ways ahead of her time and was often the only woman at the table in northern Minnesota,” said U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar in a statement. “That’s changed now thanks to her trailblazing legacy.”

Murphy was first elected to serve House District 14B from 1977-1982, and went on to serve District 8A from 1983-2002, District 6B from 2003-2012 and District 3B from 2013-2022.

In 2022, Murphy lost the District 3B race against Republican Natalie Zeleznikar by a mere 33 votes.

Zeleznikar, who retained the seat in the 2024 election, expressed condolences in a Facebook post, writing, “Mary worked hard for northern Minnesota, a place she called home her entire lifetime.”

A Hermantown High School graduate, Murphy earned a bachelor’s degree in history and economics from the College of St. Scholastica, and attended graduate school at multiple universities.

Before retiring from the classroom in 1997, Murphy also served as a history and social studies teacher at Central High School in Duluth for more than three decades, a career Klobuchar cited in her tribute.

Murphy left a legacy of advocacy for women’s rights, health care, criminal justice, and labor and advocacy issues.

Gov. Tim Walz spoke of Murphy as a “true champion for the Northland” in his post on Facebook.