Mike Mansfield

Michael Joseph "Mike" Mansfield (March 16, 1903 – October 5, 2001) was an American politician. He was 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.

Mike Mansfield
United States Ambassador to Japan
In office June 10, 1977 – December 22, 1988
President	Jimmy Carter Ronald Reagan
Preceded by	James D. Hodgson
Succeeded by	Michael Armacost
Senate Majority Leader
In office January 3, 1961 – January 3, 1977
Deputy	Hubert Humphrey Russell B. Long Ted Kennedy Robert Byrd
Preceded by	Lyndon B. Johnson
Succeeded by	Robert Byrd
Senate Majority Whip
In office January 3, 1957 – January 3, 1961
Leader	Lyndon Johnson
Preceded by	Earle C. Clements
Succeeded by	Hubert Humphrey
United States Senator from Montana
In office January 3, 1953 – January 3, 1977
Preceded by	Zales Ecton
Succeeded by	John Melcher
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Montana's 1st district
In office January 3, 1943 – January 3, 1953
Preceded by	Jeannette Rankin
Succeeded by	Lee Metcalf
Personal details
Born	Michael Joseph Mansfield (1903-03-16)March 16, 1903 New York City, New York, U.S.
Died	October 5, 2001(2001-10-05) (aged 98) Washington, D.C., U.S.
Resting place	Arlington National Cemetery
Political party	Democratic
Spouse(s)	Maureen Hayes ​ (m. 1932)​
Children	1 daughter
Education	University of Montana, Tech University of Montana, Missoula (BA, MA) University of California, Los Angeles
Signature
Military service
Allegiance	United States
Branch/service	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 First Class (Marine Corps)
Battles/wars	World War I

During his time, he led 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. On retiring as ambassador, he was awarded the nation's highest civilian honor, the Presidential Medal of Freedom (1989). He won this in part for his role in the resignation of Republican President Richard Nixon.^[1] Mansfield is the longest-serving American ambassador to Japan in history.^[2]

After his ambassadorship, Mansfield served for a time as a senior adviser on East Asian affairs to Goldman Sachs, the Wall Street investment banking company.

Mansfield died of congestive heart failure in Washington, D.C. on October 5, 2001. He was aged 98.