McCarthy, Joseph Raymond 1909-57
US politician

Born in Grand Chute, Wisconsin, he studied at Marquette University, Milwaukee, became a circuit judge in 1939, and after war service was elected senator in 1946. He became known for his unsubstantiated accusations in the early 1950s that communists had infiltrated the State Department, and in 1953 became chairman of the House Committee on Un-American Activities. By hectoring cross-examination and damaging innuendo he arraigned many innocent citizens and officials, overreaching himself when he came into direct conflict with the army. This kind of anti-communist witchhunt became known as 'McCarthyism'. His power diminished after he was formally censured for his methods by the Senate in 1954.