The Resume

(March 16, 1903-October 5, 2001)
Born in New York City, New York
Represented Montana's 1st District in the House (1943-53)
US Senator from Montana (1953-77)
Senate Majority Leader (1961-77)
US Ambassador to Japan (1977-88)
Democrat

Why he might be annoying:

After being sent to live with an aunt and uncle in Great Falls, Montana, he became a habitual runaway.
At 14, he lied about his age to join the Navy. (He was discharged once the Navy found out his real age.)
He had to be talked into taking the Senate Majority Leader position by President John F. Kennedy.
Many Democrats felt his lack of forceful leadership resulted in much of JFK's domestic agenda getting stalled in the Senate.
Similarly, his self-effacing personal style undercut his effectiveness in opposing the Vietnam War.

Why he might not be annoying:

He was married to Maureen Hayes for 68 years.
When he ran for the Senate, Joseph McCarthy questioned his patriotism while campaigning for his opponent. After being sworn in as Senator, he ran into McCarthy, who greeted him by asking how things were in Montana. His response: 'Much better since you left, sir.'
He personally read all the letters he received from his Montana constituents.
He became one of the first US officials to dissent from official policy on Vietnam after he toured the country and told President Kennedy that US money was being wasted in propping up the regime of Ngo Dinh DIem (1962).
Similarly, he warned President Lyndon B. Johnson against the Rolling Thunder bombing campaign, arguing it would lead to a need for 'vastly strengthened American forces.' (1965)
Under his leadership, the Senate adopted 'sunshine' reforms, opening committee meetings to public scrutiny.
He was the longest-serving Senate Majority Leader and longest-serving US Ambassador to Japan.
He received the Presidential Medal of Freedom (1989) and the Order of the Rising Sun (1990), the highest civilian honors of the US and Japan.

Credit: C. Fishel

Featured in the following Annoying Collections:

• Buddy! Dude! Man! Guy!
• C. Fishel's Profiles [Series 82]
• Double M Initials
• I am a U.S. Marine
• I Attended John F. Kennedy's Funeral [November 25, 1963]
• I Attended UCLA
• I Attended University of Montana
• I Delivered My Party’s State of the Union Response [United States] (Ranked: 1970)
• I Delivered My Party’s State of the Union Response [United States] (Ranked: 1971)
• I Delivered My Party’s State of the Union Response [United States] (Ranked: 1974)
• I Did Not Graduate High School [J-M]
• I Died in 2001 (Ranked: 98)
• I Earned a High School Equivalency Diploma
• I Have a Pacemaker
• I Lied About My Age - I Made Myself Older
• I'm Buried at Arlington National Cemetery [Virginia]
• Look at Me, I'm on the Cover of Time
• Look at My Magazine Cover
• Look at the Time
• Profiles 51251-51500 (Ranked: 51487)
• Served in World War I
• U.S. Congressional Representatives
• U.S. Presidential Medal of Freedom Recipients
• U.S. Senators
• We Celebrated Our Golden Anniversary

Year In Review:

In 2023, Out of 2 Votes: 0% Annoying
In 2022, Out of 3 Votes: 33.33% Annoying
In 2021, Out of 90 Votes: 63.33% Annoying