Mike Mansfield

Michael Joseph 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, but strongly opposed the Vietnam War and the 1964 Civil Rights legislation, which, as Senate Majority Leader, he had personally prevented from being referred for consideration to the Senate Committee with a procedural motion. After retiring from the Senate, Mansfield served as U.S. Ambassador to Japan from 1977 to 1988, and upon retiring as ambassador, was...