Robert Emmett McCarthyUnited States Military Academy Official register of the officers and cadets (1971) /ref> (January 12, 1940 – January 15, 2022) was an American lawyer and politician from
Massachusetts
Massachusetts (Massachusett language, Massachusett: ''Muhsachuweesut assachusett writing systems, məhswatʃəwiːsət'' English: , ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is the most populous U.S. state, state in the New England ...
.
Education
McCarthy attended the
United States Military Academy
The United States Military Academy (USMA), also known metonymically as West Point or simply as Army, is a United States service academy in West Point, New York. It was originally established as a fort, since it sits on strategic high groun ...
from 1957 to 1961 and graduated with a
Bachelor of Science
A Bachelor of Science (BS, BSc, SB, or ScB; from the Latin ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for programs that generally last three to five years.
The first university to admit a student to the degree of Bachelor of Science was the University of ...
degree.Martindale-Hubbell Online Directory /ref> He graduated from
Boston College Law School
Boston College Law School (BC Law) is the law school of Boston College. It is situated on a wooded campus in Newton, Massachusetts, about 1.5 miles from the university's main campus in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts.
With approximately 800 studen ...
with a
Bachelor of Laws
Bachelor of Laws ( la, Legum Baccalaureus; LL.B.) is an undergraduate law degree in the United Kingdom and most common law jurisdictions. Bachelor of Laws is also the name of the law degree awarded by universities in the People's Republic of Chi ...
degree in 1967.
Military service
Upon graduation from West Point, McCarthy was commissioned a
Second Lieutenant
Second lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces, comparable to NATO OF-1 rank.
Australia
The rank of second lieutenant existed in the military forces of the Australian colonies and Australian Army until ...
United States Army
The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cla ...
. From 1962 to 1963 he served with the 503rd and 325th Airborne Infantry Regiments of the
82nd Airborne Division
The 82nd Airborne Division is an Airborne forces, airborne infantry division (military), division of the United States Army specializing in Paratrooper, parachute assault operations into denied areasSof, Eric"82nd Airborne Division" ''Spec Ops ...
. He resigned his commission in 1964 as a
First Lieutenant
First lieutenant is a commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces; in some forces, it is an appointment.
The rank of lieutenant has different meanings in different military formations, but in most forces it is sub-divided into a s ...
.
Legal career
McCarthy practiced law in
East Bridgewater, Massachusetts
East Bridgewater is a town in Plymouth County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 14,440 at the 2020 census. It is also a part of Massachusetts' 8th congressional district, of which it is represented by Stephen Lynch.
History
The ...
, after graduating from law school.
Political career
From 1969 to 1975 McCarthy served on the East Bridgewater Board of Selectmen. From 1971 to 1975 he served in the Massachusetts House of Representatives representing the 8th Plymouth district as a Democrat. From 1975 to 1981 he served in the Massachusetts Senate representing the Bristol, Plymouth and Norfolk district (1975–1879) and the 2nd Plymouth district (1979–1881). He was also an unsuccessful candidate for the
United States House of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the Lower house, lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the United States Senate, Senate being ...
seat in
Massachusetts's 10th congressional district
Massachusetts's 10th congressional district was a small district that included parts of the South Shore of Massachusetts, and all of Cape Cod and the islands. The district had existed since 1795, but was removed for the 113th Congress in 2013 a ...
in 1980.
From 2001 to 2015 he served as Register of Probate for
Plymouth County, Massachusetts
Plymouth County is a county in the U.S. state of Massachusetts, south of Boston. As of the 2020 census, the population was 530,819. Its county seats are Plymouth and Brockton. In 1685, the county was created by the Plymouth General Court, th ...