Melvin Maas
| Melvin Joseph Maas | |
|---|---|
Major General Melvin J. Maas, USMCR
|
|
| Born |
May 14, 1898 Duluth, Minnesota, U.S. |
| Died | April 13, 1964 (aged 65) [1] Bethesda, Maryland, U.S. |
| Place of Burial | Arlington National Cemetery |
| Allegiance |
 United States of America
|
| Service/branch |
 United States Marine Corps
|
| Years of service | 1917–1925, 1941-1952 |
| Rank |
 Major General
|
| Service number | 0-4104 |
| Commands held | Awasa Air Base |
| Battles/wars | |
| Awards |
Silver Star Legion of Merit Purple Heart |
| Relations | LTC Patricia Bennett, USMC (daughter) |
Melvin Joseph Maas (May 14, 1898 – April 13, 1964) was a U.S. Representative from Minnesota and decorated Major General of the United States Marine Corps Reserve during World War II.
Melvin Joseph Maas was born in Duluth, Minnesota, May 14, 1898. He moved with his parents to St. Paul, Minnesota in 1898. Educated in the public schools, he enlisted the United States Marine Corps on April 6, 1917 as a Private. He underwent flying training course and was designated Naval aviator in the Marine Corps. He served for brief period in Haiti and during World War I, Maas flew reconnaissance missions over Atlantic ocean, while stationed on Azores.
After the War, Maas served with the Marine Corps until 1925, when he received a Marine Corps commission and left active service, subsequently transferred to the Marine Corps Reserve. During that time, he also finished his studies at St. Thomas College at St. Paul and graduated in 1919. Maas later also attended the University of Minnesota at Minneapolis and subsequently joined his brothers in the insurance business.
During Prohibition, Maas became involved in the anti-Prohibition platform, calling for the modification of Prohibition and allowing beer and wine drinking. He subsequently ran for Congress in 1926 and defeated incumbent Oscar Keller. He became the youngest member of Congress at age twenty-eight on November 2, 1926. Maas was subsequently elected as a Republican to the 70th, 71st, and 72nd Congresses (March 4, 1927 – March 3, 1933). He ran unsuccessfully for renomination in 1932.
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