John Francis McCarthy (February 18, 1924 February 21, 1981) was a

Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or again ...

member of the

California Senate The California State Senate is the upper house of the California State Legislature, the lower house being the California State Assembly. The State Senate convenes, along with the State Assembly, at the California State Capitol in Sacramento. ...

. Before he was in California's legislature, he was a merchant marine during the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

. He entered office in 1950 as a nonpartisan senator before turning Republican in 1952. He was the Senate's Minority Leader from 1967 until his retirement in 1971. During his tenure, he created and passed a bill for the formation of the

Bay Area Rapid Transit Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) is a rapid transit system serving the San Francisco Bay Area in California. BART serves 50 stations along six routes on of rapid transit lines, including a spur line in eastern Contra Costa County which use ...

(BART) in 1957. He was a strong advocate of free speech, and believed that a university is like a fourth branch of government. - California State Senator John F. McCarthy's speech 'The Situation at the Universities' to the Commonwealth Club of California A lifelong resident of the San Francisco Bay Area, McCarthy represented State Senate District 13 from 1951 to 1967, and

District 4 District 4 can refer to: * District 4, Düsseldorf, in Germany *District 4, Grand Bassa County, in Liberia *District 4 (Ho Chi Minh City), in Vietnam * District 4 (New York City Council), in the United States *IV District, Turku, in Finland * Ausse ...

in his final term (19671971). He was born in

San Francisco San Francisco (; Spanish language, Spanish for "Francis of Assisi, Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the List of Ca ...

and died in the suburb of

Tiburon Tiburon (Spanish ''Tiburón'', " shark") may refer to: Places ;United States * Tiburon, California * Tiburón Golf Club Naples, Florida * Tiburon Peninsula (California), a peninsula in the San Francisco Bay Area of California ;Mexico * Tiburón ...

. He had 7 children. The Richmond-San Rafael Bridge was named in his honor. His elder brother, Democrat Robert I. McCarthy served in the State Assembly from 1948 to 1952 and Senate from 1954 to 1958.

References

joinCalifornia: Election History of California- John F. "Jack" McCarthy
;Notes 1924 births 1981 deaths Republican Party California state senators Politicians from San Francisco People from Tiburon, California United States Merchant Mariners of World War II 20th-century members of the California State Legislature {{California-CASenate-stub