McCarthy, Carolyn (1944–)
McCarthy, Carolyn (1944–)
American nurse and politician. Born Carolyn Cook, Jan 5, 1944, in Brooklyn, NY; grew up in Mineola, LI; dau. of Tom (boilermaker) and Irene Cook; trained at Glen Cove Nursing School; m. Dennis McCarthy (stockbroker), 1967; children: Kevin McCarthy (b. 1968).
Was a registered nurse for over 30 years; husband was killed and son paralyzed when a crazed gunman shot indiscriminately on a Long Island commuter train (Dec 7, 1993); a lifelong Republican, turned the incident into a campaign against gun violence; as a Democrat, elected to US House of Representatives (1996), in her 1st race for public office; reelected (1998, 2000, 2002, 2004), representing Long Island's 4th Congressional District.
See also (NBC-TV movie) "The Long Island Incident" (1998).