Eugene McCarthy

Eugene Joseph Gene McCarthy was an American politician, poet, and a longtime Congressman from Minnesota. He served in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1949 to 1959 and the U.S. Senate from 1959 to 1971.

McCarthy was born in Watkins, Minnesota. He was the son of a deeply religious Catholic mother of German descent, Anna , and strongwilled father of Irish descent, Michael J. McCarthy, who was a postmaster and cattle buyer known for his earthy wit. McCarthy grew up in Watkins, as one of four children, and attended St. Anthonys Catholic School in Watkins. A bright student who spent hours reading his aunts Harvard Classics, he was deeply influenced by the monks at nearby St. Johns Abbey and University. McCarthy spent nine months as a novice before he left the monastery, causing a fellow novice to say, It was like losing a 20game winner.

Source: Wikipedia