Joseph Matthew Gaydos (July 3, 1926 – February 7, 2015) was an American lawyer,

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

veteran, and Democratic member of the

U.S. House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the bicameral United States Congress; it is the lower house, with the U.S. Senate being the upper house. Together, the House and Senate have the authority under Article One of th ...

from

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania, officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a U.S. state, state spanning the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern United States, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes region, Great Lakes regions o ...

, serving 8 terms from 1968 to 1992. Gaydos was the first

Slovak American Slovak Americans (also known as Slovakian Americans) are Americans of Slovaks, Slovak descent. In the United States Census, 1990, 1990 Census, Slovak Americans made up the third-largest portion of Slavic peoples, Slavic ethnic groups. There are c ...

to serve in the

United States Congress The United States Congress is the legislature, legislative branch of the federal government of the United States. It is a Bicameralism, bicameral legislature, including a Lower house, lower body, the United States House of Representatives, ...

Early life and education

Gaydos was born in

Braddock, Pennsylvania Braddock is a Borough (Pennsylvania), borough located in the eastern suburbs of Pittsburgh in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, United States, upstream from the mouth of the Monongahela River. The population was 1,721 as of the 2020 United States ...

. His parents were called John and Elona Magella Gaydos and were born in

Slovakia Slovakia, officially the Slovak Republic, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is bordered by Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east, Hungary to the south, Austria to the west, and the Czech Republic to the northwest. Slovakia's m ...

. He attended

Duquesne University Duquesne University of the Holy Spirit ( ; also known as Duquesne University or Duquesne) is a Private university, private Catholic higher education, Catholic research university in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. Founded by members of ...

and graduated from the

University of Notre Dame Law School Notre Dame Law School is the law school of the University of Notre Dame. Established in 1869, it is the oldest continuously operating Catholic Church, Catholic law school in the United States. The school enrolls about 600 students and in addit ...

in 1951.

World War II

He served during

in the Pacific theater with the

United States Navy Reserve The United States Navy Reserve (USNR), known as the United States Naval Reserve from 1915 to 2004, is the Reserve Component (RC) of the United States Navy. Members of the Navy Reserve, called reservists, are categorized as being in either the S ...

from 1944 to 1946.

Political career

He served in the

Pennsylvania State Senate The Pennsylvania State Senate is the upper house of the Pennsylvania General Assembly, the Pennsylvania state legislature. The State Senate meets in the State Capitol building in Harrisburg. Senators are elected for four-year terms, stagger ...

from 1967 to 1968. He served as Deputy

Attorney General In most common law jurisdictions, the attorney general (: attorneys general) or attorney-general (AG or Atty.-Gen) is the main legal advisor to the government. In some jurisdictions, attorneys general also have executive responsibility for law enf ...

of Pennsylvania, Assistant

Solicitor A solicitor is a lawyer who traditionally deals with most of the legal matters in some jurisdictions. A person must have legally defined qualifications, which vary from one jurisdiction to another, to be described as a solicitor and enabled to p ...

Allegheny County Allegheny County ( ) is a county in Pennsylvania, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 1,250,578, making it the state's second-most populous county, after Philadelphia County. Its county seat and most populous city is Pit ...

, and general counsel to

United Mine Workers of America The United Mine Workers of America (UMW or UMWA) is a North American labor union best known for representing coal miners. Today, the Union also represents health care workers, truck drivers, manufacturing workers and public employees in the Unit ...

, district five.

Congress

He was elected simultaneously as a Democrat to the

90th 9 (nine) is the natural number following and preceding . Evolution of the Hindu–Arabic digit Circa 300 BC, as part of the Brahmi numerals, various Indians wrote a digit 9 similar in shape to the modern closing question mark without the bot ...

and to the 91st Congress, by special election, to fill the vacancy caused by the death of United States Representative Elmer Holland. He prioritized workers’ rights and preservation of the domestic steel industry while in Congress. He was a strong supporter of organized labor and was a leading proponent of strengthening labor laws to provide health and pension benefits, as well as job safety protections, for employees. He was not a candidate for renomination in 1992.

Death

He died on February 7, 2015, aged 88.

References

Sources

; retrieved March 1, 2015 * {{DEFAULTSORT:Gaydos, Joseph M. 1926 births 2015 deaths United States Navy personnel of World War II American people of Slovak descent Duquesne University alumni Military personnel from Pennsylvania Pennsylvania lawyers Democratic Party Pennsylvania state senators People from Braddock, Pennsylvania Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Pennsylvania Politicians from Pittsburgh United Mine Workers of America people Notre Dame Law School alumni 20th-century American lawyers United States Navy reservists 20th-century members of the Pennsylvania General Assembly 20th-century members of the United States House of Representatives