41 Facts About Mike Mansfield

Michael Joseph Mansfield was an American Democratic Party politician and diplomat who represented Montana in the United States House of Representatives from 1943 to 1953 and United States Senate from 1953 to 1977.

Mike Mansfield served as Senate Majority Whip from 1957 to 1961.

Mike Mansfield is the longest-serving American ambassador to Japan in history.

Mike Mansfield worked as a senior adviser on East Asian affairs to Goldman Sachs.

Michael Joseph Mansfield was born on March 16,1903, in Brooklyn, New York, to Irish immigrant parents, Patrick J Mansfield and Josephine Mansfield.

Mike Mansfield's father worked various jobs, including as a construction worker, hotel porter, and maintenance man, to support the family.

Mike Mansfield turned into a habitual runaway, even living at a state orphanage in Twin Bridges for half a year.

In 1917, at age 14, Mike Mansfield dropped out of school, left home and made his way to a logging camp in Leavenworth, Washington.

Mike Mansfield made it to New York City, where he reunited with his father.

Mike Mansfield was a Private First Class in the US Marine Corps from 1920 to 1922.

Mike Mansfield served in the Western Recruiting Division at San Francisco until January 1921, when he was transferred to the Marine Barracks at Puget Sound, Washington.

One year later, Mike Mansfield was assigned to Company A, Marine Battery, Asiatic Fleet.

On November 9,1922, Private Mike Mansfield was released from the Marine Corps on the completion of his enlistment.

Mike Mansfield was awarded the Good Conduct Medal, his character being described as "excellent" during his two years as a Marine.

Mike Mansfield attended MSM from 1927 to 1928, studying to become a mining engineer.

In 1928, Mike Mansfield met Maureen Hayes, a local schoolteacher who would become his wife.

In December 1931, Mike Mansfield began his studies at the University of Montana in Missoula, where he took both high school and college courses.

Mike Mansfield worked as a social worker, to help support Mansfield through his studies.

At the University of Montana, Mike Mansfield joined the Alpha Tau Omega fraternity.

Mike Mansfield continued with graduate studies at UM, while working part-time in the registrar's office and teaching two courses as a graduate assistant.

In 1940, Mansfield ran for the Democratic nomination for the House of Representatives in Montana's 1st congressional district but was defeated by Jerry J O'Connell, a former holder of the seat, in the primary.

Mike Mansfield served five terms in the House, being re-elected in 1944,1946,1948, and 1950.

Mike Mansfield went to China on a special mission for US President Franklin D Roosevelt in 1944 and served as a delegate to the ninth Inter-American Conference in Colombia in 1948.

In 1952, Mike Mansfield was elected to the Senate after he had narrowly defeated the Republican incumbent, Zales Ecton.

Mike Mansfield served as Senate Majority Whip under Majority Leader Lyndon B Johnson from 1957 to 1961.

In 1961, after Johnson resigned from the Senate to become Vice President, Mike Mansfield was unanimously elected the Democratic floor leader and thus Senate Majority Leader.

An early supporter of Ngo Dinh Diem, Mike Mansfield altered his opinion on the Vietnam War after a visit to Vietnam in 1962.

Mike Mansfield reported to John F Kennedy on December 2,1962, that US money given to Diem's government was being squandered and that the US should avoid further involvement in Vietnam.

Mike Mansfield was thus the first American official to comment even mildly negatively on the war's condition.

Mike Mansfield voted in favor of the Civil Rights Acts of 1964 and 1968, as well as the 24th Amendment to the US Constitution and the Voting Rights Act of 1965.

Mike Mansfield voted in favor of the initial Senate amendment to the Civil Rights Act of 1957 on August 7,1957, but did not vote on the House amendment to the bill on August 29,1957.

Mike Mansfield did not vote on the Civil Rights Act of 1960 or the confirmation of Thurgood Marshall to the US Supreme Court.

Mike Mansfield hailed the new Richard Nixon administration, especially the "Nixon Doctrine" announced at Guam in 1969 that the US would honor all treaty commitments, provide a nuclear umbrella for its allies, and supply weapons and technical assistance to countries where warranted without committing American forces to local conflicts.

Mike Mansfield attended the November 17,1976, meeting between President-elect Jimmy Carter and Democratic congressional leaders in which Carter sought out support for a proposal to have the president's power to reorganize the government reinstated with potential to be vetoed by Congress.

Two controversial amendments by Mike Mansfield limiting military funding of research were passed by Congress.

An earlier Mike Mansfield Amendment, offered in 1971, called for the number of US troops stationed in Europe to be halved.

Mike Mansfield retired from the Senate in 1976 and was appointed ambassador to Japan in April 1977 by Jimmy Carter, a role that he retained during the Reagan administration until 1988.

The Mike Mansfield Federal Building and United States Courthouse in Butte was renamed in his honor in 2002.

In 1977, Mike Mansfield received the US Senator John Heinz Award for Greatest Public Service by an Elected or Appointed Official, an award given out annually by Jefferson Awards.

Mike Mansfield died from heart failure at Walter Reed Army Medical Center just over one year later, on October 5,2001, at the age of 98.

Mike Mansfield was survived by his daughter, Anne Fairclough Mansfield, and one granddaughter.