Original: Joseph Raymond McCarthy ( November 14 , 1908 & ndash ; May 2 , 1957 ) was an American politician who served as a Republican U.S. Senator from the state of Wisconsin from 1947 until his death in 1957 .
Simplified: Joseph Raymond McCarthy ( November 14 , 1908 -- May 2 , 1957 ) was an American politician who served as a Republican U.S. Senator from the state of Wisconsin from 1947 until his death in 1957 .