The following is the text of a half staff proclamation in remembrance of former U.S. Senator Eugene McCarthy:

Whereas:           Eugene Joseph McCarthy was born in Watkins, Meeker County, Minnesota, March 29, 1916; and
 
Whereas:           Eugene Joseph McCarthy attended public schools in Watkins, Minnesota, graduated from St. John's University in Collegeville in 1935, and from the University of Minnesota at Minneapolis in 1939; and
 
Whereas:           Eugene Joseph McCarthy was a teacher in public high schools of Minnesota and North Dakota from 1935 to 1940, a  professor of economics and education at St. John's University from 1940 to 1943 and an instructor in sociology and economics at St. Thomas College, St. Paul, Minnesota, 1946-1949; and
 
Whereas:           Eugene Joseph McCarthy served as a civilian technical assistant in the Military Intelligence Division of the War Department in 1944; and
 
Whereas:           Eugene Joseph McCarthy was elected to the United States House of Representatives in 1948 and served five terms and was elected to the United States Senate in 1958 and served two six-year terms; and
 
Whereas:           Eugene Joseph McCarthy became a candidate for the presidency in November of 1967, and his close finish behind incumbent President Lyndon Johnson in the New Hampshire primary galvanized opposition to the Vietnam War.  He changed the political dynamics of the race, leading the entry of Robert Kennedy, Johnson's withdrawal and the eventual nomination of fellow Minnesotan Hubert Humphrey; and
 
Whereas:           Eugene Joseph McCarthy's passion and intelligence inspired many young people to "Get Clean with Gene" and engage in the political process, rather than just stand on the sidelines and complain; and
 
Whereas:           Eugene Joseph McCarthy continued his role as a commentator and social critic for decades after his retirement from the Senate as the author of more than a dozen books of non-fiction and poetry; and
 
Whereas:           Eugene Joseph McCarthy epitomized the Minnesota "prairie populist" tradition that amplified the voice of regular people in the political discourse dominated by big business and big government; and
 
Whereas:           Eugene Joseph McCarthy died on December 10, 2005, at the age of 89.
                                               
Now, Therefore, I, Tim Pawlenty, Governor of Minnesota, do hereby order all U.S. and Minnesota flags be flown at half-staff at the Capitol Complex, including state buildings, monuments and grounds in proximity to and including the Minnesota State Capitol, from sunrise until sunset, on Tuesday, January 24, 2006, in honor and remembrance of former United States Senator Eugene Joseph McCarthy.