Mike Mansfield
| Mike Mansfield | |
|---|---|
 |
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United States Senator from Montana |
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In office January 3, 1953 – January 3, 1977 |
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| Preceded by | Zales Ecton |
| Succeeded by | John Melcher |
| Senate Majority Leader | |
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In office January 3, 1961 – January 3, 1977 |
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| Deputy |
Hubert Humphrey (1961–65) Russell B. Long (1965–69) Ted Kennedy (1969–71) Robert Byrd (1971–77) |
| Preceded by | Lyndon Johnson |
| Succeeded by | Robert Byrd |
| Senate Majority Whip | |
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In office January 3, 1957 – January 3, 1961 |
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| Leader | Lyndon Johnson |
| Preceded by | Earle C. Clements |
| Succeeded by | Hubert Humphrey |
| Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Montana's 1st district | |
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In office January 3, 1943 – January 3, 1953 |
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| Preceded by | Jeannette Rankin |
| Succeeded by | Lee Metcalf |
| 22nd United States Ambassador to Japan | |
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In office June 10, 1977 – December 22, 1988 |
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| President |
Jimmy Carter Ronald Reagan |
| Preceded by | James D. Hodgson |
| Succeeded by | Michael Armacost |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Michael Joseph Mansfield March 16, 1903 New York, New York, U.S. |
| Died | October 5, 2001 (aged 98) Walter Reed Army Medical Center Washington, D.C., U.S. |
| Resting place |
Arlington National Cemetery Arlington, Virginia |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse(s) | Maureen Hayes Mansfield (1905-2000) |
| Children | Anne Fairclough Mansfield |
| Profession | Professor of history |
| Religion | Roman Catholic |
| Signature |  |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |
 United States
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| Service/branch |
United States Navy United States Army United States Marine Corps |
| Years of service | 1918 - 1919 (Navy) 1919 - 1920 (Army) 1920 - 1922 (Marine Corps) |
| Rank |
Seaman (Navy) Private (Army) Private (Marine Corps) |
| Battles/wars | World War I |
Michael Joseph "Mike" Mansfield (March 16, 1903 – October 5, 2001) was an American politician and diplomat. A member of the Democratic Party, he served as a U.S. Representative (1943–1953) and a U.S. Senator (1953–1977) from Montana. He was the longest-serving Senate Majority Leader, serving from 1961 to 1977. During his tenure, he shepherded Great Society programs through the Senate and strongly opposed the Vietnam War.
After retiring from the Senate, Mansfield served as U.S. Ambassador to Japan from 1977 to 1988, and upon retiring as ambassador, was awarded the nation's highest civilian honor, the Presidential Medal of Freedom (1989), in part for his role in the resignation of Republican President Richard Nixon. Mansfield is the longest-serving American ambassador to Japan in history.
After his ambassadorship, Mansfield served for a time as a senior adviser on East Asian affairs to Goldman Sachs, the Wall Street investment banking firm.
Mansfield was born in the Brooklyn borough of New York City, the son of Patrick J. Mansfield and Josephine (née O'Brien) Mansfield, who were both Irish Catholic immigrants. His mother died from pneumonia in 1906, and his father subsequently sent Michael and his two sisters to live with an aunt and uncle in Great Falls, Montana. He attended local public schools, and worked in his relatives' grocery store. He turned into a habitual runaway, even living at a state orphanage in Twin Bridges for half a year.
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Wikipedia