Michael Joseph Mansfield was one of the most prominent Montana politicians in the twentieth century. He was elected to the U. S. House of Representatives in 1942, and served until 1952, when he was elected to the Senate, serving as Senate majority leader from 1961 to 1977, when he retired from the Senate.  Mansfield was considered a consummately thoughtful and skilled negotiator---the master of political encounters and exchanges.  Employing his negotiating skills, Mansfield led Congress in creating some of the twentieth century's most critical policy changes, including passage of the 1964 Civil Rights Act.  What might have happened if his way of facing differing views and conflict had been different--more confrontational, for instance?  Identify some of the issues on which he was able to forge acceptable compromise? How did he do it?

Secondary Sources: 

Baldwin, Louis. Hon. Politician, Mike Mansfield of Montana. Missoula, Montana: Mountain Press, 1979.

Oberdorfer, Don. Senator Mansfield: The Extraordinary Life of a Great American Statesman and Diplomat. Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian Books, 2002.

Valeo, Francis R. Mike Mansfield, Majority Leader: A Different Kind of Senate. Armonk, N.Y.: M.E. Sharpe, 1999.

Tributes to Mike Mansfield of Montana; Commemorating the Longest Tenure as Majority Leader of the United States Senate. Washington, D.C.: U.S. Government Printing Office, 1970.

Gould, Lewis L. The Most Exclusive Club: A History of the Modern United States Senate. New York: Basic Books, 2005. 67, 96, 189, 214, 232, 233-235, 237-238, 239, 241 (photo), 241-242, 251, 262, 268, 269.

Ritchie, Donald A. "The Senate of Mike Mansfield." Montana: The Magazine of Western History 48 (Winter 1998): 50-62.  

Oberdorfer, Don. Senator Mansfield: The Extraordinary Life of a Great Statesman and Diplomat. Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian Books, 2003. 

Ritchie, Donald A. "The Senate of Mike Mansfield." Montana: The Magazine of Western History 48 (Winter 1998): 50-62. 

Primary Resources:

Mike Mansfield Papers, Small Collection no. 2227 (Montana Historical Society) 

Mike Mansfield Papers, 1903-1990, Collection no. Mss 065 (University of Montana Archives and Special Collections)

Newspaper articles written during Mike Mansfield’s career as a politician and a diplomat. (You can find some articles online via montananewspapers.org.) 

Online Resources:

Jackson, Harold. Michael Mansfield. The Guardian Obituaries 8 October 2001.

Devlin, Sherry. "Mike Mansfield - 1903-2001: Montana Hero Dies." Independent Record 6 October 2001: 1A, 10A.

Devlin, Sherry. "Montana Hero Dies." Independent Record 6 October 2001. (web version)

Johnson, Charles S. "Mansfield Known for Integrity, Intellect." Independent Record 6 October 2001. (web version)

 "A Statesman and Gentleman." Independent Record 7 October 2001. (web version)

  "State Leaders Present, Past Remember." Independent Record 13 October 2001. (web version)

"Mansfield Buried in Arlington National." Independent Record 11 October 2001. (web version)

 "They Were Partners in Everything." Independent Record 21 September 2000. (web version)

"UM Memorial Service Pays Tribute to Mansfield, ‘Montana’s First Lady.’" Independent Record 7 October 2000. (web version)

"When Is a Majority a Majority?" TIME Magazine 20 March 1964. (Magazine cover)

"Mansfield, Michael Joseph (Mike) (1903-2001)." Biographical Directory of the United States Congress, 1774-Present. 18 December 2007. 

 Vertical File at the Montana Historical Society:

 Mansfield, Mike.