Joseph Samson Murphy[1] (November 15, 1933 – January 17, 1998) was an American political scientist and university administrator, who was President of Queens College, President of Bennington College, and Chancellor of the City University of New York.
[3][4][2] He learned to speak Yiddish from his mother, a Polish Jew, and Gaelic from his father, an Irish longshoreman.
[8][4] He then became vice chancellor for higher education for the State of New Jersey and its 185,000 students in 1970, a position he held for one year.
[4][10][1] The New York Times described him as being known “for his ability to combine a practical knowledge of politics with an enduring commitment to the poor and the working class.” [8] After his tenure as chancellor, he taught as University Professor of Political Science at the CUNY Graduate Center.
[8][9] He also served as a member of the board of the UNESCO Global Project from 1992, and the YIVO Institute for Jewish Research from 1993.