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A Biography of Joseph McCarthy
Joseph Raymond McCarthy was an American politician who climbed the political ladder to become a U.S. Senator from 1947 until his death in 1957. A politician following World War II and the fall of the Iron Curtain, he capitalized on the mass hysteria by claiming that there were a significant number of “Commies” in the U.S. government. This mass hysteria and the actions that followed suit became known as McCarthyism. He gained a significant amount of power during this period, with a large number of politicians fearful of being accused of Communist sympathies if they were to stand against him. These claims were largely unsubstantiated, and ultimately led him to be censured by the United States Senate. Some of the hysteria and actions resulted in discrimination, assault, harassment and a slew of other charges that were ultimately dismissed due to the fear of being called a Communist sympathizer. Joseph McCarthy was an effective politician who despite his perceived reputation had several vices and did not hesitate to use every advantage possible. Evidence of scare tactics that were commonplace during this time is still evident in the present political realm from immigration and terrorism. Due to the high amount of paranoia in regards to how pervasive potential Communists were in the United States, people were in constant fear.
Joseph McCarthy was born on November 14th, 1908 in Grand Chute, Wisconsin. His father was born in America with a mix of both Irish and German, while his mother had emigrated from Ireland. He attended school until he dropped out at the age of 14 to help with his parent’s farm. After becoming bored with farm work, he started his own chicken business but was quickly bankrupted due to a disease that killed his flock. With no money at the age of 20, he became the manager of a grocery store where he returned to graduate from high school at the age of 20 within nine months. Due to his excellent grades McCarthy was able to spend the next 5 years earning a law degree from Marquette University in 1935. During his time at the university, “he coached boxing, and was elected president of his law school class, all while working a series of part-time jobs.” (Reeves) Following his graduation, he was immediately admitted to the bar that same year, and created his own firm to practice law. Quickly after, he moved and became a partner at a firm in Shawano, Wisconsin. While working for the law firm, he engaged in illicit gambling on the side, as a way to subsidize his income. In 1936, he began his run for district attorney in Shawano, Wisconsin as a Democrat, losing to the incumbent. This loss changed his perspective and had changed his strategy. In 1939 he ran for 10th District circuit judge as a nonpartisan and won, securing his first political office.
His opponent was the incumbent judge who had served for over 24 years. His method of running for office at that time was involved harassing his opponent about his age, claiming that he was too old to handle the duties of a circuit judge. While the judge’s age was significant, the method that McCarthy used was a precursor to his actions later in his political career. In winning, he became the youngest judge in Wisconsin state history at the time. His work as a judge was heavily criticized, as he was considered to be extremely inefficient. For example, he had a large number of cases that were in backlog due to his inefficiencies. Rather than honestly work towards a solution, he often sped through cases in an attempt to quickly reduce his backlog. Examples of this can be seen with how he handled divorce cases, as he would always concern himself with the child’s needs over anything else. While one could see it as admirable, he did not follow proper protocol and often did it to simplify the process. His misconduct reached a critical point when he was “rebuked by the Wisconsin Supreme Court for an ‘abuse of judicial authority’ after destroying court records.” (Reeves) Following this, he was eventually censured for an ethical violation in regards to a code that prohibits active judges from running for non-judicial posts. However, shortly after the beginning of World War II, McCarthy took a leave of absence from his judicial duties and entered the Marines as a commissioned first lieutenant. He joined the Marines after being told that it would be the best branch to use as a part of his military career. He was an intelligence officer, who was stationed in the Pacific near the Solomon Islands. By the end of his duty, he was discharged as a captain with twelve combat missions and having been on duty for thirty months. Despite being a part of a bombing squadron, he was never injured as he had claimed in later conversations. He had also claimed that he had flown 32 missions and owned a Distinguished Flying Cross. All the while also publicizing his exploits of having been commended by his commanding officer and the then Chief of Naval Operations. This was found to have all been false, which held no effect on his future attempts at political office. While still on active duty in 1944, McCarthy challenged Alexander Wiley, the incumbent for the Republican nomination to the U.S. Senate but was completely defeated. Following his resignation from the military, he was immediately re-elected to his original position as a circuit judge and preparing for the 1946 Senate campaign.
The preparations for McCarthy in regards to the 1946 Senate campaign involved him beating incumbent Robert La Follete Jr. McCarthy played on the issues that he knew would impact the voters, namely Follete’s lack of involvement in the war. McCarthy heavily focused on this despite Follete being 46 when Pearl Harbor was attacked, and claiming that Follete profited off of the war while he was fighting. Despite the fact that, McCarthy had made a large profit, investing into the stock market and made no mention of it. The rumors of Follete having possibly profited or been a part of war profiteering was significantly damaging to Follete’s chances of being re-elected. These claims as well as Follete’s past as a leader of the Progressive Party hurt his chances at a re-election and lost making McCarthy the Republican nominee. The general election proved to be a non-issue, cleanly defeating Democrat opponent Howard McMurray, 61.2% to 37.3%. As a result, he became the youngest member of the U.S. Senate at 38 years old; he was very popular and marked his entrance into the U.S. Senate.
Senator McCarthy’s following three years marked a period of generally conservative voting which did not follow the Republican Party line. One of his key accomplishments was fighting for housing legislation and the relaxing of the sugar rationing. However, he was very unpopular with his fellow senators, who often found him to be quick-tempered. He was known to be active in labor-management issues and fought against the continuation of wartime price control. This helped him gain popularity among the voters but was also mired in controversy when he accepted a $20,000 personal loan from a Pepsi bottling executive. He suddenly “became the Pepsi-Cola Kid” (Herman) and earned him several enemies as a result. However, at this time one of the more popular issues that had become prevalent was the paranoia that there was a communist infiltration of the US government. This was due to a series of news including espionage, the Iron Curtain and the Red Scare. McCarthy capitalized on this with the first recorded instance of what would soon become a party line. At the Republican Women’s Club of Wheeling, West Virginia on February 9th 1950, McCarthy spoke and produced a list of people whom he believed to be Communists in the State Department. More specifically, he claimed that he “knew of 205 communists in the State Department,” (Reeves) and later claimed to have the “names of 57 State Department communists and called for an investigation.” (Reeves) These charges made headlines everywhere as the Senate rushed a response and appointed a committee under Senator Millard Tydings, a Democrat of Maryland, to open the hearings on March 8, 1950. McCarthy had previously had these names investigated privately and turned up nothing. The Tyding’s committee reported that there were no grounds for McCarthy’s accusations. In response, McCarthy claimed that the communists had already influenced the government and the media provided extensive coverage of him. He soon became the “most famous political figure in the nation after President Harry Truman,” (Reeves) which added to his power. While he was proven to be wrong, the media added to his power and he began investigations into homosexuals who worked in the foreign policy bureaucracy as he believed that they were prime candidates for blackmail.
This helped garner more support for his cause and gained him a large national following. He fed the fuel to the fire claiming that, “In Congress, there was little doubt that homosexuals did not belong in sensitive government positions.” (Joseph McCarthy) During his period of harassment, the government had substantially increased the number of homosexuals that were dismissed from government positions. This is roughly around the same time that the term McCarthyism was coined. It was coined by the cartoonist Herbert Block as a synonym for demagoguery, or mudslinging. Opposition of McCarthy claimed that he was using these tactics to get the support of voters despite it being discriminatory. His influence extended outside of his own political realm as he helped other politicians, most notably when McCarthy campaigned for John Butler against Millard Tydings who was a part of the Senate committee. McCarthy claimed that Tydings was involved in the protection of communists and among other things made out to be an untrustworthy person. While Tyding’s loss was not directly attributed to McCarthy’s influence, it did raise concerns about the defamatory literature that was spread from McCarthy’s staff. He used his power often, helping other politicians into office however, often clashed with President Truman. McCarthy claimed that key figures in the Truman administration were responsible for the spread of Communism, most notably Catlett Marshall who had created the Marshall Plan. More examples of the clash between the two are littered throughout history, most notably when Truman dismissed General Douglas MacArthur. Upon the dismissal, McCarthy exclaimed that “the son of a bitch should be impeached.” (Giblin) Interactions with presidents were varied, with Eisenhower most notably touring with McCarthy but disagreeing with his methods. Upon his second term as a senator in 1953, McCarthy was made the chairman of a Senate Committee on government operations. This was a panel of very little importance, created as a way to mitigate the potential damage that McCarthy could cause. Despite this, he entered into a number of investigations, most notably the Army and began his tumultuous downfall.
The Army hearings were a direct result in which McCarthy personally accused the US Army of having Communist infiltration and other acts. The US Army conducted an investigation that concluded that McCarthy’s claims were largely fruitless and began a counter accusation that McCarthy was abusing his powers to gain preferential treatment. The inquiry was decided by the Senate in which a formal investigation was started. Known as the Army-McCarthy hearings, it was broadcasted nationally and lasted for 36 days with over 80 million people watching. There were a variety of key moments in the case, most notably the Hoover memo which was produced by McCarthy. He claimed that the letter was sent from J. Edgar Hoover was the FBI Director to the Army intelligence group warning of a possible Communist subversion. The letter was determined to be a fake quickly after as McCarthy could not provide any other evidence supporting the validity of the letter. Other moments that were significant were the accusations of homosexuality in the government and their perceived risks. McCarthy claimed that those who were homosexual were more likely to be at risk of Communist blackmail and should not be in the government. The case came to a climax when McCarthy gave a name when confronted by the Army’s counsel. He claimed that Fred Fisher was a part of a group that was considered to be the “legal bulwark of the Communist Party,” (Reeves) and also claimed that the Attorney General was a part of this group. Upon review, it was found that Fred Fisher had done nothing wrong and that there was no basis for McCarthy’s claims. Following this, the case was closed and was suggested that McCarthy be censured.
Following the Army-McCarthy hearings, an increasing number of Republicans saw that McCarthy was a liability as his popularity began to fall. As his popularity began to wind down, senators who had opposed McCarthy began to act towards having him censured. He was ultimately censured based off of his tactics in browbeating and assembling parties to harass specific members of the Senate. Following his censure, McCarthy lost a significant amount of power, as his career as a politician had been ruined. He still rallied against Communism, claiming that we were infiltrated and that we must eradicate it from the world. He died on May 2nd, 1957 at the age of 48 from what contemporary biographers consider to be alcoholism. The legacy of Joseph McCarthy is marred by controversy as some reports indicate that there were actual Communists that had infiltrated the US government. However, his tactics and discriminatory practices do little to vindicate the person he had become in pursuit of eliminating communists. While an effective and popular politician at one point, his actions eventually alienated his supporters and directly contributed to his downfall.
Despite Joseph McCarthy’s eventual downfall, one cannot deny the power that the man held. His relevance does not confine him to the realms of Communism and fear mongering. In this modern era, politicians today still use some of the same tactics in an attempt to scare or discredit others. Examples can be seen in the 2008 Election where the Republican Party worked tirelessly to prod and bring light to the possibility that President Obama was not a US citizen. The issue had been dramatized and extended to the point that Obama had to produce his birth certificate. Issues have become problematic as seen with politicians exaggerating the dangers of illegal immigrants in Border States, leading to legislation that makes it more difficult for one to obtain citizenship. Other effects of this can be seen with racial profiling and discrimination, most notably in Arizona. This is reminiscent of the fear mongering that resulted in the dismissal of large numbers of gay governmental employees. In a world in which people can be manipulated by fear, Joseph McCarthy’s tactics are just as valid today as they were 50 years ago. While people may not be afraid of Communism, the issues that concern the citizens today can be just as easily manipulated. One explanation is due to the lack of education that exists among voters, especially in regards to multi-faceted issues. While some problems like gun rights may be a simple explanation, the complexities of immigration policy could not be explained nor understood without extensive research. In this, politicians rely on shock factors that would scare the citizen into voting for one particular option. As mentioned prior, Arizona had released a state bill that required officers to check for legal documentation that would result in the arresting of illegal immigrants. Despite this being a direct violation of a person’s rights, the citizens voted for this measure due to the fear mongering of the politicians in Arizona. With this, it is clear that McCarthy is still relevant with new issues appearing as they work towards misleading and preying on the ignorance of others.
Works Cited
Herman, Arthur. Joseph McCarthy: Reexaming the Life and Legacy of America's Most Hated Senator. New York: Free, 2000. Print.
Giblin, James. "The Rise and Fall of Senator Joe McCarthy." (Book, 2009) [WorldCat.org]. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 Nov. 2014.
Reeves, Thomas. "Joseph McCarthy: Biography." Appleton Public Library Abbreviated Homepage. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Nov. 2014.
"Senate Historical Office." 1941: Have You No Sense of Decency? N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Nov. 2014.
“Joseph McCarthy.” 2008. NNDB Tracking the Entire World. 2 Jun 2008 .
Oh, Joyce, and Amanda Latham. "The Cold War Museum." Cold War Museum. The Cold War Museum, n.d. Web. 18 Nov. 2014.
