Mansfield, Mike oral history interview

Mike Mansfield was born March 16, 1903 in New York City to Irish immigrant parents. When Mansfield was 14, he served as a seaman in the U.S. Navy for World War I. He later served in the Army and Marine Corps. He graduated from Montana State University at Missoula in 1933. After graduating, he became a professor of History and Political Science there in 1933 until 1942. He was elected as a Democrat to the 78th Congress in January of 1943. In 1953, he became a U.S. Senator from Montana. From 1961-1977, he was the Senate Majority Leader supporting a number of things including the Foreign Relations Committee and the National Health Insurance. Mansfield was appointed the U.S. Ambassador to Japan in 1976 by President Carter and was reappointed by President Reagan