Joseph was born in 1908. He graduated from Marquette University Law School in Milwaukee, WI, with a bachelor's in Law in 1935. In 1941, as a practicing lawyer, he was censured for losing evidence in a price fixing case.[2]
He served during WWII from August 1942 to February 1945 and resigned a Captain in April 1945. He also was given the nickname "Tail-Gunner Joe."[3]
Political career
In 1940, Joseph was elected Judge of the Wisconsin Circuit Court for the 10th Circuit, a position he held until 1947.
From 1947 to the end of his life, Joseph served as Senator of Wisconsin. From 1950 to 1953, he was most known for overzealous anti-communism, creating lists of suspected communists in the entertainment industry, military, government, and general public. His zealotry is cited as the cause of increased anti-civil rights activity and public investigation into communism in the 1950s and even 1960s known as McCarthyism. In 1954, he was censured by the US Senate.[4]
Marriage and death
Joseph married Jean Kerr in 1953. They adopted a baby girl, naming her Tierney Elizabeth. He died in 1957.
Sources
Find a Grave, database and images (Find A Grave: Memorial #691: accessed 13 September 2021), memorial page for Joseph McCarthy (14 Nov 1908–2 May 1957), Find a Grave Memorial ID 691, citing Saint Mary's Cemetery, Appleton, Outagamie County, Wisconsin, USA ; Maintained by Find A Grave.
"United States Census, 1910," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MP2V-732 : accessed 13 September 2021), Joseph Mccarthy in household of Timm Mccarthy, Grand Chute, Outagamie, Wisconsin, United States; citing enumeration district (ED) ED 137, sheet 2A, family 30, NARA microfilm publication T624 (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 1982), roll 1731; FHL microfilm 1,375,744.
"United States Census, 1940," database with images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:K7V1-F83 : 10 January 2021), Joseph R McCarthy in household of Roman J Kornely, Appleton, Outagamie, Wisconsin, United States; citing enumeration district (ED) 44-13, sheet 62A, line 34, family 329, Sixteenth Census of the United States, 1940, NARA digital publication T627. Records of the Bureau of the Census, 1790 - 2007, RG 29. Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 2012, roll 4508.
"United States, GenealogyBank Obituaries, 1980-2014," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QV5H-W2XS : accessed 13 September 2021), Senator Joseph R Mccarthy in entry for Mr James A Wechsler, Pennsylvania, United States, 12 Sep 1983; from "Recent Newspaper Obituaries (1977 - Today)," database, GenealogyBank.com (http://www.genealogybank.com : 2014); citing , born-digital text.
Notes and references
↑ Died in office, vacant May 3, 1957 – August 27, 1957 when successor elected.
This profile was provided a biography by user U Swanson on 13 September, 2021. U also connected Joseph to his wife and siblings.
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DNA Connections
It may be possible to confirm family relationships with Joe by comparing test results with other carriers of his ancestors' Y-chromosome or mitochondrial DNA.
However, there are no known yDNA or mtDNA test-takers in his direct paternal or maternal line.
It is likely that these autosomal DNA test-takers will share some percentage of DNA with Joe: