Larry McDonald

Lawrence Patton "Larry" McDonald (born April 1, 1935 in Atlanta , Georgia , † September 1, 1983 in the Sea of Japan ) was an American politician . Between 1975 and 1983 he represented the state of Georgia in the US House of Representatives .

Career

Larry McDonald was a cousin of General George S. Patton . He attended the public schools of his home country and then until 1951 the Darlington High School in Rome . Between 1951 and 1953 he studied at Davidson College in North Carolina . This was followed by a medical degree at Emory University in Atlanta, which he finished in 1957. Between 1963 and 1966 he expanded his medical knowledge, especially in the field of urology at the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor . He then worked as a medic in Atlanta. Between 1959 and 1961 he was in the medical service of the US Navy . He was stationed in Iceland , where he met his first wife Anna Tryggvadottir, with whom he was to have three children.

Politically, McDonald joined the Democratic Party . Between 1969 and 1974 he was intermittent chairman of the Georgia State Medical Education Committee. McDonald was considered very conservative within his party. He was a staunch anti-Communist and an admirer of US Senator Joseph McCarthy of Wisconsin . McDonald joined the right-wing John Birch Society , known for its conspiracy theories , and in 1979 he became its chairman. His political attitudes led to family tensions and eventually to the divorce from his first wife, who did not share his political views. In 1975 he was second married to Kathryn Jackson.

In the 1974 congressional election , McDonald was elected to the United States House of Representatives in Washington, DC , in the seventh constituency of Georgia , where he succeeded John William Davis on January 3, 1975 . He was re-elected in 1976, 1978, 1980 and 1982, where he held the same conservative positions as before. On September 1, 1983, McDonald was on board Korean Airlines flight 007 ; he wanted to take part in the celebrations marking the 30th anniversary of the American- South Korean defense pact. During the flight, the machine accidentally came across Soviet territory and was shot down by an interceptor . All 269 people died on board. McDonald's remains were never found. He was the first and only member of Congress to die while serving in the Cold War .

Web links

Larry McDonald in the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress (English)

Cenotaph for Larry McDonald in the Crestlawn Cemetery, where the family grave is located.

swell

Larry McDonald: The War in Peace: The Strategy of the Soviet Peace Struggle against the USA , Seewald, 1983, ISBN 3-512-00678-7
Larry McDonald: We Hold These Truths: A Reverent Review Of The US Constitution, Larry McDonald Memorial Foundation, 1976, ISBN 0-9632809-1-0

Footnotes

↑ 'Mutual Defense Treaty Between the United States and the Republic of Korea', see also After 50 Years. The alliance between the USA and South Korea faces new challenges , p. 6 (pdf)

personal data
SURNAME	McDonald, Larry
ALTERNATIVE NAMES	McDonald, Lawrence Patton (full name)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION	American politician
DATE OF BIRTH	April 1, 1935
PLACE OF BIRTH	Atlanta , Georgia
DATE OF DEATH	September 1, 1983
Place of death	Japanese sea

[1] 'Mutual Defense Treaty Between the United States and the Republic of Korea', see also After 50 Years. The alliance between the USA and South Korea faces new challenges , p. 6 (pdf)