Joseph Tydings

Joseph Tydings
United States Senator
from Maryland
In office
January 3, 1965 – January 3, 1971
Preceded byJ. Glenn Beall
Succeeded byJ. Glenn Beall Jr.
United States Attorney for the District of Maryland
In office
1961 – November 21, 1963
Preceded byLeon H. A. Pierson
Succeeded byRobert H. Kernon
Member of the Maryland House of Delegates
from the Harford County district
In office
1955–1961
Succeeded byW. Lester Davis
Personal details
Born
Joseph Davies Cheesborough[1]

(1928-05-04)May 4, 1928
Asheville, North Carolina, U.S.
DiedOctober 8, 2018(2018-10-08) (aged 90)
Washington, D.C., U.S.
Political partyDemocratic
Spouse(s)
Virginia Reynolds Campbell
(m. 1955; div. 1974)

(m. 1975, divorced)
RelationsMillard Tydings (stepfather)
Children5, including Alexandra
Alma materUniversity of Maryland, College Park
University of Maryland School of Law
Military service
Branch/serviceUnited States Army
Years of service1946-1948
RankCorporal
Unit6th Constabulary Regiment
Battles/warsOccupation of Germany

Joseph Davies Tydings (né Cheesborough; May 4, 1928 – October 8, 2018) was an American lawyer and politician from Maryland. A member of the Democratic Party, he was most notable for his service as a member of the United States Senate for only a single term from 1965 to 1971.

Born in North Carolina, Tydings moved to Maryland as a youth after he was adopted by his mother's husband, Millard Tydings, who also served as a U.S. Senator from Maryland. After serving in the military, he obtained his law degree and entered into practice. He served in the Maryland House of Delegates from 1955 to 1961, and as United States Attorney for Maryland from 1961 until his resignation in 1963 to run for Senate.

Tydings easily won election to the Senate in 1964. However, his controversial stances on gun control and crime in the Washington, D.C. area cost him re-election in 1970. He made another attempt at his old seat in 1976, but was defeated in the Democratic primary election by Paul Sarbanes, who was a member of the United States House of Representatives. He later served as a member of the Board of Regents of the University of Maryland, College Park and the University System of Maryland, and continued to practice law.[2]

Tydings also argued Eisenstadt v. Baird, in which the Supreme Court of the United States legalized birth control for single persons in 1972, something that had been prohibited in many states. The decision has been described as among the most influential Supreme Court decisions of the 20th century.[3]

  1. ^ "Joseph Davies Cheesborough - North Carolina Birth Index". FamilySearch. Retrieved October 9, 2018.
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference CongBio was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ Lucas, Roy (Fall 2003). "New Historical Insight on the Curious Case of Baird v. Eisenstadt". Roger Williams University Law Review. IX (1): 23–37. doi:10.2307/1600542. JSTOR 1600542.

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