Pat McCarran
Encyclopedia
Patrick Anthony McCarran (August 8, 1876 – September 28, 1954) was a Democratic
United States Senator
from Nevada
from 1933 until 1954, and was noted for his strong anti-Communist
stance.
, the child of Irish immigrants
. He attended the University of Nevada, Reno
, but had to withdraw to work on the family sheep ranch when his father suffered an injury. He passed the state bar exam in 1905, after studying law independently. In 1903 he became a member of the State legislature and after earning his law degree he became district attorney
of Nye County
(1907–09).
McCarran was also Nevada Chief Justice (1917–18), chairman of the Nevada State Board of Parole Commissioners (1913–18) and chairman of the Nevada State Board of Bar Examiners (1919–32). A member of the Democratic Party
, McCarran ran unsuccessfully for Senate in 1916 and 1926. In 1932 he ran a third time, securing the Democratic nomination and defeating Republican
incumbent Tasker Oddie
, becoming Nevada's first native-born U.S. Senator. During the 1930s, McCarran became well-known as one of the few Congressional Democrats who totally rejected the New Deal
.
, sponsoring legislation in Congress to that effect as early as 1933.
An admirer of General Francisco Franco
of Spain
, McCarran was nicknamed the "Senator from Madrid" by the columnist Drew Pearson
because of his efforts to increase foreign aid to Spain. McCarran's other favorite foreign leader was Generalissimo Chiang Kai-Shek
of China
, whose loss of mainland China in 1949 was blamed by McCarran on alleged Soviet spies in the State Department. In 1952, McCarran attended a dinner hosted by the Kuomintang
Chinese Ambassador to Washington together with Senators Joseph McCarthy
and William Knowland that began with the toast "Back to the mainland!"
After World War II
, McCarran established himself as one of the Senate's most powerful anti-Communists. As chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, McCarran created and was the first chairman of the Senate Internal Security Subcommittee that investigated the administrations headed by Franklin D. Roosevelt
and Harry S. Truman
. In 1951, investigators from the Senate Internal Security Subcommittee seized the records of the Institute of Pacific Relations
. McCarran made much of these records when questioning the Sinologist Owen Lattimore
during 12 days of acrimonious testimony in February 1951. McCarran subsequently pushed very strongly for Lattimore to be indicted
for alleged acts of perjury
during his testimony. Lattimore's lawyer Abe Fortas
accused McCarran of deliberately asking questions about arcane and obscure matters that took place in the 1930s in hopes that Lattimore wouldn't be able to recall them properly, thereby giving grounds for a perjury indictment because of discrepancies between the I.P.R. records and Lattimore's testimony.
In September 1950 he was the chief sponsor of the McCarran Internal Security Act
. This legislation required registration with the Attorney General of the American Communist Party and affiliated organizations, and established the Subversive Activities Control Board
to investigate possible Communist-action and Communist-front organizations so they could be required to register. Due to numerous hearings, delays and appeal
s, the act was never enforced, even with regard to the United States Communist Party itself, and the major provisions of the act were found to be unconstitutional in 1965 and 1967.
In June 1952, McCarran joined Francis Walter in instigating the passing of the McCarran–Walter Act; a bill that imposed more rigid restrictions on entry quotas to the United States. It also stiffened the existing law relating to the admission, exclusion and deportation of "dangerous" aliens as defined by the McCarran Internal Security Act. In response to the act he made a well known statement:
The immigration provisions of the act were later superseded by the 1965 Immigration Act, but the power of the government to deny visas for ideological reasons remained on the books another 25 years after that.
Cartoonist Walt Kelly
introduced a new character into his Pogo
comic strip at this time called 'Mole MacCaroney'. Mole's near-blindness and concerns about 'germs' were seen as an attack on McCarran and his immigration-restriction policies.
Pat McCarran remained in the Senate until his death in Hawthorne, Nevada
in 1954. In 1960, the state of Nevada donated a bronze statue of McCarran to the National Statuary Hall Collection
at the United States Capitol
.
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
United States Senator
United States Senate
The United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...
from Nevada
History of Nevada
Nevada became the 36th state on October 31, 1864, after telegraphing the Constitution of Nevada to the Congress days before the November 8 presidential election...
from 1933 until 1954, and was noted for his strong anti-Communist
Anti-communism
Anti-communism is opposition to communism. Organized anti-communism developed in reaction to the rise of communism, especially after the 1917 October Revolution in Russia and the beginning of the Cold War in 1947.-Objections to communist theory:...
stance.
Early life and career
McCarran was born in Reno, NevadaReno, Nevada
Reno is the county seat of Washoe County, Nevada, United States. The city has a population of about 220,500 and is the most populous Nevada city outside of the Las Vegas metropolitan area...
, the child of Irish immigrants
Irish American
Irish Americans are citizens of the United States who can trace their ancestry to Ireland. A total of 36,278,332 Americans—estimated at 11.9% of the total population—reported Irish ancestry in the 2008 American Community Survey conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau...
. He attended the University of Nevada, Reno
University of Nevada, Reno
The University of Nevada, Reno , is a teaching and research university established in 1874 and located in Reno, Nevada, USA...
, but had to withdraw to work on the family sheep ranch when his father suffered an injury. He passed the state bar exam in 1905, after studying law independently. In 1903 he became a member of the State legislature and after earning his law degree he became district attorney
District attorney
In many jurisdictions in the United States, a District Attorney is an elected or appointed government official who represents the government in the prosecution of criminal offenses. The district attorney is the highest officeholder in the jurisdiction's legal department and supervises a staff of...
of Nye County
Nye County, Nevada
-National protected areas:* Ash Meadows National Wildlife Refuge* Death Valley National Park * Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest * Spring Mountains National Recreation Area -Demographics:...
(1907–09).
McCarran was also Nevada Chief Justice (1917–18), chairman of the Nevada State Board of Parole Commissioners (1913–18) and chairman of the Nevada State Board of Bar Examiners (1919–32). A member of the Democratic Party
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
, McCarran ran unsuccessfully for Senate in 1916 and 1926. In 1932 he ran a third time, securing the Democratic nomination and defeating Republican
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
incumbent Tasker Oddie
Tasker Oddie
Tasker Lowndes Oddie was an American politician. He was the 12th Governor of Nevada and a United States Senator. He was a member of the Republican Party.-Biography:...
, becoming Nevada's first native-born U.S. Senator. During the 1930s, McCarran became well-known as one of the few Congressional Democrats who totally rejected the New Deal
New Deal
The New Deal was a series of economic programs implemented in the United States between 1933 and 1936. They were passed by the U.S. Congress during the first term of President Franklin D. Roosevelt. The programs were Roosevelt's responses to the Great Depression, and focused on what historians call...
.
Senator
He sponsored laws concerned with the nation's security, including the Civil Aeronautics Act of 1938, the Federal Airport Act of 1945 and the Administrative Procedures Act of 1946. He was also an early advocate of a separate air forceUnited States Air Force
The United States Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the American uniformed services. Initially part of the United States Army, the USAF was formed as a separate branch of the military on September 18, 1947 under the National Security Act of...
, sponsoring legislation in Congress to that effect as early as 1933.
An admirer of General Francisco Franco
Francisco Franco
Francisco Franco y Bahamonde was a Spanish general, dictator and head of state of Spain from October 1936 , and de facto regent of the nominally restored Kingdom of Spain from 1947 until his death in November, 1975...
of Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
, McCarran was nicknamed the "Senator from Madrid" by the columnist Drew Pearson
Drew Pearson (journalist)
Andrew Russell Pearson , known professionally as Drew Pearson, was one of the best-known American columnists of his day, noted for his muckraking syndicated newspaper column "Washington Merry-Go-Round," in which he attacked various public persons, sometimes with little or no objective proof for his...
because of his efforts to increase foreign aid to Spain. McCarran's other favorite foreign leader was Generalissimo Chiang Kai-Shek
Chiang Kai-shek
Chiang Kai-shek was a political and military leader of 20th century China. He is known as Jiǎng Jièshí or Jiǎng Zhōngzhèng in Mandarin....
of China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
, whose loss of mainland China in 1949 was blamed by McCarran on alleged Soviet spies in the State Department. In 1952, McCarran attended a dinner hosted by the Kuomintang
Kuomintang
The Kuomintang of China , sometimes romanized as Guomindang via the Pinyin transcription system or GMD for short, and translated as the Chinese Nationalist Party is a founding and ruling political party of the Republic of China . Its guiding ideology is the Three Principles of the People, espoused...
Chinese Ambassador to Washington together with Senators Joseph McCarthy
Joseph McCarthy
Joseph Raymond "Joe" McCarthy was an American politician who served as a Republican U.S. Senator from the state of Wisconsin from 1947 until his death in 1957...
and William Knowland that began with the toast "Back to the mainland!"
After World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, McCarran established himself as one of the Senate's most powerful anti-Communists. As chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, McCarran created and was the first chairman of the Senate Internal Security Subcommittee that investigated the administrations headed by Franklin D. Roosevelt
Franklin D. Roosevelt
Franklin Delano Roosevelt , also known by his initials, FDR, was the 32nd President of the United States and a central figure in world events during the mid-20th century, leading the United States during a time of worldwide economic crisis and world war...
and Harry S. Truman
Harry S. Truman
Harry S. Truman was the 33rd President of the United States . As President Franklin D. Roosevelt's third vice president and the 34th Vice President of the United States , he succeeded to the presidency on April 12, 1945, when President Roosevelt died less than three months after beginning his...
. In 1951, investigators from the Senate Internal Security Subcommittee seized the records of the Institute of Pacific Relations
Institute of Pacific Relations
The Institute of Pacific Relations was an international NGO established in 1925 to provide a forum for discussion of problems and relations between nations of the Pacific Rim. The International Secretariat, the center of most IPR activity over the years, consisted of professional staff members who...
. McCarran made much of these records when questioning the Sinologist Owen Lattimore
Owen Lattimore
Owen Lattimore was an American author, educator, and influential scholar of Central Asia, especially Mongolia. In the 1930s he was editor of Pacific Affairs, a journal published by the Institute of Pacific Relations, and then taught at Johns Hopkins University from 1938 to 1963...
during 12 days of acrimonious testimony in February 1951. McCarran subsequently pushed very strongly for Lattimore to be indicted
Indictment
An indictment , in the common-law legal system, is a formal accusation that a person has committed a crime. In jurisdictions that maintain the concept of felonies, the serious criminal offence is a felony; jurisdictions that lack the concept of felonies often use that of an indictable offence—an...
for alleged acts of perjury
Perjury
Perjury, also known as forswearing, is the willful act of swearing a false oath or affirmation to tell the truth, whether spoken or in writing, concerning matters material to a judicial proceeding. That is, the witness falsely promises to tell the truth about matters which affect the outcome of the...
during his testimony. Lattimore's lawyer Abe Fortas
Abe Fortas
Abraham Fortas was a U.S. Supreme Court associate justice from 1965 to 1969. Originally from Tennessee, Fortas became a law professor at Yale, and subsequently advised the Securities and Exchange Commission. He then worked at the Interior Department under Franklin D...
accused McCarran of deliberately asking questions about arcane and obscure matters that took place in the 1930s in hopes that Lattimore wouldn't be able to recall them properly, thereby giving grounds for a perjury indictment because of discrepancies between the I.P.R. records and Lattimore's testimony.
In September 1950 he was the chief sponsor of the McCarran Internal Security Act
McCarran Internal Security Act
The Internal Security Act of 1950, , also known as the Subversive Activities Control Act or the McCarran Act, after Senator Pat McCarran , is a United States federal law of the McCarthy era. It was passed over President Harry Truman's veto...
. This legislation required registration with the Attorney General of the American Communist Party and affiliated organizations, and established the Subversive Activities Control Board
Subversive Activities Control Board
The Subversive Activities Control Board was a United States government committee to investigate Communist infiltration of American society during the 1950s Red Scare....
to investigate possible Communist-action and Communist-front organizations so they could be required to register. Due to numerous hearings, delays and appeal
Appeal
An appeal is a petition for review of a case that has been decided by a court of law. The petition is made to a higher court for the purpose of overturning the lower court's decision....
s, the act was never enforced, even with regard to the United States Communist Party itself, and the major provisions of the act were found to be unconstitutional in 1965 and 1967.
In June 1952, McCarran joined Francis Walter in instigating the passing of the McCarran–Walter Act; a bill that imposed more rigid restrictions on entry quotas to the United States. It also stiffened the existing law relating to the admission, exclusion and deportation of "dangerous" aliens as defined by the McCarran Internal Security Act. In response to the act he made a well known statement:
The immigration provisions of the act were later superseded by the 1965 Immigration Act, but the power of the government to deny visas for ideological reasons remained on the books another 25 years after that.
Cartoonist Walt Kelly
Walt Kelly
Walter Crawford Kelly, Jr. , or Walt Kelly, was an American animator and cartoonist, best known for the comic strip, Pogo. He began his animation career in 1936 at Walt Disney Studios, contributing to Pinocchio and Fantasia. Kelly resigned in 1941 at the age of 28 to work at Post-Hall Syndicate,...
introduced a new character into his Pogo
Pogo
Pogo is the title and central character of a long-running daily American comic strip, created by cartoonist Walt Kelly and distributed by the Post-Hall Syndicate...
comic strip at this time called 'Mole MacCaroney'. Mole's near-blindness and concerns about 'germs' were seen as an attack on McCarran and his immigration-restriction policies.
Pat McCarran remained in the Senate until his death in Hawthorne, Nevada
Hawthorne, Nevada
Hawthorne is a census-designated place in Mineral County, Nevada, United States. The population was 3,311 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Mineral County...
in 1954. In 1960, the state of Nevada donated a bronze statue of McCarran to the National Statuary Hall Collection
National Statuary Hall Collection
The National Statuary Hall Collection in the United States Capitol comprises statues donated by individual states to honor persons notable in their history...
at the United States Capitol
United States Capitol
The United States Capitol is the meeting place of the United States Congress, the legislature of the federal government of the United States. Located in Washington, D.C., it sits atop Capitol Hill at the eastern end of the National Mall...
.
Popular culture
- McCarran International AirportMcCarran International AirportMcCarran International Airport is the principal commercial airport serving Las Vegas and Clark County, Nevada, United States. The airport is located five miles south of the central business district of Las Vegas, in the unincorporated area of Paradise in Clark County. It covers an area of and...
located in Las Vegas, NevadaLas Vegas, NevadaLas Vegas is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and is also the county seat of Clark County, Nevada. Las Vegas is an internationally renowned major resort city for gambling, shopping, and fine dining. The city bills itself as The Entertainment Capital of the World, and is famous...
, is named after Senator McCarran.
- McCarran Boulevard is a major roadway in Reno, NevadaReno, NevadaReno is the county seat of Washoe County, Nevada, United States. The city has a population of about 220,500 and is the most populous Nevada city outside of the Las Vegas metropolitan area...
, also named after the senator.
- It is believed that the senator was the inspiration for the fictional character, United States Senator Patrick Geary (also from Nevada), in the film The Godfather Part IIThe Godfather Part IIThe Godfather Part II is a 1974 American gangster film directed by Francis Ford Coppola from a script co-written with Mario Puzo. The film is both a sequel and a prequel to The Godfather, chronicling the story of the Corleone family following the events of the first film while also depicting the...
.
- McCarran's chair from his tenure in the U.S. Senate was featured on an episode of the History channel reality television series Pawn StarsPawn StarsPawn Stars is an American reality television series on the History Channel, produced in Manhattan by Leftfield Pictures. The series is filmed in Las Vegas, Nevada, where it chronicles the daily activities at the Gold & Silver Pawn Shop, a 24-hour family business operated by patriarch Richard...
.