Senator Joseph R. McCarthy Essay example -- Essays Papers

Senator Joseph R. McCarthy Even though he had humble beginnings, Joseph Raymond McCarthy, a single man, made a profound effect on the entire United States during his career. By following his life and what shaped McCarthy as an individual, a broader picture is brought into the scope of the cause of his false accusations. In the year 1908, in the northeast region of Wisconsin on a struggling farm, a devout Roman Catholic couple brought a their son, Joseph Raymond, into the world. The McCarthy’s, an Irish-American family, were hard working and industrious on their farm in a rural area of Wisconsin. Joseph attended a one-room schoolhouse as a boy. He was noted to be a very intelligent child, and finished grade school early. He was observed as an exuberant, outgoing child who was sometimes even intimidating to other children because of his aggressiveness and tendency to pick fights for the fun of it. Jospeh started his own chicken farm and in no time at all, became very successful in his business. Several years later, however, his luck took a bad turn and he had to give it up. He started working at a grocery store in Appleton, where he moved up to a manager position and was transferred to a store in Manawa, Wisconsin. In Manawa, Joseph made the store a huge success. He brought in all sorts of customers by going around town and all of his attention to his customers. It was shortly after his transfer that he decided to go back to school. McCarthy put so much effort into his studies that he completed high school in one year, even with extra curricular activities like hiking and basketball and school committies. He continued on to Marquette University in the fall... ... States Army and lost. He was discredited and Congress took a vote on whether or not to boot McCarthy out of office. He did not lose his seat, but McCarthy's career was on the decline. After the vote, McCarthy was continually cut by the White House, senatorial committees and the press. Due to lack of the public attention he needed, McCarthy turned to an old habit of his - drinking. Over the summer in 1956, McCarthy was repeatedly hospitalized for detoxification, and in 1957, was admitted once again for liver ailment due to alcohol abuse. At the age of 49, on May 2, Senator Joseph R. McCarthy died in Bethesda Naval Hospital. Works Cited Klingaman, William K., Encyclopedia of the McCarthy Era. New York: Facts on File, c1996. Reeves, Thomas C., The Life and Times of Joe McCarthy: a biography/Thomas C. Reeves. NewYork: Stein and Day, 1982.