Joseph McCarthy

(Authors note: This is a biography on a man who abused his power in congress)

"Have you no sense of decency, sir, at long last? Have you no sense of decency?" Were the famous words that Joseph Nye Welsh replied, after one of his lawyers was attacked with the accusations of Joseph McCarthy.

Joseph McCarthy was born on November 15, 1908, and grew up in a small town near Appleton. He dropped out of high school, but went back a few years later and graduated in 9 months. Due to his exceptional grades, he was accepted into Marquette University School of Law. After college, he became a judge near his home town. He took a leave to fight in World War II, but when he returned, he had his sights on a senator position.

He was deemed to have little chance against his opponent Robert M. La Follette, surprisingly though, with a good campaign, he won. In his years as a senator, the biggest issue was the suspicion of communist infiltration in the United States. He followed this issue, and accused Secretary of State Dean Acheson of knowing of 205 communists in the U.S. government, thus sparking an event similar to the Salem Witch trials.

McCarthy's accusations were throughout the early fifties,making him the second most famous political figure, next to the president. McCarthy faced much criticism, but he kept going. The government found no conclusive evidence that McCarthy's accusations were valid, and his peers kept bringing him down, so the senate committee censured McCarthy. They called his behavior "inexcusable" and "vulgar"

Although McCarthy remained in congress, he was ignored by everyone. After his censorship, Joseph McCarthy became a dangerously heavy drinker. He died from acute hepatitis on May 2, 1957. Joseph McCarthy was bound to fail, because he relied on accusation and illusion, again much like the salem witch trials. He was paranoid man, and still is considered to be an embarrassment to the government.