by Frank Lee
operations@thenewsleaders.com
The legislation to name the Collegeville Post Office after Minnesota’s own Sen. Eugene McCarthy has been signed into law, it was announced Aug. 1.
McCarthy attended and taught at St. John’s University in Collegeville prior to his two decades in public office.. The renaming of this post office in his honor accompanies the university’s previous recognition of McCarthy through its Eugene J. McCarthy Center which aims to promote dialogue, civic education and political engagement in youth following in his footsteps.
“Eugene McCarthy was a strong, independent voice who knew how to bring people together and better Minnesota,” said U.S. Sixth District Rep. Tom Emmer, who introduced the bill to rename the post office in the House. “Throughout the decades he served as a legislator, McCarthy helped foster the level of civic engagement for which our state is known. It’s fitting my first bill to become law honors a dedicated public servant and extraordinary Minnesotan, and there is no more suitable place to honor his life and legacy than St. John’s University.”
Sens. Amy Klobuchar and Al Franken ensured the legislation’s passage in the Senate.
“Eugene McCarthy was a distinguished public servant (who) served Minnesota and our country for many years,” Klobuchar said. “This bipartisan effort will honor Senator McCarthy for his devotion to the people of our state and ensure the St. John’s post office stands as a tribute for all he did to make our nation a better place.”
With President Barack Obama’s signature, the proposal to rename the post office was signed into law.
“Eugene McCarthy worked tirelessly to improve the lives of both Minnesotans and all Americans,” Franken said in a joint statement by Klobuchar and Emmer. “It’s great we were able to come together and pass this bipartisan measure to ensure Sen. McCarthy’s name and legacy will be honored for generations to come.”
McCarthy gained international attention and a loyal following when he challenged then-president Lyndon B. Johnson for the presidency in 1968. Anger and discontent over the Vietnam War in those years caused a pro-peace coalition led by McCarthy. It’s widely believed McCarthy’s moral challenge to Johnson’s Vietnam War policies is the single-biggest factor in Johnson’s decision not to seek a second term. As it turned out, Minnesota’s Hubert Humphrey, who was Johnson’s vice president, was nominated in 1968 as DFL presidential candidate and then lost to Richard M. Nixon.
Tom Emmer
