| Leo T. McCarthy | |
 |
|
|
|
|
|---|---|
| In office 1983 – 1995 |
|
| Governor | George Deukmejian (1982-1990), Pete Wilson (1991-1999) |
| Preceded by | Michael Curb |
| Succeeded by | Gray Davis |
|
|
|
| Born | August 15, 1930 Auckland, New Zealand |
| Died | February 5, 2007 (aged 76) San Francisco, California |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse(s) | Jacqueline Lee Burke |
| Profession | politician, lawyer |
| Religion | Roman Catholic |
Leo Tarcissus McCarthy (August 15, 1930 – February 5, 2007) was a New Zealand-born American politician and businessman. He served as the Democratic Lieutenant Governor of California from 1983 to 1995.
McCarthy was born in Auckland, but moved with his parents to San Francisco, California at the age of four. He went to elementary school at Mission Dolores. He then went to high school at St. Ignatius College Preparatory in San Francisco, and also attended college and law school within the city, receiving his B.A. in history from the University of San Francisco and a law degree from San Francisco Law School.
McCarthy served in the United States Air Force from 1951-1952 during the Korean War, briefly taking part in a Strategic Air Command mission to Saudi Arabia to simulate the start of World War III. [1]
In 1958, the year that saw the Democrats capture statewide offices for the first time since World War II, McCarthy managed the successful campaign for State Senate of John McAteer, and, after the election, served as McAteer's Administrative Assistant.
McCarthy first ran for office himself in 1963 when he was elected to the San Francisco Board of Supervisors. He served there until 1967. In 1968, he was elected to the State Assembly, serving as Speaker of the Assembly from 1974 to 1980. (Art Agnos, elected Mayor of San Francisco in 1988, had his political start as McCarthy's first legislative assistant, and later as the Speaker's Chief of Staff.)
McCarthy was elected Lieutenant Governor in 1982, at the same time that Republican George Deukmejian was elected Governor. In 1986, McCarthy and Deukmejian each won a second term in their respective offices.
In 1988, McCarthy ran unsuccessfully for the United States Senate against the Republican incumbent, Pete Wilson. He won a third term as Lieutenant Governor in 1990, with Wilson winning the election for Governor.
In 1992, McCarthy entered the Democratic primary election for the U.S. Senate, but lost the nomination to Congresswoman (now Senator) Barbara Boxer. McCarthy continued as Lieutenant Governor until 1995. Upon leaving politics, he created an investment company, The Daniel Group, located in San Francisco.
He helped found the Leo T. McCarthy Center for Public Service and the Common Good at the University of San Francisco.
McCarthy was married on December 17, 1955 to the former Jacqueline Lee Burke. They had four children: Sharon, Conna, Adam and Niall. They had eleven gradchildren: Courtney, Kevin, Kieran, Cormac, Kathlyn, Marisa, Thomas, Collin, Connor, Kate and, Jack. After a long illness, McCarthy died from a kidney ailment at his home in San Francisco on February 5, 2007.[2]
Sources
- Online archive of California
- LEO T. MCCARTHY: 1930-2007
- Candidate Bio
- Leo T. McCarthy, Oral History Interview, California State Archives, 1995-1996
References
External links
| California Assembly | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Charles W. Meyers |
California State Assemblyman, 19th District 1969-1974 |
Succeeded by Lou Papan |
| Preceded by Willie Brown |
California State Assemblyman, 18th District 1974-1982 |
Succeeded by Alister McAlister |
| Political offices | ||
| Preceded by Bob Moretti |
Speaker of the California State Assembly June 1974–November 1980 |
Succeeded by Willie Brown |
| Preceded by Mike Curb |
Lieutenant Governor of California 1983–1995 |
Succeeded by Gray Davis |
|
|||||||
|
|||||
This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer)
