Joseph Tydings facts for kids
Joseph Davies Tydings (born Cheesborough; May 4, 1928 – October 8, 2018) was an American lawyer and politician. He was a member of the Democratic Party. He is best known for serving as a United States Senator for Maryland from 1965 to 1971.
Born in North Carolina, Joseph Tydings moved to Maryland as a young boy. He was adopted by his mother's husband, Millard Tydings, who was also a U.S. Senator. After serving in the military, Joseph Tydings earned his law degree and began working as a lawyer. He served in the Maryland House of Delegates from 1955 to 1961. Later, he became the United States Attorney for Maryland from 1961 until 1963. He then resigned to run for the Senate.
Tydings won the Senate election easily in 1964. However, he was not re-elected in 1970. He tried again for his old Senate seat in 1976 but lost in the Democratic primary election. After his time in the Senate, he served on the Board of Regents for the University of Maryland, College Park. He also continued his work as a lawyer.
Quick facts for kids
Joseph Tydings
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| United States Senator from Maryland |
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| In office January 3, 1965 – January 3, 1971 |
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| Preceded by | James Glenn Beall |
| Succeeded by | John Glenn Beall Jr. |
| United States Attorney for the District of Maryland | |
| In office 1961 – November 21, 1963 |
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| Preceded by | Leon H. A. Pierson |
| Succeeded by | Robert H. Kernon |
| Member of the Maryland House of Delegates from the Harford County district |
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| In office 1955–1961 Serving with Thomas J. Hatem, W. Dale Hess, Charles M. Moore, Morton H. Getz
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| Succeeded by | W. Lester Davis |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Joseph Davies Cheesborough
May 4, 1928 Asheville, North Carolina, U.S. |
| Died | October 8, 2018 (aged 90) Washington, D.C., U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouses |
Virginia Reynolds Campbell
(m. 1955; div. 1974)Terry Huntingdon
(m. 1975) |
| Relations | Millard Tydings (stepfather) |
| Children | Mary Tydings Smith, Millard E. Tydings II, Emlen Tydings, Eleanor Tydings Gollob, Alexandra Tydings |
| Alma mater | University of Maryland, College Park University of Maryland School of Law |
| Military service | |
| Branch/service | United States Army |
| Years of service | 1946-1948 |
| Rank | Corporal |
| Unit | 6th Constabulary Regiment |
| Battles/wars | Occupation of Germany |
Contents
Early Life and Education
Joseph Tydings was born in Asheville, North Carolina, on May 4, 1928. His parents, Eleanor Davies and Thomas Patton Cheesborough, divorced in 1935. He grew up in Aberdeen, Maryland. His stepfather, Millard Tydings, adopted him. Joseph's maternal grandfather was Joseph E. Davies, who served as a U.S. Ambassador to several countries.
Joseph Tydings graduated from the McDonogh School in 1946. After high school, he joined the military.
Serving in the Military
Joseph Tydings served in the United States Army from 1946 to 1948. He was part of the 6th Constabulary Regiment. During this time, he was stationed in Germany as part of the U.S. Army's post-World War II occupation efforts. He reached the rank of corporal.
After his military service, Tydings attended the University of Maryland, College Park. He played football and lacrosse there. He graduated in 1951. He then went on to graduate from the University of Maryland School of Law in 1953. In the 1950s, he was president of the Maryland Young Democrats.
Becoming a Lawyer and Public Official
Joseph Tydings was allowed to practice law in 1952, even before he finished his law degree. He started his legal career soon after. In 1954, he successfully ran for the Maryland House of Delegates. This is a part of the state's government. He represented Harford County, Maryland.
He served as a Delegate from 1955 to 1961. In 1961, President John F. Kennedy, who was a close friend, appointed him as the United States Attorney for Maryland. As U.S. Attorney, Tydings worked to fight corruption. He oversaw cases against several important people. In 1963, Tydings represented the United States at international conferences in Finland and Italy.
Election to the U.S. Senate
In 1964, many people thought Joseph Tydings would run for the United States Senate. The seat was held by Republican James Glenn Beall. Tydings resigned as U.S. Attorney in November 1963 to see if he had enough support to run. On January 14, 1964, Tydings officially announced he was running. He said he wanted to bring "new leadership" to Maryland.
In the primary election in May 1964, Tydings ran against Louis L. Goldstein. Goldstein had the support of Maryland's Governor and other important party leaders. However, Tydings won by a large margin.
In the general election, Tydings faced James Glenn Beall. Tydings won with almost 63% of the votes. His big win was partly due to Lyndon B. Johnson's landslide victory for President in the same election. This likely encouraged more people to vote for Democrats.
Key Work as a Senator
After being elected, Senator Tydings focused on important issues. These included water conservation, stopping pollution, and improving mass transportation. He helped create a federal law about handling large lawsuits. He also became chairman of the Senate Committee on the District of Columbia in 1969.
As the 1970 elections approached, Tydings faced some criticism. Some people on the left side of politics were unhappy with his support for a crime bill for Washington, D.C.. This bill included practices like preventive detention (holding someone before trial) and no knock warrants (police entering without knocking). These were seen as possibly limiting people's freedoms.
Tydings voted to support important civil rights laws. He voted for the Voting Rights Act of 1965 and the Civil Rights Act of 1968. He also voted to confirm Thurgood Marshall to the U.S. Supreme Court. Tydings opposed President Richard Nixon's choices for the Supreme Court.
Tydings loved horses. He sponsored the Horse Protection Act of 1970. This law made certain cruel practices against horses illegal.
Some people on the right side of politics were unhappy with Tydings. He supported a law that would require firearms to be registered. Even though he was a hunter himself, this idea upset groups that support gun rights, like the NRA. Some groups campaigned against him because of his stance on gun registration.
The 1970 Election
In the Democratic primary election, Tydings won against George P. Mahoney and two other candidates. It was a tough campaign, but Tydings won with 53% of the votes.
For the general election, Tydings ran against John Glenn Beall Jr.. Beall was a Congressman and the son of the senator Tydings had defeated in 1964. Beall's campaign focused on his friendly personality and avoided negative attacks. Because of some of Tydings' unpopular positions and Beall's campaign, Tydings lost the election. Beall won with 51% of the votes, and Tydings had 48%.
After the election, The Washington Post newspaper noted that Tydings had trouble connecting with the people he represented. Even though there were many more registered Democrats than Republicans in Maryland, many people saw Tydings as "very liberal." Also, Vice President Spiro Agnew, who used to be the Governor of Maryland, called Tydings "radical." Tydings was also a wealthy man, and some people felt he was "distant."
After the Senate
After losing his Senate seat, Joseph Tydings went back to working as a lawyer. He joined a law firm in Washington.
He also worked as a partner in other law firms over the years.
Tydings was involved in academics as well. He was a member of the Board of Regents for the University of Maryland from 1974 to 1984. He was chairman from 1982 to 1984. In 1977, Tydings asked the Board of Regents to stop investing in companies that did business with the apartheid government in South Africa. He later served on the Board of Regents for the University System of Maryland from 2000 to 2005. In 2008, he was appointed to the board of the University of Maryland Medical System.
In the last two decades of his life, Tydings worked as an attorney at the firm Blank Rome.
Joseph Tydings passed away in Washington, D.C., from cancer, on October 8, 2018. He was 90 years old.
Personal Life
Joseph Tydings married Virginia Reynolds Campbell in 1955. They had four children. They divorced in 1974. In 1975, Tydings married Terry Lynn Huntingdon. They had one child, actress Alexandra Tydings. Tydings and Huntingdon later divorced.
