The Foundation honors the work and legacy of Mike and Maureen
Hayes Mansfield. Mike Mansfield (1903-2001) was a remarkable public
servant and distinguished statesman who helped guide the United
States through important transitions in the domestic arena and
in its relationship with Asia. Mike Mansfield left enduring marks
on his home state of Montana, the U.S. Senate, and international
diplomacy. He and Maureen were married for 68 years and their partnership
was marked by extraordinary devotion, commitment and respect.
Senator Mansfield
The Extraordinary Life of a Great American Statesman and Diplomat
By
Don Oberdorfer
Smithsonian Books, 2003
Senator Mike Mansfield often said he did not want his biography
written and he refused proposals from more than a dozen publishing
houses following his retirement as U.S. ambassador to Japan. However,
over a three year period before his death in 2001, Mike Mansfield
agreed to sit for a series of 32 interviews with journalist Don
Oberdorfer. Oberdorfer’s Mansfield biography, the result
of these interviews, extensive research, and Oberdorfer’s
interviews with elected officials, diplomats, Capitol Hill staff
and others who knew and worked with Mike Mansfield, iwas published
in October 2003.
