Melvin Joseph Maas (May 14, 1898 – April 13, 1964) was a

U.S. Representative 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

Minnesota Minnesota ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Upper Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by the Canadian provinces of Manitoba and Ontario to the north and east and by the U.S. states of Wisconsin to the east, Iowa to the so ...

and decorated Major General of the

United States Marine Corps Reserve The Marine Forces Reserve (MARFORRES or MFR), also known as the United States Marine Corps Reserve (USMCR) and the U.S. Marine Corps Forces Reserve, is the reserve force of the United States Marine Corps. The Marine Corps Reserve is an expedit ...

during

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 ...

Early years

Melvin Joseph Maas was born in

Duluth, Minnesota Duluth ( ) is a Port, port city in the U.S. state of Minnesota and the county seat of St. Louis County, Minnesota, St. Louis County. Located on Lake Superior in Minnesota's Arrowhead Region, the city is a hub for cargo shipping. The population ...

, on May 14, 1898. He moved with his parents to

St. Paul, Minnesota Saint Paul (often abbreviated St. Paul) is the capital city of the U.S. state of Minnesota and the county seat of Ramsey County. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 311,527, making it Minnesota's second-most populous city a ...

, in 1898. Educated in public schools, he enlisted in the

U.S. Marine Corps The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines or simply the Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is responsible for conducting expeditionary ...

on April 6, 1917, as a private. He underwent flight training and was designated a

Naval aviator Naval aviation / Aeronaval is the application of military air power by navies, whether from warships that embark aircraft, or land bases. It often involves '' navalised aircraft'', specifically designed for naval use. Seaborne aviation encompas ...

in the Marine Corps. He served briefly in

Haiti Haiti, officially the Republic of Haiti, is a country on the island of Hispaniola in the Caribbean Sea, east of Cuba and Jamaica, and south of the Bahamas. It occupies the western three-eighths of the island, which it shares with the Dominican ...

and, during

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

, flew reconnaissance missions over the

Atlantic Ocean The Atlantic Ocean is the second largest of the world's five borders of the oceans, oceanic divisions, with an area of about . It covers approximately 17% of Earth#Surface, Earth's surface and about 24% of its water surface area. During the ...

while stationed in the

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Political career

After the war, Maas served with the Marine Corps until 1925, when he received a Marine Corps commission and left active service, subsequently transferring to the

Marine Corps Reserve The Marine Forces Reserve (MARFORRES or MFR), also known as the United States Marine Corps Reserve (USMCR) and the U.S. Marine Corps Forces Reserve, is the reserve force of the United States Marine Corps. The Marine Corps Reserve is an expedi ...

. During that time, he also finished his studies at St. Thomas College in St. Paul and graduated in 1919. Maas later attended the

University of Minnesota The University of Minnesota Twin Cities (historically known as University of Minnesota) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in the Minneapolis–Saint Paul, Twin Cities of Minneapolis and Saint ...

in Minneapolis and subsequently joined his brothers in the insurance business. During

Prohibition Prohibition is the act or practice of forbidding something by law; more particularly the term refers to the banning of the manufacture, storage (whether in barrels or in bottles), transportation, sale, possession, and consumption of alcoholic b ...

, Maas became involved in the anti-Prohibition platform, calling for the modification of Prohibition to allow beer and wine drinking. He subsequently ran for Congress in 1926 and defeated incumbent Oscar Keller. He became the youngest member of Congress at age twenty-eight on November 2, 1926. Maas was subsequently elected as a Republican to the 70th, 71st, and 72nd Congresses (March 4, 1927 – March 3, 1933). He ran unsuccessfully for renomination in 1932.

A Gunman in the House Gallery

On December 13, 1932, a 25-year-old department store clerk, Marlin Kemmerer, from

Allentown, Pennsylvania Allentown (Pennsylvania Dutch language, Pennsylvania Dutch: ''Allenschteddel'', ''Allenschtadt'', or ''Ellsdaun'') is a city in eastern Pennsylvania, United States. The county seat of Lehigh County, Pennsylvania, Lehigh County, it is the List o ...

, pulled a gun in the House visitors' gallery and demanded to address the House regarding the nation's economic depression. As members fled the chamber, Maas stood his ground and shouted to the man that no one was allowed to speak in the House while carrying a weapon and demanded that he throw it down. The man did so, was promptly arrested, and escorted from the House Chamber by police. For this act of courage, Maas received the Carnegie Medal. Maas was re-elected to the 74th, 75th,

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, 77th, and 78th Congresses (January 3, 1935 – January 3, 1945). During the 1930s, Maas served as Commander of the Reserve Marine Squadron in

Minneapolis, Minnesota Minneapolis is a city in Hennepin County, Minnesota, United States, and its county seat. With a population of 429,954 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the state's List of cities in Minnesota, most populous city. Locat ...

. As a Marine Corps Reservist, Mass maintained proficiency as an Aviator at NRAB Minneapolis, flying with VO-6MR. On 24 September 1938, FF-2, BuNo 9365 was damaged beyond economical repair during a regularly scheduled training flight. With Col. Melvin J. Maas at the controls, the aircraft suffered strike damage after hitting a bump on the runway during takeoff from NRAB Minneapolis. The aircraft became airborne with insufficient flying speed and settled back to the ground with the left wheel collapsing. The right wheel also collapsed, and the left wingtip dug into the ground, causing the aircraft to nose up to a nearly vertical orientation before settling upright. Mass received minor cuts and bruises while passenger, Pvt. S. Jaroseak, Jr. was unhurt. The aircraft suffered major damage to the engine and cowling and was stricken as a result.

World War II

During World War II, Maas was recalled to active service as a

Colonel Colonel ( ; abbreviated as Col., Col, or COL) is a senior military Officer (armed forces), officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries, a colon ...

and assigned to the staff of Admiral

William Halsey Jr. William Frederick "Bull" Halsey Jr. (30 October 1882 – 16 August 1959) was an American Navy admiral during World War II. He is one of four officers to have attained the rank of five-star fleet admiral of the United States Navy, the others be ...

in the summer of 1941. He was later transferred to the staff of Vice Admiral

Frank J. Fletcher Frank Jack Fletcher (April 29, 1885 – April 25, 1973) was an Admiral (United States), admiral in the United States Navy during World War II. Fletcher commanded five different Task force#United States Navy, task forces through the war; he was ...

, commander of

Task Force 17 Task Force 17 (TF17) was an aircraft carrier task force of the United States Navy during the Pacific Campaign of World War II. TF17 participated in several major carrier battles in the first year of the war. TF17 was initially centered around . ...

. Maas later participated in the

Solomon Islands campaign The Solomon Islands campaign was a major military campaign, campaign of the Pacific War during World War II. The campaign began with the Empire of Japan, Japanese seizure of several areas in the British Solomon Islands and Bougainville Island, B ...

with that unit. He was later transferred to the staff of the South West Pacific Area Commander, General

Douglas MacArthur Douglas MacArthur (26 January 18805 April 1964) was an American general who served as a top commander during World War II and the Korean War, achieving the rank of General of the Army (United States), General of the Army. He served with dis ...

, where he was appointed Marine Corps observer. Maas served under MacArthur in

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...

and later participated in the

New Guinea campaign The New Guinea campaign of the Pacific War lasted from January 1942 until the end of the war in August 1945. During the initial phase in early 1942, the Empire of Japan invaded the Territory of New Guinea on 23 January and Territory of Papua on ...

. During the final phase of the

Battle of Milne Bay The Battle of Milne Bay (25 August – 7 September 1942), also known as Operation RE or the Battle of Rabi (ラビの戦い) by the Japanese, was a battle of the Pacific campaign of World War II. Japanese naval infantry, known as ''Kaigun ...

at the beginning of September 1942, Maas volunteered as an observer and auxiliary gunner on a bomber plane for a reconnaissance mission. During the eight-hour flight, he helped disable an enemy airdrome and participated in dropping food and supplies to an isolated US Army outpost. For his efforts during the mission, Maas was decorated by the army with the

Silver Star The Silver Star Medal (SSM) is the United States Armed Forces' third-highest military decoration for valor in combat. The Silver Star Medal is awarded primarily to members of the United States Armed Forces for gallantry in action against a ...

on September 3, 1942. Maas continued to serve in the

South Pacific The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five Borders of the oceans, oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean, or, depending on the definition, to Antarctica in the south, and is ...

until the fall of 1942, when he was ordered back to the United States for further duty in Congress. He was an unsuccessful candidate for reelection in 1944 to the 79th Congress and returned to active duty with the Marine Corps. He later participated in the

Battle of Okinawa The , codenamed Operation Iceberg, was a major battle of the Pacific War fought on the island of Okinawa Island, Okinawa by United States Army and United States Marine Corps forces against the Imperial Japanese Army during the Pacific War, Impe ...

and was appointed commander of Awasa Air Base in May 1945. In this capacity, Maas was decorated with the

Legion of Merit The Legion of Merit (LOM) is a Awards and decorations of the United States military, military award of the United States Armed Forces that is given for exceptionally meritorious conduct in the performance of outstanding services and achievemen ...

with

Combat "V" Combat (French for ''fight'') is a purposeful violent conflict between multiple combatants with the intent to harm the opposition. Combat may be armed (using weapons) or unarmed ( not using weapons). Combat is resorted to either as a method of ...

for his efforts as base commander. He was subsequently wounded by an enemy bomb in the face. This caused permanent damage to his optic nerve that later led to his total blindness.

Postwar career

Maas was a special advisor to the House Naval Affairs Committee in 1946. From 1947 to 1951, he was assistant to the chairman of the board of the

Sperry Corporation Sperry Corporation was a major American equipment and electronics company whose existence spanned more than seven decades of the 20th century. Sperry ceased to exist in 1986 following a prolonged hostile takeover bid engineered by Burroughs ...

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. He retired from the Marine Corps on August 1, 1952, at the rank of major general. In 1949, he became a member of the President's Committee on Employment of the Physically Handicapped; he served as chairman from 1954 to 1964. He had been stricken with total blindness in August 1951. Maas was a resident of

Chevy Chase, Maryland Chevy Chase () is the colloquial name of an area that includes a town, several incorporated villages, and an unincorporated census-designated place in southern Montgomery County, Maryland; and one adjoining neighborhood in northwest Washington, D ...

, until his death in

Bethesda, Maryland Bethesda () is an unincorporated, census-designated place in southern Montgomery County, Maryland, United States. Located just northwest of Washington, D.C., it is a major business and government center of the Washington metropolitan region ...

, on April 13, 1964. He is buried in

Arlington National Cemetery Arlington National Cemetery is the largest cemetery in the United States National Cemetery System, one of two maintained by the United States Army. More than 400,000 people are buried in its 639 acres (259 ha) in Arlington County, Virginia. ...

Decorations

Here is the ribbon bar of Major General Melvin J. Maas:

Papers

Correspondence, reports, photographs, diaries, and professional papers are available for research use.

References

External links

Melvin Maas in MNopedia, the Minnesota Encyclopedia
{{DEFAULTSORT:Maas, Melvin 1898 births 1964 deaths People from Chevy Chase, Maryland Politicians from Duluth, Minnesota Politicians from Saint Paul, Minnesota Military personnel from Minnesota University of Minnesota alumni Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Minnesota American blind people United States Marine Corps generals United States Marine Corps reservists United States Naval Aviators United States Marine Corps personnel of World War I United States Marine Corps personnel of World War II Recipients of the Silver Star Recipients of the Legion of Merit Burials at Arlington National Cemetery American politicians with disabilities Blind politicians 20th-century members of the United States House of Representatives