Leo T. McCarthy | |
|---|---|
 McCarthyc. 1975 | |
| 43rdLieutenant Governor of California | |
| In office January 3, 1983 – January 2, 1995 | |
| Governor | George Deukmejian Pete Wilson |
| Preceded by | Mike Curb |
| Succeeded by | Gray Davis |
| 57th Speaker of the California State Assembly | |
| In office June 5, 1974 – November 30, 1980 | |
| Preceded by | Bob Moretti |
| Succeeded by | Willie Brown |
| Member of theCalifornia State Assembly | |
| In office January 6, 1969 – November 30, 1982 | |
| Preceded by | Charlie Meyers |
| Succeeded by | Alister McAlister |
| Constituency | 19th district (1969–1974) 18th district (1974–1982) |
| Member of theSan Francisco Board of Supervisors | |
| In office 1964–1968 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Leo Tarcissus McCarthy (1930-08-15)August 15, 1930 Auckland, New Zealand |
| Died | February 5, 2007(2007-02-05) (aged 76) San Francisco, California, U.S. |
| Resting place | Holy Cross Cemetery, Colma, California |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse | Jacqueline Lee Burke |
| Children | 4 |
| Education | University of San Francisco (BA) San Francisco Law School (JD) |
| Profession | Politician, lawyer |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance | United States |
| Branch/service | United States Air Force |
| Years of service | 1951–1952 |
Leo Tarcissus McCarthy (August 15, 1930 – February 5, 2007) was anAmerican politician and businessman. He served as the 43rdlieutenant governor of California from 1983 to 1995.
McCarthy, whose parents were both natives ofTralee, Ireland, was himself born inAuckland, New Zealand, on August 15, 1930 but emigrated to the United States with his parents Daniel and Nora McCarthy, and siblings when he was three years old. The McCarthy family sailed from the Port ofWellington, New Zealand on the Union Steam ShipMakura, which arrived at the Port ofSan Francisco, California, on February 9, 1934. He went to elementary school atMission Dolores. He then went to high school atSt. Ignatius College Preparatory. He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree inhistory from theUniversity of San Francisco and aJuris Doctor fromSan Francisco Law School, now integrated toAlliant International University.
McCarthy joined theUnited States Air Force in March 1951, and served for twenty-one months until the end of 1952, as an enlisted man.[1] He was in an intelligence unit at theStrategic Air Command and was stationed atLake Charles, Louisiana for seventeen months.[1] While at the Strategic Air Command, he spent a few weeks deployed toSaudi Arabia taking part in a mission to simulate the start ofWorld War III.[1] He also served in the United States Air Force Reserves for a few years.
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 ofJ. Eugene McAteer. After the election, McCarthy served as McAteer's administrative assistant.
McCarthy first ran for office in 1963, when he was elected to theSan Francisco Board of Supervisors. He served there until 1967. In 1968, he was elected to theState Assembly, serving asspeaker 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.) As speaker, McCarthy earned a reputation as a partisan, take-no-prisoners insider in Democratic Party politics.[2]
McCarthy unexpectedly lost the speakership toWillie Brown in 1980. McCarthy had been facing a stiff challenge fromHoward Berman. Seeing his fellow Democrats so divided, Brown worked with Republicans to gain the speakership. Both of the losers in this struggle soon left the legislature. Berman ran for Congress and McCarthy ran for statewide office.
McCarthy was first elected to statewide office to the first of three consecutive four-year terms aslieutenant governor of California in1982, at the same time thatRepublicanGeorge Deukmejian was electedgovernor. In 1986, the incumbent McCarthy ran against RepublicanMike Curb, the former Lieutenant Governor and McCarthy's immediate predecessor as well as a former film producer and music promoter with a reputation for opposing drug use by artists. In a hotly-contested race for lieutenant governor that centered largely around violent crime and drug policy, McCarthy alleged that Curb made a fortune in making 'exploitation films' that glorified drugs, sex, and violence.[3] Curb was so incensed at the charges that he filed a $7-million libel and slander suit against McCarthy, who ultimately won the election.[4]
After his failed 1988 Senate campaign, McCarthy won a third term as lieutenant governor in 1990, while his 1988 opponentPete Wilson won the election for governor.
In1988, McCarthy ran for theU.S. Senate. He easily won the Democratic Party nomination but was defeated in the general election by the Republican incumbent and future GovernorPete Wilson. As of 2021, this was the last time a Republican won a U.S. Senate seat in California. McCarthy's 4,287,253 votes set a record for the most votes given to a losing Democratic Senate candidate that lasted until it was broken byMJ Hegar of Texas in 2020. McCarthy was the first person to get more than 4 million votes in a losing Senate campaign.
In1992, McCarthy entered the Democratic primary election for the U.S. Senate but lost the nomination toUS Representative (and later general election winner)Barbara Boxer.[5]
McCarthy retired from public office at the end of his third term as the state's longest-serving Lieutenant Governor after 12 years in office on January 2, 1995, choosing not to seek re-election to a fourth term in1994, even though he was eligible for one more term and would not have been term-limited until 1998. He was succeeded by a fellow Democrat, then-State Controller and later future GovernorGray Davis. McCarthy's 12 years are the longest anyCalifornia lieutenant governor has served. Upon leaving politics, he created an investment company, The Daniel Group, named for his father and located in San Francisco.
He helped found the Leo T. McCarthy Center for Public Service and the Common Good at theUniversity of San Francisco.
McCarthy was Catholic. He was married on December 17, 1955, to the former Jacqueline Lee Burke. They had four children (Sharon, Conna, Adam, and Niall) and eleven grandchildren.[6]
After a long illness, McCarthy died from a kidney ailment at his home in San Francisco on February 5, 2007.[7]
| California Assembly | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | California State Assemblyman, 19th District 1969–1974 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | California State Assemblyman, 18th District 1974–1982 | Succeeded by |
| Political offices | ||
| Preceded by | Speaker of the California State Assembly June 1974 – November 1980 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Lieutenant Governor of California January 3, 1983 – January 2, 1995 | Succeeded by |
| Party political offices | ||
| Preceded by | Democratic Party nominee forUnited States Senator (Class 1) from California 1988 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Democratic Party nominee forLieutenant Governor of California 1982, 1986, 1990 | Succeeded by |
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Other | |
