Joe McCarthy papers

Collection

Identifier: BC-1996-048

Staff Only

Dates

Creation: 1933-1984

Scope and Contents

The core of this collection is drafts and published clippings of magazine articles and short stories by Joe McCarthy, written during his career as a freelance author, predominantly for Holiday, Cosmopolitan, and This Week. There is a particular focus on the Kennedy and Ford families, as well as Irish and Irish-American culture. In addition, there are reviews, correspondence, and other materials about McCarthy and his writings. His reporting notebooks and other research files offer a glimpse into McCarthy’s pre-writing process. The collection of works by others reflects McCarthy’s influence among other writers as an editor and collaborator.

Creator

McCarthy, Joe, 1915-1980 (Person)

Language of Materials

Materials are in English.

Restrictions on Access

Collection is open for research. The audio cassettes and VHS videocassettes have been digitally copied; all original media were retained, but may not be played due to format. Digital use copies can only be accessed in the Burns Library Reading Room. The audio reels are not available for playback due to format impermanence and can not be reformatted by Burns Library at this time. Please let Burns Library Public Services know of your specific interest; when it becomes possible we will schedule reformatting.

Conditions Governing Use

These materials are made available for use in research, teaching and private study, pursuant to U.S. Copyright Law. The user must assume full responsibility for any use of the materials, including but not limited to, infringement of copyright and publication rights of reproduced materials. Any materials used for academic research or otherwise should be fully credited with the source. The original authors may retain copyright to the materials.

Biographical note

Joseph Weston McCarthy was born March 6, 1915 in Cambridge, Massachusetts to Dennis F. and Elizabeth Doyle McCarthy. He was educated in the Cambridge parochial schools, Boston College High School, and Boston College (AB, 1939). In 1941, he married Mary Dunn, and they had four children: Susan, Doyle, Dennis, and Mary. Before the second World War, McCarthy worked as a reporter and sports writer for the Boston Post. McCarthy was drafted into the Army in 1941, and was recruited as a writer for the Army magazine Yank, soon becoming the managing editor of the magazine. After the war, he took a job as the non-fiction editor for Cosmopolitan. In 1948, he left Cosmopolitan and became a full-time freelance writer, publishing a number of articles in magazines such as Look, Life, Collier's, The Saturday Evening Post, The New Yorker, Cosmopolitan, Holiday, Good Housekeeping, McCall's, This Week, Reader's Digest, and The American Weekly. He also published some longer-form work, including an edited compilation of comedian Fred Allen's letters, The Remarkable Kennedys, Johnny, We Hardly Knew Ye, and Hurricane. McCarthy died on January 29, 1980.

Sources:

“The Editor’s Desk”, Boston Post Magazine, December 19, 1948.

Contemporary Authors, Detroit: Gale Research Company, 1966.

“Joe McCarthy obituaries”, Box 1, folder 5, Joe McCarthy papers, BC.1996.048, John J. Burns Library, Boston College.

Extent

9.25 Linear Feet (10 containers)

290 Gigabytes (17 files with approximately 10.5 hours of audio and moving image content)

Additional Description

Abstract

Papers of twentieth century American magazine author and Boston College alumnus Joe McCarthy (1915-1980), including drafts, published clippings, notebooks, research files, correspondence, and collected works by others.

Arrangement

Arranged in five series: I. Biographical materials; II. Correspondence; III. Research materials; IV. Writings; and V. Works by others. All series arranged alphabetically within except Correspondence, which is arranged chronologically.

Immediate Source of Acquisition

Gift of Mary McCarthy, Joe McCarthy's widow, 1980.

Processing Information

This collection was originally described in a June 1996 box listing, and materials were loosely grouped into published, unpublished, audiovisual, and other materials. In 2022, it was fully processed and redescribed, including imposing a series arrangement, matching unpublished typescripts to their published counterparts, and deaccessioning duplicate and extraneous clippings. Some audiovisual material was deaccessioned after processing, so item numbers are not exactly sequential.