U.S. Senator born near Appleton, Wisconsin; after serving as an intelligence officer during World War II he became known for a virulent anti-Communist crusade that included embellishing known facts and making manipulative insinuations that ruined the careers of many public figures; he was eventually censured for unfounded accusations about communists in the Truman and Eisenhower administrations. View more information at Turning Points in Wisconsin History.

View pictures relating to Joseph McCarthy at Wisconsin Historical Images.

The Wisconsin Historical Society has manuscripts related to this topic. See the catalog description of the Joseph McCarthy Miscellaneous Papers for details. See also the Joseph McCarthy Miscellaneous Recordings. See also the James P. Held Photographs of the Funeral of Joseph McCarthy. See also the Urban P. Van Susteren Papers Concerning Senator Joseph McCarthy. See also the Wisconsin State Journal Joseph McCarthy Files. See also An American ism: Joe McCarthy.

View a related article at Wisconsin Magazine of History Archives.

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[Source: American national biography (New York : Oxford University Press, 1999)American national biography / general editors, John A. Garraty, Mark C. Carnes. Publisher: New York : Oxford University Press, 1999. Description: 24 v. ; 26 cm. Cover title: A N B Contents: v. 14. Lovejoy-McCurdy; pps 847-49]