Connolly, Carol

Carol Connolly (née McLellan), a lifelong resident of St. Paul, Minnesota, was born in 1934. Connolly's first career was raising seven children born to her and husband John S. Connolly. Although active as a volunteer in many organizations during her twenty-one years of marriage, it was after divorcing in 1979 that Connolly's public life took on a higher profile. Throughout the years since then, Connolly has been variously known as a political candidate, activist, journalist, poet, and playwright.

An active DFL member, Connolly first became politically involved through the peace movement of the 1960s and the various campaign activities of her husband, who later became a Ramsey County District Court judge. In 1968 she volunteered for the Eugene McCarthy presidential campaign and they became close friends. While a 1980 bid for a seat on the St. Paul City Council was unsuccessful, Connolly remained politically involved over the years through fund raising for the campaigns for many other, mainly female, candidates.

...