Eugene Joseph McCarthy (Watkins MN, March 29, 1916 – December 10, 2005, Washington DC) was an American politician, writer, and academic from Minnesota. McCarthy became an economics professor after earning a graduate degree from the University of Minnesota. He served as a code breaker for the United States Department of War during World War II. He served in the United States House of Representatives from 1949 to 1959 and the United States Senate from 1959 to 1971. McCarthy sought the Democratic nomination in the 1968 presidential election, challenging incumbent Lyndon B. Johnson on an anti–Vietnam War platform. McCarthy sought the presidency five times, but never won.