Thaddeus Michael Machrowicz (August 21, 1899 – February 17, 1970) was a

United States representative The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the Bicameralism, 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 Artic ...

from

Michigan Michigan ( ) is a peninsular U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest, Upper Midwestern United States. It shares water and land boundaries with Minnesota to the northwest, Wisconsin to the west, ...

and later was a

United States district judge The United States district courts are the trial courts of the U.S. federal judiciary. There is one district court for each federal judicial district. Each district covers one U.S. state or a portion of a state. There is at least one feder ...

of the

United States District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan The United States District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan (in case citations, E.D. Mich.) is the United States district court, federal district court with jurisdiction over the eastern half of the Lower Peninsula of the State of M ...

Education and career

Born in

Gostyń Gostyń (, 1941-45: ''Gostingen'') is a town in western Poland, seat of the Gostyń County and Gmina Gostyń in the Greater Poland Voivodeship (from 1975 to 1998 in Leszno Voivodship). According to 31 December 2023 data its population was 27,846 ...

in Prussia's

Province of Posen The Province of Posen (; ) was a Provinces of Prussia, province of the Kingdom of Prussia from 1848 to 1920, occupying most of the historical Greater Poland. The province was established following the Greater Poland Uprising (1848), Poznań Uprisi ...

(in modern-day

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It extends from the Baltic Sea in the north to the Sudetes and Carpathian Mountains in the south, bordered by Lithuania and Russia to the northeast, Belarus and Ukrai ...

), Machrowicz immigrated to the United States with his parents in 1902 and the family settled in

Chicago, Illinois Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

, later moving to

Milwaukee, Wisconsin Milwaukee is the List of cities in Wisconsin, most populous city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. Located on the western shore of Lake Michigan, it is the List of United States cities by population, 31st-most populous city in the United States ...

. He was

naturalized Naturalization (or naturalisation) is the legal act or process by which a non-national of a country acquires the nationality of that country after birth. The definition of naturalization by the International Organization for Migration of the ...

as a Citizen of the United States in 1910. He attended a

parochial school A parochial school is a private school, private Primary school, primary or secondary school affiliated with a religious organization, and whose curriculum includes general religious education in addition to secular subjects, such as science, mathem ...

in Milwaukee. He then attended

Alliance College Alliance College was an independent, liberal arts college located in Cambridge Springs, Pennsylvania, offering a special program in Polish and Slavic languages (i.e., Slavistics). It was originally an academy at the high school level. In the 192 ...

Cambridge Springs, Pennsylvania Cambridge Springs is a borough with home rule status in Crawford County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 2,583 at the 2020 census, down from 2,595 at the 2010 census. History The village of Cambridge was settled in 1822 and ...

from 1912 to 1916, and the

University of Chicago The University of Chicago (UChicago, Chicago, or UChi) is a Private university, private research university in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Its main campus is in the Hyde Park, Chicago, Hyde Park neighborhood on Chicago's South Side, Chic ...

in 1917. During the

First World War 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 ...

, he served as a lieutenant in the Polish Army of American Volunteers in

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

and Poland from 1917 to 1920. He served with the American Advisory Commission to Polish Government in 1920 and 1921 and also acted as war correspondent with

Floyd Gibbons Floyd Phillips Gibbons (July 16, 1887 – September 23, 1939) was the war correspondent for the ''Chicago Tribune'' during World War I. One of radio's first news reporters and commentators, he was famous for a fast-talking delivery style. Floyd ...

in Poland from 1919 to 1921. He attended

De Paul University DePaul University is a private Catholic research university in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Founded by the Vincentians in 1898, the university takes its name from the 17th-century French priest Saint Vincent de Paul. In 1998, it became ...

in 1921. He received a

Bachelor of Laws A Bachelor of Laws (; LLB) is an undergraduate law degree offered in most common law countries as the primary law degree and serves as the first professional qualification for legal practitioners. This degree requires the study of core legal subje ...

from

Detroit College of Law The Michigan State University College of Law (Michigan State Law or MSU Law) is the law school of Michigan State University, a public research university in East Lansing, Michigan. Established in 1891 as the Detroit College of Law, it was the f ...

(now

Michigan State University College of Law The Michigan State University College of Law (Michigan State Law or MSU Law) is the law school of Michigan State University, a Public university, public research university in East Lansing, Michigan. Established in 1891 as the Detroit College o ...

) in 1924 and was admitted to the Michigan Bar the same year. He was in private practice of law in

Detroit, Michigan Detroit ( , ) is the List of municipalities in Michigan, most populous city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is situated on the bank of the Detroit River across from Windsor, Ontario. It had a population of 639,111 at the 2020 United State ...

, from 1924 to 1934. He was city attorney of

Hamtramck, Michigan Hamtramck ( ; ; ; ) is a city in Wayne County in the U.S. state of Michigan. An enclave of Detroit, Hamtramck is located roughly north of downtown Detroit, and is surrounded by Detroit on most sides. As of the 2020 census, the city had a po ...

, from 1934 to 1936. He was legal director of the Michigan Public Utilities Commission from 1938 to 1939. He returned to private practice in Hamtramck from 1939 to 1942. He was a municipal judge for Hamtramck from 1942 to 1950. He was a delegate to the Democratic National Convention from Michigan in 1952 and 1956.

Congressional service

Machrowicz was elected as a

Democrat Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (Cyprus) (DCY) **Democratic Part ...

to the 82nd Congress and to the five succeeding Congresses and served from January 3, 1951, to September 18, 1961, when he resigned to accept appointment to the federal bench.

Federal judicial service

Machrowicz was nominated by President

John F. Kennedy John Fitzgerald Kennedy (May 29, 1917 – November 22, 1963), also known as JFK, was the 35th president of the United States, serving from 1961 until his assassination in 1963. He was the first Roman Catholic and youngest person elected p ...

on August 25, 1961, to a seat on the

vacated by Judge Frank Albert Picard. He was confirmed by the

United States Senate The United States Senate is a chamber of the Bicameralism, bicameral United States Congress; it is the upper house, with the United States House of Representatives, U.S. House of Representatives being the lower house. Together, the Senate and ...

on September 1, 1961, and received his commission on September 7, 1961. His service was terminated on February 17, 1970, due to his death in Bloomfield Township,

Oakland County Oakland County is a county in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is a principal county of the Detroit metropolitan area, containing the bulk of Detroit's northern suburbs. Its seat of government is Pontiac, and its largest city is Troy. As of the ...

, Michigan. He was interred in Mount Olivet Cemetery in Detroit, Michigan.

References

Sources

Thaddeus M. Machrowicz
at The Political Graveyard
Thaddeus M. Machrowicz
at the Federal Judicial Center {{DEFAULTSORT:Machrowicz, Thaddeus Michael 1899 births 1970 deaths Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Michigan Michigan state court judges American politicians of Polish descent Polish emigrants to the United States Judges of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan United States district court judges appointed by John F. Kennedy 20th-century American lawyers Michigan lawyers Municipal judges in the United States City and town attorneys in the United States People from Gostyń Politicians from Hamtramck, Michigan 20th-century members of the United States House of Representatives