John F. Baldwin Jr.

American politician from California

John F. Baldwin Jr.

Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from California
In office
January 3, 1955 – March 9, 1966
Preceded by| Robert Condon
Succeeded by| Jerome R. Waldie
Constituency| 6th district (1955–1963)
14th district (1963–1966)
Personal details
Born| (1915-06-28)June 28, 1915
Oakland, California, U.S.
Died| March 9, 1966(1966-03-09) (aged 50)
Bethesda, Maryland, U.S.
Resting place| Oakmont Memorial Park
Spouse|

Mary Isaacs Baldwin

(m. 1944)​

Alma mater| University of California at Berkeley, UC Berkeley School of Law
Military service
Allegiance|  United States of America
Branch/service| United States Army
Years of service| 1941–1946
Rank|  Lieutenant Colonel
Battles/wars| World War II

John Finley Baldwin Jr. (June 28, 1915 – March 9, 1966) was an American lawyer, military officer, and politician who served as a U.S. Representative from California from 1955 to 1966. He was a civil rights activist, and studied southern history.[1]

## Early life[edit]

Born in Oakland, California, in 1915 to John Finley Baldwin and Nellie Linekin, John F. Baldwin Jr. graduated from San Ramon Valley High School located in Danville, California. He then went on to UC Berkeley, where he majored in accounting and finance. He graduated from UC Berkeley in 1935 and soon after he became the assistant manager of South-Western Publishing Co.[2][3]

John and Mary were married at the Presidio of San Francisco in December 1944, while he was a Major in the Army and Mary was a secretary.[4]

## Career[edit]

Baldwin joined the United States Army in 1941 and served in the area of finance, first as a training director at the Army Finance School and later with the Office of Fiscal Director. By the time of his retirement in 1946, he had attained the rank of lieutenant-colonel.[3][5]

He then returned to school to study law, graduating from the University of California Boalt Hall School of Law in 1949.[3]

### Congress[edit]

He was elected as a Republican in 1954, and served from January 3, 1955, until his death from cancer at Bethesda Naval Hospital on March 9, 1966, aged 50.[1][6]

Baldwin voted in favor of the Civil Rights Acts of 1957,[7] 1960,[8] and 1964,[9] as well as the 24th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution and the Voting Rights Act of 1965.[10][11]

## Electoral history[edit]

1952 United States House of Representatives elections[12] Party  | Candidate  | Votes  | %

|
|
|

| Democratic | Robert Condon | 87,768  | 50.6
| Republican | John F. Baldwin Jr.  | 85,756  | 49.4
Total votes  | 173,524  | 100.0
| Democratic win (new seat)
1954 United States House of Representatives elections[13] Party  | Candidate  | Votes  | %

|
|
|

| Republican | John F. Baldwin Jr.  | 72,336  | 50.9
| Democratic | Robert Condon (Incumbent)  | 69,776  | 49.1
Total votes  | 142,112  | 100.0
| Republican gain from Democratic
1956 United States House of Representatives elections[14] Party  | Candidate  | Votes  | %

|
|
|

| Republican | John F. Baldwin Jr. (Incumbent)  | 98,683  | 53.7
| Democratic | H. Roberts Quinney  | 84,965  | 46.3
Total votes  | 183,648  | 100.0
| Republican hold
1958 United States House of Representatives elections[15] Party  | Candidate  | Votes  | %

|
|
|

| Republican | John F. Baldwin Jr. (Incumbent)  | 92,669  | 51
| Democratic | Howard H. Jewel  | 89,192  | 49
Total votes  | 181,861  | 100
| Republican hold
1960 United States House of Representatives elections[16] Party  | Candidate  | Votes  | %

|
|
|

| Republican | John F. Baldwin Jr. (Incumbent)  | 128,418  | 58.7
| Democratic | Douglas R. Page  | 90,260  | 41.3
Total votes  | 218,678  | 100.0
| Republican hold
1962 United States House of Representatives elections[17] Party  | Candidate  | Votes  | %

|
|
|

| Republican | John F. Baldwin Jr. (Incumbent)  | 99,040  | 62.9
| Democratic | Charles R. Weidner  | 58,469  | 37.1
Total votes  | 157,509  | 100.0
Turnout |  |
| Republican hold
1964 United States House of Representatives elections[18] Party  | Candidate  | Votes  | %

|
|
|

| Republican | John F. Baldwin Jr. (Incumbent)  | 117,272  | 64.9
| Democratic | Russell M. Koch  | 63,469  | 35.1
Total votes  | 180,741  | 100.0
Turnout |  |
| Republican hold

## Legacy[edit]

* John F. Baldwin Elementary School, in Danville, was named after him. John F. Baldwin Park in Concord was also established to honor him.
* John F. Baldwin Shipping Channel is named after him.

## See also[edit]

* List of United States Congress members who died in office (1950–99)

## References[edit]

1. ^ a b "John Finley Baldwin Jr". History, Arts, & Archives-- US House of Representatives. 2010.
2. ^ "Biography -Baldwin". Political Graveyard. 2011.
3. ^ a b c
* United States Congress. "John F. Baldwin Jr. (id: B000092)". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress.
4. ^ "Mary Isaacs Baldwin". Martinez News-Gazette. 2015.
5. ^ Marquis Who's Who, Inc. Who Was Who in American History, the Military. Chicago: Marquis Who's Who, 1975. P. 26 ISBN 0837932017 OCLC 657162692
6. ^ "Rep. John Baldwin of California Dies". The New York Times. Associated Press. March 10, 1966. p. 33.
7. ^ "HR 6127. CIVIL RIGHTS ACT OF 1957". GovTrack.us.
8. ^ "HR 8601. PASSAGE".
9. ^ "H.R. 7152. PASSAGE".
10. ^ "S.J. RES. 29. CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT TO BAN THE USE OF POLL TAX AS A REQUIREMENT FOR VOTING IN FEDERAL ELECTIONS". GovTrack.us.
11. ^ "TO PASS H.R. 6400, THE 1965 VOTING RIGHTS ACT".
12. ^ "1952 election results" (PDF).
13. ^ "1954 election results" (PDF).
14. ^ "1956 election results" (PDF).
15. ^ 1958 election results
16. ^ "1960 election results" (PDF).
17. ^ 1962 election results
18. ^ 1964 election results

## External links[edit]

* John F. Baldwin Jr. at Find a Grave

U.S. House of Representatives

Preceded by

Robert Condon

|  Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from California's 6th congressional district
1955–1963  | Succeeded by

William S. Mailliard

Preceded by

Harlan Hagen

|  Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from California's 14th congressional district
1963–1966  | Succeeded by

Jerome R. Waldie

This article incorporates public domain material from the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress

Authority control databases

International|

* FAST
* VIAF

National|

* United States

People|

* US Congress

Other|

* SNAC

*[m.]: married