Difference between revisions of "Eugene McCarthy" - New World Encyclopedia
Bonnie Berry (talk | contribs) |
Bonnie Berry (talk | contribs) |
||
| Line 7: | Line 7: | ||
| party=[[Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party|Democratic-Farmer-Labor]] | | party=[[Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party|Democratic-Farmer-Labor]] | ||
| term=January, 1959 – January, 1971 | | term=January, 1959 – January, 1971 | ||
| − | | preceded= | + | | preceded=Edward John Thye |
| succeeded=[[Hubert Humphrey]] | | succeeded=[[Hubert Humphrey]] | ||
| date of birth={{birth date|1916|3|29|mf=y}} | | date of birth={{birth date|1916|3|29|mf=y}} | ||
| Line 17: | Line 17: | ||
| spouse=[[Abigail McCarthy]] (deceased) | | spouse=[[Abigail McCarthy]] (deceased) | ||
}} | }} | ||
| − | '''Eugene Joseph "Gene" McCarthy''' (March 29, 1916 – December 10, 2005) was an American politician and a long-time member of the [[Congress of the United States|United States Congress]] from [[Minnesota]]. He served in the | + | '''Eugene Joseph "Gene" McCarthy''' (March 29, 1916 – December 10, 2005) was an American politician and a long-time member of the [[Congress of the United States|United States Congress]] from [[Minnesota]]. He served in the United States House of Representatives from 1949 to 1959 and the [[United States Senate|U.S. Senate]] from 1959 to 1971. |
| − | In the | + | In the U.S. presidential election, 1968, McCarthy unsuccessfully sought the [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic]] nomination for [[president of the United States]] to succeed incumbent [[Lyndon B. Johnson]] on an anti-[[Vietnam War]] platform. He would unsuccessfully seek the presidency five times altogether. In 1980, he endorsed Ronald Reagan for the presidency.<ref>{{cite web |
| last = MacNeil-Lehrer NewsHour | | last = MacNeil-Lehrer NewsHour | ||
| first = | | first = | ||
| Line 35: | Line 35: | ||
==Biography== | ==Biography== | ||
| − | The son of a deeply religious mother of German descent and strong-willed father of Irish descent who was a postmaster and cattle buyer known for his earthy wit, McCarthy grew up in [[ | + | The son of a deeply religious mother of German descent and strong-willed father of Irish descent who was a postmaster and cattle buyer known for his earthy wit, McCarthy grew up in Watkins, [[Minnesota]], as one of four children. A bright student who spent hours reading his aunt’s Harvard Classics, he was deeply influenced by the monks at nearby St. John’s Abbey and University. As part of the oldest religious order in the Western world, the St. John’s Benedictines have been among the most progressive forces in American Catholicism. McCarthy spent nine months as a novice before deciding he didn’t have a religious calling and left the monastery, causing a fellow novice to say, “It was like losing a 20-game winner.”<ref>"http://www.hillnews.com/thehill/export/TheHill/News/Frontpage/121305/mccarthy.html"</ref> |
| − | Senator McCarthy graduated from St. John's Preparatory School in 1931. He was a 1935 graduate of | + | Senator McCarthy graduated from St. John's Preparatory School in 1931. He was a 1935 graduate of St. John's University in Collegeville, Minnesota. McCarthy earned his master's degree from the University of Minnesota in 1939. He taught in various public schools in Minnesota and [[North Dakota]] from 1935 to 1940. In 1940, he became a professor of economics and education at St. John's and worked there until 1943. |
| − | + | McCarthy was a civilian technical assistant in the Military Intelligence Division of the United States Department of War in 1944 and an instructor in [[sociology]] and economics at the College of St. Thomas, St. Paul, Minnesota from 1946 to 1949. | |
| − | McCarthy was a member of the | + | McCarthy was a member of the Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party. Representing Minnesota's Fourth Congressional District, McCarthy served as a member of the United States House of Representatives from 1949 to 1959 in the 81st [[United States Congress]], 82nd, 83rd, 84th, and 85th United States Congresses. He was not a candidate for renomination in 1958. |
| − | He went on to serve in the U.S. Senate from 1959 to 1971, in the | + | He went on to serve in the U.S. Senate from 1959 to 1971, in the 86th, 87th, 88th, 89th, 90th, and 91st United States Congresses, and was a member of (among other committees) the powerful Senate Foreign Relations Committee. A resident of the small community of Woodville, [[Virginia]] for about 20 years in later life, Eugene McCarthy died in a retirement home in Georgetown, [[Washington, D.C.]] on December 10, 2005, where he had lived for the previous few years. |
==The 1968 campaign== | ==The 1968 campaign== | ||
{{main|U.S. presidential election, 1968}} | {{main|U.S. presidential election, 1968}} | ||
| − | In 1968, McCarthy ran against incumbent | + | In 1968, McCarthy ran against incumbent [[President Lyndon Johnson]] in the New Hampshire Democratic primary, with the intention of influencing the federal government — then controlled by [[United States Democratic Party|Democrats]] — to curtail its involvement in the Vietnam War. A number of anti-war college students and other activists from around the country traveled to [[New Hampshire]] to support McCarthy's campaign. Some anti-war students who had the long-haired appearance of hippies chose to cut their long hair and shave off their beards, in order to campaign for McCarthy door-to-door, a phenomenon that led to the informal slogan "Get clean for Gene." |
| − | McCarthy's decision to run was partly an outcome of opposition to the war by Oregon's [[Wayne Morse]], one of the two Senators to vote against the | + | McCarthy's decision to run was partly an outcome of opposition to the war by Oregon's [[Wayne Morse]], one of the two Senators to vote against the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution. Morse gave speeches denouncing the war before it had entered the consciousness of most Americans. Following that, several politically active Oregon Democrats asked [[Robert F. Kennedy|Robert Kennedy]] to run as an anti-war candidate. Initially Kennedy refused, so the group asked McCarthy to run, and he responded favorably. |
| − | When McCarthy scored 42% to Johnson's 49% in the popular vote (and 20 of the 24 N.H. delegates to the Democratic national nominating convention) in New Hampshire on March 12 it was clear that deep division existed among Democrats on the war issue. By this time, Johnson had become inextricably defined by | + | When McCarthy scored 42% to Johnson's 49% in the popular vote (and 20 of the 24 N.H. delegates to the Democratic national nominating convention) in New Hampshire on March 12 it was clear that deep division existed among Democrats on the war issue. By this time, Johnson had become inextricably defined by the situation in Vietnam and his handling of it. This demonstration of divided support within his party meant Johnson's reelection (only four years after winning the highest percentage of the popular vote in modern history) was unlikely. On March 16, Kennedy announced that he would run, and was seen by many Democrats as a stronger candidate than McCarthy. On March 31, Johnson announced that he would not seek reelection. Then, McCarthy won in the Wisconsin primary, where the Kennedy campaign was still getting organized. Although it was largely forgotten following subsequent events, McCarthy also won in Oregon against a well organized Kennedy effort. Kennedy then took the crucial California primary on June 4. |
| − | + | Robert Kennedy was shot after his victory speech at the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles, on June 5. He died early on the morning of June 6. In response, McCarthy refrained from political action for several days. | |
| − | Despite strong showings in several primaries, McCarthy garnered only 23 percent of the delegates at the | + | Despite strong showings in several primaries, McCarthy garnered only 23 percent of the delegates at the 1968 Democratic National Convention, largely due to the control of state party organizations over the delegate selection process. After the assassination, many delegates for Kennedy chose to support George McGovern rather than McCarthy. Moreover, although the eventual nominee, Vice President [[Hubert Humphrey]], was not clearly an anti-war candidate, there was hope among some anti-war Democrats that Humphrey as President might succeed where Johnson had failed — in extricating the United States from Vietnam. |
| − | Although McCarthy did not win the Democratic nomination, the anti-war "New Party," which ran several candidates for President that year, listed him as their nominee on the ballot in [[Arizona]], where he received 2,751 votes. He also received 20,721 votes as a | + | Although McCarthy did not win the Democratic nomination, the anti-war "New Party," which ran several candidates for President that year, listed him as their nominee on the ballot in [[Arizona]], where he received 2,751 votes. He also received 20,721 votes as a write-in candidate in [[California]]. However, even in Oregon where McCarthy had shown his greatest strength, it was the Kennedy forces who had a lasting impact on state politics, contributing Portland Mayor Vera Katz and Oregon Governor Neil Goldschmidt. |
| − | In the aftermath of their chaotic 1968 convention in | + | In the aftermath of their chaotic 1968 convention in Chicago, Democrats convened the McGovern-Fraser Commission to reexamine the manner in which delegates were chosen. The commission made a number of recommendations to reform the process, prompting widespread changes in Democratic state organizations and continual democratization of the nominating process for more than a decade. In response, the United States Republican Party also formed a similar commission. Because of these changes, the practical role of U.S. national party conventions diminished dramatically. The most immediately visible effect of the reforms was the eventual nomination of nationally unknown [[Jimmy Carter]] by the Democrats in the U.S. presidential election in 1976. Some have argued that the increased significance of primaries has resulted in candidates who are more nationally palatable than those that might have been chosen in a "smoke-filled room." Others see the changes as a mixed blessing because they may make initial name recognition and money more decisive factors in securing the nomination. |
==Subsequent campaigns and career== | ==Subsequent campaigns and career== | ||
| Line 127: | Line 127: | ||
{{reflist|2}} | {{reflist|2}} | ||
| − | |||
{{CongBio|M000311}} | {{CongBio|M000311}} | ||
* http://www.IMDb.com | * http://www.IMDb.com | ||
Revision as of 22:59, 19 December 2007
- Not to be confused with the anti-Communist senator Joseph Raymond McCarthy.
| Eugene J. "Gene" McCarthy | |
| |
U.S. Senator from Minnesota
| |
| In office January, 1959 – January, 1971 | |
| Preceded by | Edward John Thye |
|---|---|
| Succeeded by | Hubert Humphrey |
| Born | March 29 1916 Watkins, Minnesota |
| Died | December 10 2005 (aged 89) Washington, D.C. |
| Political party | Democratic-Farmer-Labor |
| Spouse | Abigail McCarthy (deceased) |
Eugene Joseph "Gene" McCarthy (March 29, 1916 – December 10, 2005) was an American politician and a long-time member of the United States Congress from Minnesota. He served in the United States House of Representatives from 1949 to 1959 and the U.S. Senate from 1959 to 1971.
In the U.S. presidential election, 1968, McCarthy unsuccessfully sought the Democratic nomination for president of the United States to succeed incumbent Lyndon B. Johnson on an anti-Vietnam War platform. He would unsuccessfully seek the presidency five times altogether. In 1980, he endorsed Ronald Reagan for the presidency.[1]
Biography
The son of a deeply religious mother of German descent and strong-willed father of Irish descent who was a postmaster and cattle buyer known for his earthy wit, McCarthy grew up in Watkins, Minnesota, as one of four children. A bright student who spent hours reading his aunt’s Harvard Classics, he was deeply influenced by the monks at nearby St. John’s Abbey and University. As part of the oldest religious order in the Western world, the St. John’s Benedictines have been among the most progressive forces in American Catholicism. McCarthy spent nine months as a novice before deciding he didn’t have a religious calling and left the monastery, causing a fellow novice to say, “It was like losing a 20-game winner.”[2]
Senator McCarthy graduated from St. John's Preparatory School in 1931. He was a 1935 graduate of St. John's University in Collegeville, Minnesota. McCarthy earned his master's degree from the University of Minnesota in 1939. He taught in various public schools in Minnesota and North Dakota from 1935 to 1940. In 1940, he became a professor of economics and education at St. John's and worked there until 1943.
McCarthy was a civilian technical assistant in the Military Intelligence Division of the United States Department of War in 1944 and an instructor in sociology and economics at the College of St. Thomas, St. Paul, Minnesota from 1946 to 1949.
McCarthy was a member of the Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party. Representing Minnesota's Fourth Congressional District, McCarthy served as a member of the United States House of Representatives from 1949 to 1959 in the 81st United States Congress, 82nd, 83rd, 84th, and 85th United States Congresses. He was not a candidate for renomination in 1958.
He went on to serve in the U.S. Senate from 1959 to 1971, in the 86th, 87th, 88th, 89th, 90th, and 91st United States Congresses, and was a member of (among other committees) the powerful Senate Foreign Relations Committee. A resident of the small community of Woodville, Virginia for about 20 years in later life, Eugene McCarthy died in a retirement home in Georgetown, Washington, D.C. on December 10, 2005, where he had lived for the previous few years.
The 1968 campaign
In 1968, McCarthy ran against incumbent President Lyndon Johnson in the New Hampshire Democratic primary, with the intention of influencing the federal government — then controlled by Democrats — to curtail its involvement in the Vietnam War. A number of anti-war college students and other activists from around the country traveled to New Hampshire to support McCarthy's campaign. Some anti-war students who had the long-haired appearance of hippies chose to cut their long hair and shave off their beards, in order to campaign for McCarthy door-to-door, a phenomenon that led to the informal slogan "Get clean for Gene."
McCarthy's decision to run was partly an outcome of opposition to the war by Oregon's Wayne Morse, one of the two Senators to vote against the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution. Morse gave speeches denouncing the war before it had entered the consciousness of most Americans. Following that, several politically active Oregon Democrats asked Robert Kennedy to run as an anti-war candidate. Initially Kennedy refused, so the group asked McCarthy to run, and he responded favorably.
When McCarthy scored 42% to Johnson's 49% in the popular vote (and 20 of the 24 N.H. delegates to the Democratic national nominating convention) in New Hampshire on March 12 it was clear that deep division existed among Democrats on the war issue. By this time, Johnson had become inextricably defined by the situation in Vietnam and his handling of it. This demonstration of divided support within his party meant Johnson's reelection (only four years after winning the highest percentage of the popular vote in modern history) was unlikely. On March 16, Kennedy announced that he would run, and was seen by many Democrats as a stronger candidate than McCarthy. On March 31, Johnson announced that he would not seek reelection. Then, McCarthy won in the Wisconsin primary, where the Kennedy campaign was still getting organized. Although it was largely forgotten following subsequent events, McCarthy also won in Oregon against a well organized Kennedy effort. Kennedy then took the crucial California primary on June 4.
Robert Kennedy was shot after his victory speech at the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles, on June 5. He died early on the morning of June 6. In response, McCarthy refrained from political action for several days.
Despite strong showings in several primaries, McCarthy garnered only 23 percent of the delegates at the 1968 Democratic National Convention, largely due to the control of state party organizations over the delegate selection process. After the assassination, many delegates for Kennedy chose to support George McGovern rather than McCarthy. Moreover, although the eventual nominee, Vice President Hubert Humphrey, was not clearly an anti-war candidate, there was hope among some anti-war Democrats that Humphrey as President might succeed where Johnson had failed — in extricating the United States from Vietnam.
Although McCarthy did not win the Democratic nomination, the anti-war "New Party," which ran several candidates for President that year, listed him as their nominee on the ballot in Arizona, where he received 2,751 votes. He also received 20,721 votes as a write-in candidate in California. However, even in Oregon where McCarthy had shown his greatest strength, it was the Kennedy forces who had a lasting impact on state politics, contributing Portland Mayor Vera Katz and Oregon Governor Neil Goldschmidt.
In the aftermath of their chaotic 1968 convention in Chicago, Democrats convened the McGovern-Fraser Commission to reexamine the manner in which delegates were chosen. The commission made a number of recommendations to reform the process, prompting widespread changes in Democratic state organizations and continual democratization of the nominating process for more than a decade. In response, the United States Republican Party also formed a similar commission. Because of these changes, the practical role of U.S. national party conventions diminished dramatically. The most immediately visible effect of the reforms was the eventual nomination of nationally unknown Jimmy Carter by the Democrats in the U.S. presidential election in 1976. Some have argued that the increased significance of primaries has resulted in candidates who are more nationally palatable than those that might have been chosen in a "smoke-filled room." Others see the changes as a mixed blessing because they may make initial name recognition and money more decisive factors in securing the nomination.
Subsequent campaigns and career
After leaving the Senate in 1971, McCarthy became a senior editor at Harcourt Brace Jovanovich Publishing and a syndicated newspaper columnist.
McCarthy returned to politics as a candidate for the Democratic Presidential nomination in 1972, but he fared poorly in New Hampshire and Wisconsin and soon dropped out.
After the 1972 campaign, he left the Democratic Party, and ran as an Independent candidate for President in the 1976 election. During that campaign, he took a libertarian stance on civil liberties, promised to create full employment by shortening the work week, came out in favor of nuclear disarmament, and declared who he would nominate to various Cabinet postings if elected. Mainly, however, he battled ballot access laws that he deemed too restrictive and encouraged voters to reject the two-party system.[1]
His numerous legal battles during the course of the election, along with a strong grassroots effort in friendly states, allowed him to appear on the ballot in 30 states and eased ballot access for later third party candidates. His party affiliation was listed on ballots, variously, as "Independent," "McCarthy '76," "Non-Partisan," "Nom. Petition," "Nomination," "Not Designated," and "Court Order". Although he was not listed on the ballot in California and Wyoming, he was recognized as a write-in candidate in those states. In many states, he did not run with a vice presidential nominee, but he came to have a total of 15 running mates in states where he was required to have one. At least eight of his running mates were women.[2]
He opposed Watergate-era campaign finance laws, becoming a plaintiff in the landmark case of Buckley v. Valeo, 424 U.S. 1 (1976), in which the U.S. Supreme Court held that certain provisions of federal campaign finance laws were unconstitutional.[3] McCarthy, along with the New York Civil Liberties Union, philanthropist Stewart Mott, the Conservative Party of the State of New York, the Mississippi Republican Party, and the Libertarian Party, were the plaintiffs in Buckley, becoming key players in killing campaign spending limits and public financing of political campaigns.
In the 1988 election, his name appeared on the ballot as the Presidential candidate of a handful of left-wing state parties, such as the Consumer Party in Pennsylvania and the Minnesota Progressive Party in Minnesota. In his campaign he supported trade protectionism, Reagan's Strategic Defense Initiative (or "Star Wars") and the abolition of the two-party system[4]. He received 24,561 votes.
In 1992, returning to the Democratic Party, he entered the New Hampshire primary and campaigned for the Democratic Presidential nomination, but was excluded from most debates by party officials. McCarthy, along with other candidates excluded from the 1992 Democratic debates (including actor Tom Laughlin, two-time New Alliance Party Presidential candidate Lenora Fulani, former Irvine, California mayor Larry Agran, and others) staged protests and unsuccessfully took legal action in an attempt to be included in the debates. In 2000, McCarthy was active in the movement to include Green candidate Ralph Nader in the Presidential debates. In 2005, he was listed as a member of the board of advisors of the Federation for American Immigration Reform, a largely honorary post. He remained a prolific writer, and authored several books on a variety of subjects. He was also a published poet.
McCarthy left his wife, Abigail, in 1969. They never divorced. McCarthy was rumored to be having a longterm affair with prominent columnist and journalist Shana Alexander. However, according to Dominic Sandbrook's recent McCarthy biography, it was the late CBS News correspondent Marya McLaughlin[3] that McCarthy was actually involved with, in a long-term relationship that lasted until Ms. McLaughlin's death in 1998.[4] McCarthy died of complications from Parkinson's disease at the age of 89 on December 10, 2005 at Georgetown Retirement Residence in Washington, D.C. His eulogy was given by former President Bill Clinton.
Following his death the College of St. Benedict and St. John's University dedicated their Public Policy Center the Eugene J. McCarthy Center for Public Policy.[5]
Presidential election results
| McCarthy's presidential campaign results | |||
| Election | Party | votes | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1968 | (various) | 25,634 | 0.04% |
| 1976 | independent | 740,460 | 0.91% |
| 1988 | Consumer | 30,905 | 0.03% |
Books by Eugene McCarthy
- Frontiers in American Democracy (1960)
- Dictionary of American Politics (1962)
- A Liberal Answer to the Conservative Challenge (1964)
- The Limits of Power: America's Role in the World (1967)
- The Year of the People (1969)
- A Political Bestiary, by Eugene J. McCarthy and James J. Kilpatrick (1979) (ISBN 0-380-46508-6)
- Gene McCarthy's Minnesota: Memories of a Native Son (1982) (ISBN 0-86683-681-0)
- Complexities and Contrarities (1982) (ISBN 0-15-121202-3)
- Up Til Now: A Memoir (1987)
- Required Reading: A Decade of Political Wit and Wisdom (1988) (ISBN 0-15-176880-3)
- Nonfictional Economics: The Case for Shorter Hours of Work, by Eugene McCarthy and William McGaughey (1989) (ISBN 0-275-92514-5)
- A Colony of the World: The United States Today (1992) (ISBN 0-7818-0102-8)
- Eugene J. McCarthy: Selected Poems by Eugene J. McCarthy, Ray Howe (1997) (ISBN 1-883477-15-8)
- No-Fault Politics (1998) (ISBN 0-8129-3016-9)
- 1968: War and Democracy (2000) (ISBN 1-883477-37-9)
- Hard Years: Antidotes to Authoritarians (2001) (ISBN 1-883477-38-7)
- Parting Shots from My Brittle Brow: Reflections on American Politics and Life (2005) (ISBN 1-55591-528-0)
ReferencesISBN links support NWE through referral fees
- ↑ MacNeil-Lehrer NewsHour (December 12, 2005). Online NewsHour: Remembering Sen. Eugene McCarthy — December 12, 2005. PBS. Retrieved 2007-04-04.
- ↑ "http://www.hillnews.com/thehill/export/TheHill/News/Frontpage/121305/mccarthy.html"
- ↑ McLaughlin's CBS News obituary
- ↑ James Kilpatrick recalls their relationship
- ↑ The Eugene J. McCarthy Center for Public Policy and Civic Engagement. College of Saint Benedict. Retrieved 2007-09-06.
- Eugene McCarthy at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
- http://www.IMDb.com
- Dominic Sandbrook, Eugene McCarthy and The Rise and Fall of American Liberalism (2005).
External links
- Eugene J McCarthy Lectureship at Saint John's University
- Eugene McCarthy (1916–2005): The Legacy of the Former Senator and Anti-War Presidential Candidate
- Eugene J. McCarthy, Senate Dove Who Jolted '68 Race, Dies at 89 — The New York Times
- Minnesota senator shook world in '68 — Star Tribune of Minneapolis
- Gentle Senator, Presidential Hopeful Empowered U.S. Antiwar Movement — The Washington Post
- Eugene Joseph McCarthy, a maverick presidential candidate, died on December 10th, aged 89 — The Economist
- Some poems by Eugene McCarthy
- "Eugene McCarthy: Candidacy inspired antiwar movement" Los Angeles Times, 11 December 2005
- “No Success Like Failure.” by Jon Wiener. The Nation, May 3, 2004, 50–53.
- Ron Schuler's Parlour Tricks: Eugene McCarthy from 1916 to 2005
- Eugene McCarthy's 1968 announcement speech
- A 1968 McCarthy for President brochure
- "Gene McCarthy" Article by George McGovern in the The Nation, (December 15, 2005).
- Obituary from the National Catholic Reporter
| Preceded by: Edward Devitt |
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Minnesota's 4th congressional district 1949–1959 |
Succeeded by: Joseph Karth |
| Preceded by: Edward John Thye |
United States Senator (Class 1) from Minnesota 1959–1971 |
Succeeded by: Hubert Humphrey |
Template:USSenMN
ar:يوجين مكارثي bs:Eugene McCarthy da:Eugene McCarthy de:Eugene McCarthy fr:Eugene McCarthy nl:Eugene McCarthy ja:ユージーン・マッカーシー no:Eugene McCarthy pl:Eugene McCarthy simple:Eugene McCarthy fi:Eugene McCarthy sv:Eugene McCarthy zh:尤金·麥卡錫
Credits
New World Encyclopedia writers and editors rewrote and completed the Wikipedia article in accordance with New World Encyclopedia standards. This article abides by terms of the Creative Commons CC-by-sa 3.0 License (CC-by-sa), which may be used and disseminated with proper attribution. Credit is due under the terms of this license that can reference both the New World Encyclopedia contributors and the selfless volunteer contributors of the Wikimedia Foundation. To cite this article click here for a list of acceptable citing formats.The history of earlier contributions by wikipedians is accessible to researchers here:
The history of this article since it was imported to New World Encyclopedia:
Note: Some restrictions may apply to use of individual images which are separately licensed.
