R. Madison Murphy of El Dorado was appointed by Governor Mike Huckabee to a 10-year term on the Arkansas State Highway Commission.  Murphy took the Oath of Office on January 14, 2003.  His term will expire in January 2013.

A native of El Dorado, Murphy  received his degree in economics and business administration from Hendrix College at Conway in 1980. He began work as a junior accountant for Murphy Oil in 1980 and moved up to junior auditor and associate auditor. In 1982, he moved to London, England to serve as an associate auditor for Murphy Eastern Oil. He later served as the supply coordinator for crude oil and products, the manager of treasury and financial controls and the manager of supply, trading and refinery planning.

In 1987, Murphy moved to New Orleans to serve as executive assistant for the Ocean Drilling and Exploration Company. He returned to El Dorado in 1988 as the vice president of planning for Murphy Oil and later served as the company’s treasurer, chief financial and administrative officer, and chairman of the board. He is currently a member of the board for Murphy Oil, Deltic Timber Corporation and Bancorp South Inc., In addition, Murphy serves as president of the Murphy Foundation, the Chairman of the Hendrix College board and chairman of the Arkansas Citizens Commission to Streamline State Government – informally known as the Murphy Commission.

Murphy has also been active in the Next Step Foundation, the American Petroleum Institute, the National Association of Manufacturers, the American Lung Association, the Boy Scouts of America, the National Council on Economic Education, and the South Arkansas Symphony.

Murphy and his wife, Suzanne, have three children – Robert Madison Murphy II, Jonathan Nodini Murphy and Anna Elizabeth Murphy.