Carolyn McCarthy

McCarthy was born Carolyn Cook in Brooklyn, New York, on January 5, 1944, and was raised in Mineola, New York, on Long Island. Her father was a boilermaker and her mother worked at Woolworth.{{cite news By 1993, both McCarthy's husband and son worked for Prudential Securities in Manhattan, and commuted on the Long Island Rail Road (LIRR). On December 7 of that year, Dennis McCarthy was killed and Kevin was severely injured on an LIRR train at the Merillon Avenue station in the village of Garden City, when 35-year-old Colin Ferguson opened fire on passengers.{{cite news ==U.S. House of Representatives==

During her time in Congress, McCarthy was described as "the doyenne of anti-gun advocates in the House" and "the fiercest gun-control advocate in Congress". She made attempts to broaden her policy portfolio, but was never able to entirely shed the label of being a one-issue congresswoman. She acknowledged this, saying in 2009 that although she is also known for her education and district work, she is still the "gun lady". Committee assignments • Committee on Education and the Workforce • Subcommittee on Early Childhood, Elementary and Secondary Education (Ranking Member) • Subcommittee on Higher Education and Workforce Training • Committee on Financial Services • Subcommittee on Financial Institutions and Consumer Credit • Subcommittee on Housing and Insurance Caucus memberships • Co-chair, Congressional Hearing Health Caucus • Congressional Glaucoma Caucus • Financial Literacy Caucus • International Conservation Caucus • U.S.-Israel Security Caucus • Women's Caucus ==Political positions==

Gun control McCarthy's husband Dennis was murdered in the 1993 Long Island Rail Road shooting, which first prompted her to run for Congress. McCarthy was one of the nation's most vocal gun control advocates. In 1997, she sponsored a bill requiring trigger locks on guns. Shooter Seung-Hui Cho had passed a background check despite his mental health issues owing to an inconsistent sharing of records between the federal and state governments. On a 2007 episode of MSNBC's program Tucker, Tucker Carlson interviewed McCarthy about the Virginia Tech massacre and her proposed reauthorization of the Federal Assault Weapons Ban. She said that the legislation would ban large capacity "clips" and "shoulder things that go up." War in Iraq McCarthy voted in favor of the Iraq War Resolution in 2002. Age discrimination In 2003, McCarthy introduced legislation prohibiting companies from compelling the retirement of older employees and denying them pension and benefits. The increase passed but was later vetoed by President George W. Bush. Tea party In a 2011 press release, McCarthy expressed her sentiments on the Tea Party, saying "It's time to stop letting the Tea Party hold the House of Representatives hostage." {{cite web --> ==Political campaigns==

The Fourth District and its predecessors had been in Republican hands since 1953, even though Nassau County has leaned Democratic for president since 1992. In the end, however, McCarthy defeated Republican challenger Francis X. Becker, Jr, by a margin of 54% to 46%. Earlier in 2010, it was widely reported that McCarthy was considering entering the 2010 special senatorial election to challenge Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, owing to the latter's support for gun rights. Gillibrand had been appointed to the seat on January 23, 2009, by Governor David Paterson to succeed Hillary Clinton, who had left the Senate to become Secretary of State in the new Obama administration. McCarthy commented, saying: "I've spent 15 years trying to prevent gun violence in this country, and if he [Paterson] does pick her [Gillibrand] and if no one goes and primaries her, I will primary her." She said she would not let New York be represented by someone with a 100% rating of the NRA. On MSNBC's Hardball with Chris Matthews, McCarthy said that she thought Gillibrand was working for the NRA. On June 4, 2009, however, McCarthy announced that she would not mount a primary challenge to Gillibrand. 2012 In early 2012, there was a question as to whether redistricting might eliminate McCarthy's district. In the end, her district was left essentially intact. == Electoral history ==

Third-party candidates omitted, so percentages may not add up to 100%. ==Illness and death==

McCarthy announced on June 3, 2013, that she had a treatable form of lung cancer. Though a heavy smoker for some forty years, she publicly attributed her cancer to asbestos, and in November 2013, she announced she would sue more than 70 companies that she blamed for asbestos exposure. She said that her father and brother, whose clothes she washed, worked with asbestos. The lawsuit was criticized by New York Times columnist Joe Nocera, who claimed McCarthy was part of a growing trend of cigarette smokers suing companies that once used asbestos, citing her nearly lifelong "pack-a-day" habit as evidence that she was knowingly bringing a bogus case and partaking in a widespread "asbestos scam". ==Recognition==

In January 2025, President Joe Biden named McCarthy as a recipient of the Presidential Citizens Medal, along with nineteen others. ==See also==