• March 10, 1924: Thomas Bailey Murphy is born in Haralson County to Leta Jones and William Harvey Murphy.

• 1941: Graduates from Bremen High School.

• 1943: Graduates from North Georgia College.

• 1943-46: Serves in the Navy.

• 1946: Marries the former Agnes Bennett.

• 1948: Is elected to the Bremen Board of Education.

• 1949: Graduates from University of Georgia Law School.

• 1960: Is elected chairman of the Bremen Board of Education. (Serves until 1965.)

• 1960: Is elected to the Georgia House of Representatives.

• 1967-70: Serves as floor leader for Gov. Lester Maddox.

• 1970-73: Serves as speaker pro tem of the House.

• 1973: Is elected speaker of the House after the death of Speaker George L. Smith.

• 1979: Helps MARTA secure a controversial extension of its 1 percent sales tax.

• 1981: Secures passage of legislation authorizing funding for the Georgia World Congress Center?s expansion.

• 1982: Protégé Joe Frank Harris is elected governor.

• 1982: Agnes Murphy dies of a heart attack at age 54.

• 1987: Quashes an effort pushed by Gov. Zell Miller to raise the gas tax.

• 1992: Crushes a challenge by DuBose Porter for the speakership, 102-25.

• 1994: Is hospitalized for an apparent heart attack.

• 2000: Allows laptop computers into the House chamber for the first time.

• 2000: Wins re-election to the House by the closest margin ever, 505 votes.

• 2002: Is defeated by Republican Bill Heath in his 22nd run for the House.

• 2003: House declares March 9 ?Tom Murphy Day? in honor of his 79th birthday.

• 2004: Suffers stroke.

• November 2004: Hospitalized at Emory University Hospital for respiratory ailment.

• May 2004: Hospitalized at Emory for complications from pneumonia.

IN HIS OWN WORDS

• "Nobody gives me instructions, except the majority of the House [of Representatives]."

• "When you're an adversary to me, and I oppose you, I go for the jugular vein."

• "When I'm up there presiding, I'm going to run the show. I have no hesitation of setting people down."