Carolyn McCarthy facts for kids

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Quick facts for kids Carolyn McCarthy


Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from New York's 4th district
In office January 3, 1997 – January 3, 2015
Preceded by	Dan Frisa
Succeeded by	Kathleen Rice

Personal details
Born	Carolyn Cook (1944-01-05) January 5, 1944 (age 81) Brooklyn, New York, U.S.
Political party	Republican (Before 1996) Democratic (1996–present)
Spouse	Dennis McCarthy (m. 1967; died 1993)
Children	1
Alma mater	Glen Cove Nursing School

Carolyn McCarthy (born Carolyn Cook on January 5, 1944) is an American politician. She served as a U.S. Representative for New York's 4th district from 1997 to 2015. She is a member of the Democratic Party.

On January 8, 2014, she announced she would not run for re-election. She decided to retire in January 2015 due to health reasons. Kathleen Rice, also a Democrat, took her place.

Early Life and Important Events

Carolyn Cook was born in Brooklyn, New York. She grew up in Mineola, a town on Long Island. Her father was a boilermaker and her mother worked at Woolworth. When she was young, she loved sports and wanted to be a physical education teacher. She found reading hard and later learned she had dyslexia. After helping a friend who was hurt in a car accident, she decided to become a Licensed Practical Nurse. She later married and lived in Mineola with her family.

A very sad event changed her life on December 7, 1993. Her husband, Dennis, was killed. Her son, Kevin, was badly hurt on a train near Garden City. This happened when a person started shooting passengers. This tragedy led Carolyn McCarthy to start a campaign for stronger gun control laws. Her efforts eventually led her to run for Congress in 1996. She won against the Republican, Dan Frisa. Her story was even made into a TV movie called The Long Island Incident in 1998.

Serving in the U.S. House of Representatives

During her time in Congress, Carolyn McCarthy became known as a strong supporter of gun control. People often called her "the fiercest gun-control advocate in Congress." While she tried to work on other issues, she was always most famous for her work on gun laws. In 2009, she said that even though she also worked on education and local issues, people still knew her as "the gun lady."

Before running for Congress, McCarthy was a Republican. However, she ran as a Democrat and her views changed over time. She became a reliable Democratic voter, often voting with her party.

What Committees Did She Join?

In Congress, representatives join special groups called committees. These groups focus on different topics and help create laws. Carolyn McCarthy was part of these committees:

Committee on Education and the Workforce: This committee works on laws about schools, colleges, and jobs.
- Subcommittee on Early Childhood, Elementary and Secondary Education (She was a top member here.)
- Subcommittee on Higher Education and Workforce Training
Committee on Financial Services: This committee deals with banks, money, and housing.
- Subcommittee on Financial Institutions and Consumer Credit
- Subcommittee on Housing and Insurance

What Groups Did She Lead or Join?

Members of Congress also form groups called caucuses to work on specific issues they care about. Carolyn McCarthy was involved in several:

Co-chair of the Congressional Hearing Health Caucus: This group focuses on hearing health.
Congressional Glaucoma Caucus: This group works on issues related to glaucoma, an eye disease.
Financial Literacy Caucus: This group promotes understanding of money and finances.
International Conservation Caucus: This group supports protecting nature around the world.
U.S.-Israel Security Caucus: This group focuses on security issues between the U.S. and Israel.
Women's Caucus: This group works on issues important to women.

Her Stance on Key Issues

Gun Control Advocacy

The tragic shooting that killed her husband and injured her son in 1993 was the main reason Carolyn McCarthy became a strong advocate for gun control. She worked hard to create safer communities.

In 1997, she proposed a law to require trigger locks on guns. After another shooting incident, she tried to ban gun sales to tourists visiting the U.S. She also worked to make it harder for young adults to buy guns and to regulate gun shows.

When a ban on certain types of powerful guns ended in 2004, McCarthy tried to bring it back. After the Virginia Tech shootings in 2007, she pushed for laws to prevent more gun violence. She helped pass a bill that improved how mental health records were shared to prevent people with serious mental health issues from buying guns. This bill was even supported by the National Rifle Association and signed into law by President Bush.

In 2012, she worked with Senator Dianne Feinstein to propose a bill. This bill aimed to ban the sale of about 150 specific firearms. These included certain semi-automatic rifles and pistols with features like pistol grips or large ammunition magazines.

Views on the Iraq War

Carolyn McCarthy voted to support the Iraq War Resolution in 2002. In 2006, she also voted to support a resolution that backed the war.

Death Penalty

In her 1996 election, McCarthy said she was personally against the death penalty. However, she also said she would not try to end it because many people in her district supported it.

Helping with Hearing Loss

As a former nurse, McCarthy was a big supporter of helping people with hearing loss. She often pushed for a law called the Hearing Aid Tax Credit Act. This law would help people afford hearing aids.

Fighting Age Discrimination

In 2003, McCarthy introduced a law to stop companies from forcing older employees to retire. It also aimed to ensure they received their pensions and benefits.

Supporting Special Education

Carolyn McCarthy has dyslexia herself. She spoke in favor of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. This law helps make sure students with disabilities get the education they need. She also supported a law to fund early detection of dyslexia.

Children's Health Insurance

In 2007, McCarthy supported adding $35 billion to the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP). This program helps provide health care for children whose families earn too much for Medicaid but cannot afford private health insurance. She believed no child should go without medical care. President Bush later vetoed this increase.

Stem Cell Research

McCarthy supported using government money for stem cell research. However, she believed this research should only use embryos that would otherwise be thrown away. She supported a law in 2007 that allowed this. It passed Congress but was also vetoed by President Bush.

Financial Rules

In 1999, McCarthy voted for the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act. This law changed how banks and financial companies were regulated.

Thoughts on the Tea Party

In 2011, McCarthy shared her feelings about the Tea Party movement. She said it was time to stop letting the Tea Party control the House of Representatives.

Her Political Campaigns

Carolyn McCarthy's district had been represented by Republicans for a long time. In 1996, the Republican in office, Dan Frisa, was running for re-election. McCarthy spoke out against his efforts to end the Federal Assault Weapons Ban.

After Frisa voted to end the ban, McCarthy, who had been a Republican her whole life, decided to run against him. Local Republican leaders did not support her. So, she ran as a Democrat instead. With support from the Democratic Party and a local newspaper, she won by a large margin. Even after her win, some Republicans tried to get her to switch back to their party, but she stayed a Democrat.

She faced tough elections in 1998 and 2004. In 2004, she won easily against James Garner, getting 63% of the votes. Even though she always served as a Democrat, she didn't officially change her voter registration from Republican until 2003.

2010 Election

In 2010, some people thought McCarthy might lose her seat. But she won against her Republican opponent, Francis X. Becker, Jr., with 54% of the votes.

Earlier in 2010, McCarthy thought about running for a Senate seat against Senator Kirsten Gillibrand. McCarthy was concerned about Gillibrand's support for gun rights. McCarthy said she would challenge Gillibrand if no one else did, because she didn't want New York to be represented by someone with a perfect rating from the NRA. However, McCarthy later decided not to run against Gillibrand.

2012 Election

In 2012, there was a question about whether her district might be changed due to new boundaries. But in the end, her district stayed mostly the same. She won her re-election campaign that year.

Personal Life

On June 3, 2013, Carolyn McCarthy announced she had a treatable form of lung cancer. She had smoked cigarettes for many years. She retired from Congress in January 2015 due to her health.

Recognition

In January 2025, President Joe Biden announced that Carolyn McCarthy would receive the Presidential Citizens Medal. This is a special award given to American citizens for their outstanding service.