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Eugene Joseph McCarthy 1916 - 2005

Eugene Joseph McCarthy of Woodville, Rappahannock County, District Of Columbia was born on March 29, 1916, and died at age 89 years old on December 10, 2005.

Eugene Joseph McCarthy

Gene, Gene

Woodville, Rappahannock County, District Of Columbia 22749

March 29, 1916

December 10, 2005

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Eugene Joseph McCarthy Eugene McCarthy (1916 - 2005)

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Eugene Joseph McCarthy's History: 1916 - 2005

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Introduction

Personal life McCarthy and his wife, Abigail Quigley McCarthy, had five children, Christopher Joseph McCarthy (April 30, 1946 – April 30, 1946), Ellen Anne McCarthy, Mary Abigail McCarthy (April 29, 1949 – July 28, 1990), Michael Benet McCarthy, and Margaret Alice McCarthy.[citation needed] In 1969, McCarthy separated from his wife after 24 years of marriage, but the two never divorced. The young McCarthy children stayed with their mother following the separation.[42] According to Dominic Sandbrook, McCarthy biographer, it was CBS News correspondent Marya McLaughlin[43] (December 29, 1929 – September 14, 1998) with whom McCarthy was actually involved in a long-term relationship that lasted until McLaughlin's death in 1998.[44] Death and legacy McCarthy died of complications from Parkinson's disease at the age of 89 on December 10, 2005, in a retirement home in Georgetown, Washington, D.C., where he had lived for the previous few years. His eulogy was given by former President Bill Clinton. Following his death the College of Saint Benedict and Saint John's University dedicated their Public Policy Center the Eugene J. McCarthy Center for Public Policy.[45] The Democratic party memorialized his death during the 2008 Democratic National Convention in Denver, Colorado, on August 28, 2008. The memorial included pictures of several prominent Democrats who had died during the four-year period since the 2004 Convention displayed on a large screen. During Senator McCarthy's tribute, the screen displaying his photograph left off his first name but included his middle name, calling him "Senator Joseph McCarthy"; Joseph McCarthy was a notable Republican Senator from Wisconsin famous for his anti-Communist campaigning and sparring with journalist Edward R. Murrow.[46] In 2009, his alma mater, St. John's University, honored McCarthy by establishing the Eugene McCarthy Distinguished Public Service Award.[47] McCarthy's files as U.S. congressman (Democratic Farmer-Labor) from Minnesota's fourth district (1949–1958) and as U.S. senator from Minnesota (1959–1970) are available at the Minnesota History Center for research use. They include executive files, general files, legislative files, personal files, political and campaign (including senatorial, vice presidential, and presidential) files, public relations files, sound and visual materials (with photographs), and speeches.[48]
03/29

1916

Birthday

March 29, 1916

Birthdate

Unknown

Birthplace

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Ethnicity & Family History

Irish and German Catholic.
Early Life & Education

McCarthy grew up in Watkins with his parents and three siblings. He attended St. Anthony's Catholic School in Watkins, and spent hours reading his aunt's Harvard Classics. He was influenced by the monks at nearby St. John's Abbey and University in Collegeville, Minnesota, and attended prep school there, at Saint John's Preparatory School, from which he graduated in 1932. He also went to college at Saint John's University, graduating in 1935. McCarthy earned his master's degree from the University of Minnesota in 1939. He taught in public schools in Minnesota and North Dakota from 1935 to 1940, when he became a professor of economics and education at St. John's, working there from 1940–1943. While at St. John's, he coached the hockey team for one season.
Religious Beliefs

Catholic. In 1943, considering the contemplative life of a monk, he became a Benedictine novice at Saint John's Abbey. After nine months as a monk he left the monastery, causing a fellow novice to say, "It was like losing a 20-game winner"
Military Service

He served as a code breaker for the United States Department of War during World War II. He enlisted in the Army, serving as a code breaker for the Military Intelligence Division of the War Department in Washington, D.C. in 1944.[
Professional Career

Eugene Joseph McCarthy (March 29, 1916 – December 10, 2005) was an American politician and poet from Minnesota. He served in the United States House of Representatives from 1949 to 1959 and the United States Senate from 1959 to 1971. McCarthy sought the Democratic nomination in the 1968 presidential election, challenging incumbent Lyndon B. Johnson on an anti-Vietnam War platform. McCarthy sought the presidency five times, but never won. Born in Watkins, Minnesota, McCarthy became an economics professor after earning a graduate degree from the University of Minnesota. McCarthy became a member of the Minnesota Democratic–Farmer–Labor Party (the state affiliate of the Democratic Party) and won election to the House of Representatives in 1948. He served until winning election to the Senate in 1958. McCarthy was a prominent supporter of Adlai Stevenson II for the Democratic presidential nomination in 1960 and was himself a candidate for the Democratic vice presidential nomination in 1964. He co-sponsored the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965, though he later expressed regret about the impact of the bill and became a member of the Federation for American Immigration Reform. Early life McCarthy was born in Watkins, Minnesota. He was the son of a deeply religious Catholic mother of German ancestry, Anna Baden McCarthy, and strong-willed father of Irish descent, Michael J. McCarthy, who was a postmaster and cattle buyer. He was then an instructor in sociology and economics at the College of St. Thomas, St. Paul, Minnesota from 1946 to 1949. United States Congressman McCarthy became a member of the Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party. In 1948 he won election to the United States House of Representatives with labor and Catholic support,[9] representing Minnesota's 4th congressional district until 1959. He became the leader of young liberals, predominately from the Midwest, called "McCarthy's Marauders". In 1952 he engaged Wisconsin Senator Joseph McCarthy (no relation) in a nationally televised debate in which he parodied the Senator's arguments to "prove" that General Douglas MacArthur had been a communist pawn.[10] In 1958 he won election to the U.S. Senate. United States Senator He served as a member of (among other committees) the powerful Senate Foreign Relations Committee. McCarthy became known to a larger audience in 1960 when he supported twice-defeated presidential candidate Adlai Stevenson for the Democratic nomination. He pleaded during his speech, "Do not reject this man who made us all proud to be called Democrats!" He joked about his own merits as a candidate, "I'm twice as liberal as Hubert Humphrey, twice as intelligent as Stuart Symington, and twice as Catholic as Jack Kennedy." He was considered as a possible running mate for Lyndon Johnson in 1964, only to see fellow Minnesota Senator Humphrey chosen for that position. Along with Ted Kennedy, McCarthy was one of the original co-sponsors of the Immigration Act of 1965. He later regretted this, noting that "unrecognized by virtually all of the bill's supporters, were provisions which would eventually lead to unprecedented growth in numbers and the transfer of policy control from the elected representatives of the American people to individuals wishing to bring relatives to this country". He became a member of the Board of Advisors of the Federation for American Immigration Reform.
Personal Life & Family

As the 1960s progressed, McCarthy emerged as a prominent opponent of President Johnson's handling of the Vietnam War. After Robert Kennedy declined the request of a group of anti-war Democrats to challenge Johnson in the 1968 Democratic primaries, McCarthy entered the race on an anti-war platform.[2] Though he was initially given little chance of winning, the Tet Offensive galvanized opposition to the war and McCarthy finished in a strong second place in the New Hampshire primary. After that primary election, Kennedy entered the race and Johnson announced that he would not seek re-election. McCarthy and Kennedy each won several primaries before Kennedy was assassinated in June 1968. The 1968 Democratic National Convention chose Vice President Hubert Humphrey, Johnson's preferred candidate, as its presidential nominee. McCarthy did not seek re-election in the 1970 Senate election. He sought the Democratic presidential nomination in 1972 but fared poorly in the primaries. He ran in several more races after that, but never won election to another office. He ran as independent in the 1976 presidential election and won 0.9% of the popular vote. He was a plaintiff in the landmark campaign finance case of Buckley v. Valeo and supported Ronald Reagan in the 1980 presidential election. United States Congressman United States Senator 1968 presidential campaign Presidential campaign 1972 Presidential campaign 1976
12/10

2005

Death

December 10, 2005

Death date

Unknown
Cause of death

Unknown
Death location

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Obituary

Eugene McCarthy He's one of those uncommon men who puts his courage in the service of his country, and whose eloquence and energy are at the side of what is right and good. -Lyndon B. Johnson, Former President Eugene Joseph McCarthy was born on March 29, 1916, in the small Central Minnesota farming town of Watkins. His father, the son of Irish immigrants, was a livestock buyer and a storyteller. His mother, from devout Bavarian stock, was a gentle influence who raised four inquisitive children. McCarthy attended the local Catholic school and was known in Watkins for being extremely bright, well-behaved and a voracious reader. He was also an excellent athlete and loved sports, particularly baseball and hockey. He left home for Collegeville, Minnesota at the age of 15 to finish high school at Saint John's Preparatory School, and he subsequently attended Saint John's University. McCarthy has been described by his teachers at Saint John's University as "brilliant, and a student who had set a standard that was...one of our all-time records." He was also known for his wit. His classmates referred to him as the "Watkins Wonder." While in college he continued to be passionate about sports. A lanky, 6-foot-4 first baseman, he played semi-pro baseball for the Great Soo League during the summers, and in 1934-35, he was top scorer on Saint John's University's hockey team, taking it to its first state championship. He graduated from Saint John's University with highest honors in 1935 at the mere age of 19. From 1935-40, McCarthy taught at public high schools in Tintah and Kimball, Minnesota and Mandan, North Dakota, where he met his future wife, Abigail Quigley, also a teacher. He earned a master's degree in economics and sociology from the University of Minnesota in 1939, returning to Saint John's to teach economics and education in 1940. In 1943, considering the contemplative life of a monk, he became a Benedictine novice at Saint John's Abbey. Although McCarthy left the novitiate after nine months, his Catholicism, "refined and reinforced by his years at Saint John's, was the single most important influence on his intellectual life," according to one biographer. After leaving the novitiate, McCarthy enlisted in the Army, serving as a code breaker for the Military Intelligence Division of the War Department in Washington, D.C. In 1945, he returned to Minnesota and married Abigail, with whom he would eventually have four children and who would greatly influence his political career. After marriage, Abigail and Gene farmed in Watkins for a brief period. He then joined the faculty of St. Thomas College (now the University of St. Thomas) in St. Paul, Minnesota in 1946, where he taught economics and sociology until he entered politics in 1949. While at St. Thomas, McCarthy became increasingly interested in politics and launched a successful campaign for a Democratic seat in the House of Representatives, where he served from 1949-1959. His genial nature and good humor made him a popular newcomer in the House, where his wit earned him the nickname "the Needle." In 1958, McCarthy was elected to the United States Senate and began to attract more national attention. He made the nominating speech for Adlai Stevenson at the 1960 Democratic National Convention. After President Kennedy's assassination, McCarthy was considered for the vice presidency that Hubert Humphrey ultimately won. In 1967, he announced his candidacy for the 1968 Democratic presidential nomination as a direct challenge to President Lyndon B. Johnson's Vietnam policies. His antiwar position won wide admiration and brought thousands of supporters, especially among the young, into the political process. His strong showing in the March 1968 New Hampshire presidential primary is widely considered to have persuaded Johnson to withdraw his candidacy for reelection and to have brought Senator Robert F. Kennedy into the race. McCarthy was ultimately defeated for the Democratic nomination by Hubert H. Humphrey. McCarthy left the Senate in 1971. He launched two more unsuccessful bids for nomination to the presidency, in 1972 and 1992, as well as an unsuccessful bid for the Senate in 1982. After leaving the Senate, McCarthy worked for a time in publishing and higher education. In 1978, he took up primary residence in rural Rappahannock County, Virginia and devoted much of his time to speaking engagements and writing, eventually publishing more than 20 books of poetry and memoir/political commentary. The last of these, Parting Shots From My Brittle Bow: Reflections on American Politics and Life, was published in January 2005. He and Abigail had separated in 1969 but remained on friendly terms. One of their daughters Mary, died in 1990, and Abigail died in 2001. McCarthy is survived by son Michael, a medical editor in Seattle, and daughters Ellen, of Bethesda, Maryland, a Democratic aide to the U.S. House Administration Committee, and Margaret, a veterinarian in Takoma Park, Maryland. A brother, Austin McCarthy of Willmar, Minnesota, a sister Marian Enright of Walnut Creek, California, and six grandchildren also survive.

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Eugene Joseph McCarthy lived 16 years longer than the average family member when died at the age of 89.

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