Former Minnesota Sen. Eugene J. McCarthy has died ... More to come.

Former (U.S.) Senator Eugene McCarthy, 89, dies

Sen. Eugene McCarthy, D-Minn., is shown in this March 12, 1968
file photo as he talks to campaign workers and the press at his
Bedford, N.H. campaign headquarters. McCarthy, 89, died in his
sleep Saturday, Dec. 10, 2005 in Washington. (AP Photo/ File)

By Frederic J. Frommer, Associated Press Writer | December 10, 2005

WASHINGTON --Former Minnesota Sen. Eugene J. McCarthy, whose insurgent campaign toppled a sitting president in 1968 and forced the Democratic Party to take seriously his message against the Vietnam War, died Saturday. He was 89.

McCarthy died in his sleep at assisted living home in the Georgetown neighborhood where he had lived for the past few years, said his son, Michael.

Eugene McCarthy challenged President Lyndon B. Johnson for the 1968 Democratic nomination during growing debate over the Vietnam War. The challenge led to Johnson's withdrawal from the race.

The former college professor, who ran for president five times in all, was in some ways an atypical politician, a man with a witty, erudite speaking style who wrote poetry in his spare time and was the author of several books.

"He was thoughtful and he was principled and he was compassionate and he had a good sense of humor," his son said.

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