Law names post office at Saint John’s the Eugene J. McCarthy Post Office

Consider this a late present to the Eugene J. McCarthy Centennial celebration.

President Barack Obama signed into law a bill which designates the Collegeville Post Office in Guild Hall, Saint John's, as the "Eugene J. McCarthy Post Office." Obama signed the bill July 29.

Rep. Tom Emmer, whose Sixth Congressional District includes the Saint John's campus, was the author of the bill (H.R. 4425). Minnesota Reps. Timothy Walz (First District), John Kline (Second District), Erik Paulsen (Third District), Betty McCollum (Fourth District), Keith Ellison (Fifth District), Collin Peterson (Seventh District) and Richard Nolan (Eighth District) co-sponsored the bill.

Emmer introduced the bill to the House Feb. 2. It passed the House May 23 and the Senate July 14.

The Eugene J. McCarthy Center for Public Policy and Civic Engagement sponsored the McCarthy Centennial Celebration, which honored what would have been the late senator's 100^th birthday. McCarthy was born March 29, 1916, in nearby Watkins, Minnesota, where his father, Michael, served as a postmaster until 1913.

One of the events planned for the Centennial Celebration April 11 was the naming of the post office, but the bill was still pending.

 "The collaborative process to name the U.S. Collegeville Post Office involved students, Saint John's Abbey, SJU administration, the McCarthy family and several key members of Congress. It was recently made official with President Obama's signature on H.R. 4425," said Matt Lindstrom, the Edward Henry Professor of Political Science at CSB and SJU and the director of the McCarthy Center.

"This lasting legacy is a reminder to current and future members of the CSB/SJU community that Sen. McCarthy's courageous public service is honored and respected on and off campus," Lindstrom added.

McCarthy graduated from Saint John's Preparatory School in 1932 and from SJU in 1935. He also spent nine months as a novice at Saint John's Abbey before he left the monastery.

After returning to teach economics and education at SJU from 1940-43, McCarthy began a successful career in public service. He served in the House of Representatives from 1949-59, and in the Senate from 1959-71.

While a senator, McCarthy announced an anti-Vietnam War presidential candidacy in 1967 and challenged incumbent Lyndon Johnson for the Democratic nomination for president. He finished a strong second to Johnson in the 1968 New Hampshire primary, and his polling in the next primary in Wisconsin contributed to Johnson's decision to withdraw from the race.