EUGENE J. MCCARTHY:

An Inventory of His Papers at the Minnesota Historical Society

Manuscripts Collection

OVERVIEW


	Creator:	McCarthy, Eugene J., 1916-2005, creator.
	Title:	Eugene J. McCarthy papers.
	Dates:	1943-2000.
	Language:	Materials in English.
	Abstract:	Eugene J. McCarthy's files as U.S. Congress member (Democratic Farmer-Labor) from Minnesota's fourth district (1949-1958) and as U.S. senator from Minnesota (1959-1970). 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.
	Quantity:	378.65 cubic feet (382 boxes and 3 oversize folders), 41 audio files: MP3 (1 GB), and 28 video files: MP4 (1.15 GB).
	Location:	See Detailed Description for shelf locations.

BIOGRAPHICAL NOTE

Eugene J. McCarthy served as a U.S. Congress member (Democratic Farmer-Labor) from Minnesota's fourth district (1949-1958) and as U.S. senator from Minnesota (1959-1970).

He sought the Democratic nomination for President of the United States in 1968 against Lyndon B. Johnson on an anti-Vietnam war platform. His strong showing caused Lyndon B. Johnson to drop out, but he eventually lost the nomination to Hubert Humphrey. McCarthy ran in 1972 as a Democrat and again in 1976 as an Independent candidate, and in 1992 as a Democrat.

McCarthy was a founder of the Democratic Study Group.

McCarthy was a member, among others, of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee; the Senate Committee on Finance; the Agriculture; Forestry; Public Works; Ways and Means; Standards and Conduct Committees, and the Democratic Steering Committee.

A poet and writer, Eugene J. McCarthy was the author of several literary works, poems, and books on politics.

Chronology


Date	Event
1916	Born in Watkins, Meeker County, Minnesota on March 29.
1935	Graduated from St. John's University in Collegeville.
1935-1940	Taught in the public high schools of Minnesota and North Dakota.
1938	Received a Master of Arts degree from the University of Minnesota.
1940-1943	Professor of economics and education at St. Johns University.
1944	Civilian technical assistant in the Military Intelligence Division of the War Department.
1946-1949	Instructor in sociology and economics at St. Thomas College, St. Paul, Minnesota.
1948	Elected to Congress, representing Minnesota's Fourth District.
1949-1951	Member of the Post Office and Civil Service Committee.
1951-1953	Member of the Agriculture Committee.
1953-1955	Member of the Banking and Currency Committee.
1953-1955	Member of the Interior and Insular Affairs Committee.
1955-1959	Member of the Ways and Means Committee.
1958	Elected to United States Senate, representing Minnesota.
1959-1971	Member of the Finance Committee.
1959-1960	Member of the Public Works Committee.
1959-1960	Chairman of the Senate Special Committee on Unemployment Problems.
1961-1965	Member of the Agriculture Committee.
1964	Meets with Che Guevara in New York City to discuss U.S. relations with Cuba.
1965	Co-sponsored Immigration Act of 1965 with Ted Kennedy.
1965-1969	Member of the Foreign Relations Committee.
1967	Announces candidacy for Democratic nomination for President of the United States on an anti-Vietnam war platform, a direct challenge to incumbent Lyndon B. Johnson.
1968	Campaigns for President of the United States. A strong initial showing in the primaries causes Lyndon B. Johnson to drop out of the race, but eventually McCarthy loses the Democratic nomination.
1969-1971	Member of the Government Operations Committee.
1970	Announces he will not run for reelection to the U.S. Senate.
1971	Ends service as a U.S. senator January 3.
1971	Becomes senior editor at Harcourt Brace Jovanovich Publishing and a syndicated newspaper columnist.
1972	Becomes candidate for Democratic nomination for President of the United States but fares poorly in the New Hampshire primary and soon drops out.
1976	Runs for President of the United States as an Independent Candidate, helping lay the groundwork for future third party candidates.
1992	Unsuccessful candidate for President of the United States.
2005	Died on December 10.

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ADMINISTRATIVE INFORMATION

Availability:

The collection is open for research use.

Preferred Citation:

[Indicate the cited item and/or series here]. Eugene J. McCarthy Papers. Minnesota Historical Society.

See the Chicago Manual of Style for additional examples.

Accession Information:

Accession numbers: 8476; 8950; 11,455; 12,240; 12,491; 12,612; 12,758; 13,070; 13,290; 15,893; 16,165; 16,538; 16,550; 16,668; 16,818.

Location of Master Files:

Digital masters of audiovisual material are maintained on the Society's secure digital collections storage servers and are managed and preserved in accordance with archival best practices.

The original audiotape reels and cassettes (145.E.10.1B box 378) were disposed after the audio was digitally reformatted into MP3 files.

Processing Information:

Processing and cataloging of this collection was supported with a Basic Project grant awarded by the National Historical Publications and Records Commission (NHPRC).

Digital audio and video transferred from the master audiovisual material by the Minnesota Historical Society for preservation purposes, September 2018.

Catalog ID number: 990017318720104294

Appraisal Information:

Approximately 45 cubic feet of material consisting of general correspondence, academy files, invitations, acknowledgements, public relation requests, speech invitations, and duplicates were removed from the collection in August 2011 following the Minnesota Historical Society Congressional Papers Appraisal Guidelines and an appraisal report made by Minnesota Historical Society staff member Rob Teigrob in June 1997.

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DETAILED DESCRIPTION


		Executive Files, 1959-1976, 57.0 cubic feet (57 boxes).
			Executive files contain correspondence between citizens and McCarthy and departments of the federal government. They are filed chronologically and then alphabetically by name of the cabinet agency and then alphabetically by the various sub-agencies under each cabinet department.


		General Files, 1943-1970, 38.2 cubic feet (39 boxes).
			General files are a miscellaneous assortment of papers including correspondence, Executive Department files, news clippings, membership files, committee files, and speech schedules. They are arranged by Congress and chronologically by year.


		Legislative Files, 1948-1972, 184 cubic feet (184 boxes).
			Legislative files include bill files, bills introduced by Eugene McCarthy, congressional activities, Congressional Record remarks, correspondence, Executive Department files, independent agency files, miscellaneous files, legislative public relations files, Senate committee files, Senate Committee on Unemployment Problems files, Senate Foreign Relations Committee records, testimony by Eugene McCarthy, and voting records.


		Personal Papers, 1950-2000, 21.5 cubic feet (22 boxes).
			Personal papers focus on McCarthy's writing. Included are texts, notes, and drafts of his books, poetry, essays, articles, and other miscellaneous writings. There is also correspondence related to book publishing. Account statements and order books, certificates and awards, membership files, schedule and trip files, daily reminders, and appointments are also present.


		Political and Campaign Files, 1947-1994, 35.5 cubic feet (36 boxes).
			Political and campaign files consist of Senate, vice presidential, and presidential campaign files, convention files, election files, correspondence, issue and subject files, County and District files, and voting records. Also included are newspaper clippings, magazine articles by and about McCarthy, newsletters, and press releases.


		Public Relations, 1949-1979, 22.6 cubic feet (23 boxes).
			Public relations files include clippings and magazine articles, press releases and newsletters, publicity files, problems, requests, and miscellaneous files.


		Sound and Visual Materials, circa 1948-1970, 3.85 cubic feet (4 boxes).
			Photographs (family, publicity, campaign related, and miscellaneous), negatives, audio records, CDs, DVDs, and film reels of campaign spots, speeches, and debates. Also includes film and audio of appearances by Eugene McCarthy on national and local television and radio. Sound and visual materials are arranged by type.


		Speech Files, 1950-1989, 16.0 cubic feet (16 boxes).
			Speeches consist of general speech files and Senate speech files. They include drafts and notes, texts, and final versions. There are also interviews and panel transcripts. The speeches are arranged chronologically and topically.

CATALOG HEADINGS

This collection is indexed under the following headings in the catalog of the Minnesota Historical Society. Researchers desiring materials about related topics, persons or places should search the catalog using these headings.

Topics:: Agriculture -- United States.; Airports -- Minnesota.; Civil rights -- United States.; Civil service -- United States.; Conservation of natural resources.; Courts -- United States.; Education -- United States.; Executive departments -- United States.; Finance, Public -- United States.; Firearms -- Law and legislation.; Fiscal policy -- United States.; Foreign trade regulation -- United States.; Hygiene -- United States.; Indians of North America -- Government relations.; Industries -- United States.; Insurance -- Social aspects -- United States.; Labor movement -- United States.; Medicine -- United States.; Political campaigns -- Minnesota.; Political campaigns -- United States.; Postal service -- Minnesota.; Presidents -- United States -- Election -- 1960.; Presidents -- United States -- Election -- 1964.; Presidents -- United States -- Election -- 1968.; Public lands -- United States.; Public relations and politics -- United States.; Public works -- Minnesota.; Public works -- United States.; Radicalism.; Railroads -- United States.; Roads -- United States.; Suffrage -- United States.; Taxation -- Minnesota.; Taxation -- United States.; Television in politics -- United States.; Unemployment -- United States.; Veterans -- United States.; Vietnam War, 1961-1975 -- Public opinion.; Wages -- United States.

Persons:: McCarthy, Eugene J., 1916-2005. -- Frontiers in American democracy.; McCarthy, Eugene J., 1916-2005. -- Limits of Power.

Organizations:: Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party.; United States. Army. Corps of Engineers.; United States. Congress. House. Committee on Ways and Means.; United States. Congress. Senate.; United States. Congress. Senate. Committee on Finance.; United States. Department of Housing and Urban Development.; United States. Department of the Interior.; United States. Housing and Home Finance Agency.; United States. Interstate Commerce Commission.; United States. Office of Economic Opportunity.; United States. Post Office Department.; United States. Small Business Administration.; United States Air Force Academy.; United States Military Academy.; United States Naval Academy.; United States Postal Service -- Officials and employees.

Places:: Minnesota -- Politics and government -- 1945-1980.; United States -- Armed forces.; United States -- Appropriations and expeditures.; United States -- Commerce.; United States -- Commercial policy.; United States -- Defenses.; United States -- Economic policy.; United States -- Emigration and immigration.; United States -- Foreign relations -- 1945-1989.; United States -- Officials and employees.; United States -- Politics and government -- 1945-1989.

Occupations:: Legislators -- United States.

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