Eugene McCarthy, former senator and presidential candidate, dies

Published: 2005-12-12

WASHINGTON (CNS) -- Eugene J. McCarthy, the scholarly U.S. senator from Minnesota whose 1968 run for the presidency fueled the anti-Vietnam War movement across the nation, died Dec. 10 at the Georgetown Retirement Residence in Washington. McCarthy, 89, had Parkinson's disease. He was to be buried Dec. 14 in a private service in Woodville, Va., where he spent most of his retirement years. St. John's Abbey and University in Collegeville, Minn., where McCarthy studied, taught and briefly entered monastic life, plans to celebrate a memorial service with his family at a time to be announced. McCarthy, a Catholic, taught at St. John's and later at the College (now University) of St. Thomas in St. Paul, Minn., where he was head of the sociology department when he entered politics. He wrote poetry, books on politics and political philosophy and numerous articles in a wide range of publications, including the Catholic periodicals Commonweal and National Catholic Reporter. Often described as more of a philosopher than a politician, in his speeches and writings he often reflected a deep familiarity with Catholic social teachings and the ethical demands of politics.

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