MIKE MANSFIELD
GREAT AMERICAN STATESMAN
the maureen & mike mansfield center at the university of montana
A M B A S S A D O R M A N S F I E L D M E E T S W I T H J A PA N E S E P R I M E
M I N I S T E R M A S AY O S H I O H I R A , 1 9 7 9 .
“ I B E L I E V E T H A T O N E D A Y, A M E R I C A A N D T H E O T H E R
NATIONS CLUSTERED ALONG THE SHORES OF THE PA­
C I F I C W I L L B E N E I G H B O R S A L O N G A L A K E . A C L O S E LY
INTERWOVE COMMUNITY SHARING COMMON INTERESTS
AND COMMON GOALS.”
M I K E M A N S F I E L D , M A R C H 2 7, 1 9 8 0
l e g a c y
In a life spanning nearly a century, Mike Mansfield left enduring marks
on Montana, the U.S. Senate and international diplomacy. Rising
from a hardscrabble childhood and the depths of Montana’s copper
mines to lead the U.S. Senate and serve as the nation’s envoy in Ja­
pan, Mike Mansfield’s long public life bridged the administrations of
six presidents. He played a pivotal role in many key domestic and in­
ternational issues of the 20th century. Throughout his distinguished
years of public service, he was venerated by national and world lead­
ers for his knowledge, wisdom, courage, integrity, and leadership.
S E N AT O R M A N S F I E L D M E E T S W I T H P R E S I D E N T J O H N S O N
I N T H E O VA L O F F I C E , 1 9 6 8
e a r l y
A man of few words and great mod­
esty, he often saId he did not want to
be remembered. Yet, his fascinating
life story and enormous contributions
are an inspiration for all who follow.
ROCKY CHILDHOOD
Mike Mansfield was born in New York
City on March 16, 1903. Following his
mother’s death when Mike was 7, his
father sent him and his two sisters to
Great Falls, Montana, to be raised by an
aunt and uncle. At 14, he lied about his
age in order to enlist in the U.S. Navy
for the duration of World War I. Later,
he served in the Army and the Marines,
l i f e which sent him to the Philippines and Chi­
na, awakening a lifelong interest in Asia.
FROM MUCKER TO TEACHER
Honorably discharged from the Ma­
rines in 1922, Mike Mansfield returned
to Montana. Lacking a high school ed­
ucation, he worked as a “mucker” in the
copper mines of Butte, shoveling rock
and ore half a mile underground, and
attended the Montana School of Mines.
While in Butte, he met Maureen Hayes,
a young school teacher from a promi­
nenent family who encouraged Mike to
further his education. With her financial
and moral support, Mansfield enrolled at
what is now The University of Montana
where as a “special student” he took
high school and college courses simul­
taneously. He and Maureen Hayes were
married in 1932, and thus began a life­
long partnership of extraordinary devo­
tion, commitment and respect that last­
ed until her death in September 2000.
Mansfield received his high school
equivalency and bachelor’s degree in
1933 and went on to receive a mas­
ter’s degree in 1934. He then taught
East Asian and Latin American history
at The University of Montana until 1942.
b i p a r t i s a n
Mike Mansfield’s political career was
launched in 1942 when he was elected
to the U.S. House of Representatives. He
served five terms from Montana’s 1st Dis­
trict. In 1952, he was elected to the U.S.
Senate and re-elected in 1958, 1964 and
1970. His selection as the Democratic
Assistant Majority Leader in 1957 was fol­
lowed by election in 1961 as Senate Major­
ity Leader. He served in that capacity un­
til his retirement from the Senate in 1977,
longer than any Majority Leader in history.
It has been said that Mike Mansfield
shaped the character of the modern
Senate more than any other leader in its
history by allowing a Senate of equals to
emerge and giving voice and a role to
younger Senators. Respected by Sen­
ators from both political parties, he led
the Senate during a turbulent but mon­
l e a d e r umental period in the 1960s and 1970s
to pass important legislation that funda­
mentally shaped American democracy,
including the passage of the Civil Rights
Act, the Voting Rights Act, and con­
gressional oversight of the intelligence
community.
Yet he still found the time
to personally respond to constituents.
RESPECTED ENVOY
During Mike Mansfield’s years in Con­
gress, Presidents Truman and Eisenhow­
er appointed him delegate to the United
Nations in 1951 and 1958, respectively.
Considered an authority on U.S.-Asia re­
lations, he also undertook foreign poli­
cy assignments for Presidents Kennedy,
Johnson, Nixon and Ford. His private
discussions with President Nixon paved
the way for Nixon’s visit to China in 1972.
Mike Mansfield did not hesitate to speak
out in opposition to the war in Vietnam
and he privately counseled a succession
of presidents against U.S. involvement.
In 1977, President Carter appointed Mike
Mansfield Ambassador to Japan. He
was reappointed by President Reagan
and served until January 1989, longer
than any other U.S. Ambassador to Ja­
pan. Mansfield brought his experience
in Asian affairs to the embassy in Tokyo,
where he tackled thorny bilateral trade
and defense issues and was trusted and
esteemed for his wisdom and sensitivity.
Following his retirement in 1989 un­
til his death on October 5, 2001, Mike
Mansfield served as a senior advisor to
the international financial firm of Gold­
man, Sachs & Co. in Washington, D.C.
S E N AT O R M A N S F I E L D M E E T S W I T H
P R E S I D E N T N I XO N , 1 9 69
AMBASSADOR MANSFIELD AND PRESIDENT REAGAN MEET IN
T H E O VA L O F F I C E
r e m e m b r a n c e s “ H E WA S AT T H E H E L M O F T H E S E N AT E AT T H E H E I G H T O F
F U N DA M E N TA L AC H I E V E M E N T—T H E N U C L E A R T E S T B A N T R E A­
T Y, T H E C I V I L R I G H T S A C T O F 1 9 6 4 , T H E V O T I N G R I G H T S A C T
O F 1 9 6 5 , T H E PA S S AG E O F M E D I C A R E , F E D E R A L A I D TO E D ­
U C AT I O N , T H E 1 8 -Y E A R - O L D V O T E — A L L D E E P LY C O N T R O V E R ­
S I A L . . . . E AC H T I M E , M I K E M A N S F I E L D ’ S L E A D E R S H I P WA S T H E
H I N G E O F H I S T O R Y. H E W A S T H E M A N W I T H O U T W H O M T H E
A C H I E V E M E N T S M I G H T W E L L H AV E B E E N D I F F E R E N T. . . . H E WA S
T H E S T R O N G , G E N T L E W I N D T H AT S E T T H E C L I M AT E O F T H E
S E N A T E . H E W A S T H E E S S E N T I A L C H E M I S T R Y O F T H E B O D Y. ”
FROM THE EULOGY DELIVERED BY CHARLES FERRIS, MANSFIELD
FRIEND AND FORMER SENATE COUNSEL, OCTOBER 10, 2001.
“what set him apart was his unique will and abil­
ity to build consensus... This consensus, trust
and confidence enabled mike to exercise his gifts
for statesmanship unimpeded by serious elector­
al concerns, which in turn made it possible for
him to make the largest contribution ever made
by a montanan to the state, the nation and the
world.”
THE HONORABLE GORDON BENNETT, RETIRED JUDGE, HELENA, MONTANA
Phone: 406-243-2988
Fax: 406-243-2181
www.umt.edu/mansfield
mansfieldcenter@mso.umt.edu
Maureen and Mike Mansfield
Center
MLIB 4th Floor
32 Campus Drive
Missoula, Montana 59812
USA
@ MansfieldCenter