Joseph McCarthy

Joseph Raymond "Joe" McCarthy (November 14, 1908 – May 2, 1957) was an American politician who served as a Republican U.S. Senator from the state of Wisconsin from 1947 until his death in 1957. Beginning in 1950, McCarthy became the most visible public face of a period in which Cold War tensions fueled fears of widespread Communist subversion. He was noted for making claims that there were large numbers of Communists and Soviet spies and sympathizers inside the United States federal government and elsewhere. Ultimately, his tactics and inability to substantiate his claims led him to be censured by the United States Senate.

The term "McCarthyism", coined in 1950 in reference to McCarthy's practices, was soon applied to similar anti-communist activities. Today, the term is used more generally in reference to demagogic, reckless, and unsubstantiated accusations, as well as public attacks on the character or patriotism of political opponents.

McCarthy was born in 1908 in the Town of Grand Chute in Outagamie County, Wisconsin, and attended Marquette University, eventually earning an LL.B. from Marquette University Law School. At age 33, McCarthy volunteered for the United States Marine Corps and served during World War II. He successfully ran for the United States Senate in 1946, defeating Robert M. La Follette Jr. After three largely undistinguished years in the Senate, McCarthy rose suddenly to national fame in February 1950 when he asserted in a speech that he had a list of "members of the Communist Party and members of a spy ring" who were employed in the State Department.

Joseph McCarthy (disambiguation)

Joseph McCarthy was a United States Senator and anti-Communist who is the namesake for McCarthyism.

Joseph McCarthy or Joe McCarthy may also refer to:

Sports

Others

Joe McCarthy (catcher)

Joseph Nicodemus McCarthy (December 25, 1881 – January 12, 1937) was a Major League Baseball catcher. McCarthy played for the New York Highlanders in 1905 and the St. Louis Cardinals in 1906. In 16 career games, he had 9 hits in 39 at-bats. He batted and threw right-handed.

McCarthy was born and died in Syracuse, New York.

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