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THE ANTI'McCARTHY CAMPAIGN
IN WISCONSIN, 1951-1952
By Michael O'Brien
A FTER Senator Joseph McCarthy began -^*- his national crusade against communism in 1950, political speculation increasingly fo¬ cused on his bid for re-election in 1952. Na¬ tional news magazines and major newspapers dispatched reporters to Wisconsin to cover the dramatic developments. The reason for the widespread interest in the campaign is clear: McCarthy had aroused more intense feelings of admiration and loathing than any contemporary politician. Wisconsin voters had the unique opportunity to decide if this controversial figure would continue his sena¬ torial activities.
Although every aspect of McCarthy's re¬ election concerned contemporary political ob¬ servers, this has not been true of subsequent scholarly research. Historians and social sci¬ entists have studied three important facets of the election: McCarthy's campaign nation¬ ally for Republican candidates, the tension between the Senator and Republican presi¬ dential candidate Dwight Eisenhower and the papering over of their disagreement, and sta¬ tistical analysis of Wisconsin election results. As a consequence, the arduous efforts of Mc¬ Carthy's dedicated opponents in the state— who, though anticommunist themselves never¬ theless disputed the fact that the Senator had discovered any communists in government— remain obscure.
Despite McCarthy's victory, his 1952 re¬ election campaign yielded long-range bene¬ fits for his opponents, particularly for the Wisconsin Democratic party. The fact that McCarthy trailed the entire Republican tick¬
et contributed to the growing awareness that observers had exaggerated his political power. This knowledge apparently led some previous¬ ly fearful Senators to vote to censure McCarthy in 1954. Moreover, the frustrating years of failure for Wisconsin Democrats ended in 1957 as the party experienced a period of unparalled success. According to party lead¬ ers the McCarthy controversy assisted this revitalization. The Democratic organization attracted some Republicans and independents who found the Senator's actions repugnant. McCarthy also drove young, idealistic, and hardworking individuals into the Democratic fold because of their revulsion for him and their attraction to the character and integrity of Thomas Fairchild and Adlai Stevenson. Lastly, McCarthy's activities presented Demo¬ crats with an issue on which all could agree. Without him to zero in on, party leaders have insisted. Democrats could never have pulled all their people together and have kept them together through the middle 1950's when Democrats were coming close to winning but not quite succeeding.'
Anti-McCarthyites failed, nonetheless, in their immediate goal of unseating the Sena¬ tor. During the campaign they concurred on their intense dislike of McCarthy and even-
^ Typescript of a tape-recorded interview with Miles McMillin by Robert Griffith, July 25 and August 1, 1967. A copy of the typescript was loaned to the author by McMillin. Tape-recorded interview with Carl Thompson, April 10, 1969; tape-recorded interview with Patrick Lucey, August 28, 1969; tape-recorded interview with James Doyle, Septem¬ ber 3, 1969; Minneapolis Tribune, April 30, 1967.
91
Object Description
| Title | Wisconsin magazine of history: Volume 56, number 2, winter, 1972-1973 |
| Article Title | Wisconsin magazine of history: Volume 56, number 2, winter, 1972-1973 |
| Language | English |
| Publisher | State Historical Society of Wisconsin |
| Series | Wisconsin Magazine of History ; v. 56, no. 2 |
| Format-Digital | xml |
| Publisher-Electronic | Wisconsin Historical Society |
| Rights | © Copyright 2007 by the Wisconsin Historical Society (Madison, Wisconsin) |
| Publication Date-Electronic | 2007 |
| ISSN | 1943-7366 |
| Identifier-Digital | vol56no020000 |
| Description | This issue includes articles on the anti-McCarthy campaign in Wisconsin, the Wisconsin labor movement in the election of 1952, and the life and political career of John E. Holmes. |
| Volume | 056 |
| Issue | 2 |
| Year | 1972-1973 |
Description
| Title | 91 |
| Page Number | 91 |
| Article Title | The anti-McCarthy campaign in Wisconsin, 1951-1952 |
| Author | O'Brien, Michael, 1943- |
| Page type | Article home |
| Format-Digital | jpeg |
| Publisher-Electronic | Wisconsin Historical Society |
| Rights | © Copyright 2007 by the Wisconsin Historical Society (Madison, Wisconsin) |
| Publication Date-Electronic | 2007 |
| ISSN | 1943-7366 |
| Identifier-Digital | vol56no020005 |
| Description | The Anti-McCarthy Campaign in Wisconsin, 1951-1952. Describes the maneuverings of Wisconsin Democrats in their effort to defeat U.S. Senator Joseph McCarthy (1908-1957) in the election of 1952. Democratic strategy evolved around attacking McCarthy’s voting record on such issues as social security, aid to education, and assistance to farmers, and on personal issues such as shady financial dealings and income tax evasions, rather than on his anti-Communist crusade. Although eventual Democratic nominee Thomas E. Fairchild (1912-2007) was unable to overcome McCarthy’s advantages in campaign money, newspaper support, and publicity, his campaign energized the Democratic party and attracted supporters repelled by McCarthy. (18 p.) |
| Volume | 056 |
| Issue | 2 |
| Year | 1972-1973 |
| State/Province | wisconsin |
| Decade | 1950-1959 |
| Personal Name | McCarthy, Joseph, 1908-1957 |
| Subject | politicians; politics; political parties; elections; legislators; |
| Full Text | THE ANTI'McCARTHY CAMPAIGN IN WISCONSIN, 1951-1952 By Michael O'Brien A FTER Senator Joseph McCarthy began -^*- his national crusade against communism in 1950, political speculation increasingly fo¬ cused on his bid for re-election in 1952. Na¬ tional news magazines and major newspapers dispatched reporters to Wisconsin to cover the dramatic developments. The reason for the widespread interest in the campaign is clear: McCarthy had aroused more intense feelings of admiration and loathing than any contemporary politician. Wisconsin voters had the unique opportunity to decide if this controversial figure would continue his sena¬ torial activities. Although every aspect of McCarthy's re¬ election concerned contemporary political ob¬ servers, this has not been true of subsequent scholarly research. Historians and social sci¬ entists have studied three important facets of the election: McCarthy's campaign nation¬ ally for Republican candidates, the tension between the Senator and Republican presi¬ dential candidate Dwight Eisenhower and the papering over of their disagreement, and sta¬ tistical analysis of Wisconsin election results. As a consequence, the arduous efforts of Mc¬ Carthy's dedicated opponents in the state— who, though anticommunist themselves never¬ theless disputed the fact that the Senator had discovered any communists in government— remain obscure. Despite McCarthy's victory, his 1952 re¬ election campaign yielded long-range bene¬ fits for his opponents, particularly for the Wisconsin Democratic party. The fact that McCarthy trailed the entire Republican tick¬ et contributed to the growing awareness that observers had exaggerated his political power. This knowledge apparently led some previous¬ ly fearful Senators to vote to censure McCarthy in 1954. Moreover, the frustrating years of failure for Wisconsin Democrats ended in 1957 as the party experienced a period of unparalled success. According to party lead¬ ers the McCarthy controversy assisted this revitalization. The Democratic organization attracted some Republicans and independents who found the Senator's actions repugnant. McCarthy also drove young, idealistic, and hardworking individuals into the Democratic fold because of their revulsion for him and their attraction to the character and integrity of Thomas Fairchild and Adlai Stevenson. Lastly, McCarthy's activities presented Demo¬ crats with an issue on which all could agree. Without him to zero in on, party leaders have insisted. Democrats could never have pulled all their people together and have kept them together through the middle 1950's when Democrats were coming close to winning but not quite succeeding.' Anti-McCarthyites failed, nonetheless, in their immediate goal of unseating the Sena¬ tor. During the campaign they concurred on their intense dislike of McCarthy and even- ^ Typescript of a tape-recorded interview with Miles McMillin by Robert Griffith, July 25 and August 1, 1967. A copy of the typescript was loaned to the author by McMillin. Tape-recorded interview with Carl Thompson, April 10, 1969; tape-recorded interview with Patrick Lucey, August 28, 1969; tape-recorded interview with James Doyle, Septem¬ ber 3, 1969; Minneapolis Tribune, April 30, 1967. 91 |