Bust of controversial senator back on display

APPLETON, Wis. — The bronze bust of a controversial U.S. senator from Wisconsin, known for his anti-communist crusade in the 1950s, has been taken out of storage and placed on display.

Finding a location to display the bust of Senator Joseph McCarthy has been difficult after Outagamie County decided in 2001 that the senator’s likeness was no longer welcome at the courthouse.

The bust was part of a temporary display at the county’s History Museum from 2002 to 2004, then packed away. Today, the county brought McCarthy out of storage for good as part of a permanent exhibit called "Why McCarthy?"

Curator Matt Carpenter says the exhibit is not meant to memorialize McCarthy, but to let people make up their own minds about the former senator.