Watson Coleman: “Minnesota and the Nation have lost a great leader and deep thinker, Senator Gene McCarthy of Minnesota. He played an…”

“Minnesota and the Nation have lost a great leader and deep thinker, Senator Gene McCarthy of Minnesota. He played an import part in the history of this body and of this Nation, and we should carefully consider the lessons of his unique and deeply significant public life. Gene McCarthy has been described as a philosopher who was a Senator. In his youth, many describe Gene as the brightest of scholars and later in his life; he was celebrated as skilled poet. In between, he was a five term Congressman and two-term Senator. His time in Washington and on the national political scene was a display of thoughtfulness, serious inquiry, and passionate pursuit of the truth. In the business of politics where there is safety in conformity, Gene McCarthy celebrated the role of the maverick. He says his role was to provoke thought and debate in our system and ensure we adhere more closely to lasting principles. Eugene Robert McCarthy was born in the town of Watkins, in rural Meeker County, MN, on March 29, 1916. He began a life time of1eing in the schools of Watkins. He graduated from St. John's University, Collegeville, MN, in 1935 with the highest GPA in the school's history. He also studied at the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis until 1939. Professionally, he was a high school teacher in Minnesota and North Dakota for 5 years and eventually became a professor of economics and education at St.…”