Melvin Joseph Maas
Major General Melvin J. Maas, USMCR
Born	(1898-05-14)May 14, 1898 Duluth, Minnesota, U.S.
Died	April 13, 1964(1964-04-13) (aged 65) Bethesda, Maryland, U.S.
Place of Burial	Arlington National Cemetery
Allegiance	United States of America
Branch	United States Marine Corps
Service years	1917–1925, 1941-1952
Rank	Major General
Service number	0-4104
Commands	Awasa Air Base
Conflicts	World War I World War II Solomon Islands campaign New Guinea campaign Battle of Okinawa
Awards	Silver Star Legion of Merit Purple Heart
Relations	LTC Patricia Bennett, USMC (daughter)
Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromMinnesota's4th district
In office March 4, 1927 – March 3, 1933
Preceded by	Oscar Keller
Succeeded by	District abolished
In office January 3, 1935 – January 3, 1945
Preceded by	District established
Succeeded by	Frank Starkey

Melvin Joseph Maas (May 14, 1898 – April 13, 1964) was aU.S. representative fromMinnesota and decoratedmajor general of theUnited States Marine Corps Reserve duringWorld War II.

Melvin Joseph Maas was born inDuluth, Minnesota, on May 14, 1898. He moved with his parents toSt. Paul, Minnesota, in 1898.^[1] Educated in public schools, he enlisted in theU.S. Marine Corps on April 6, 1917, as a private. He underwent flight training and was designated aNaval aviator in the Marine Corps. He served briefly inHaiti and, duringWorld War I, flew reconnaissance missions over theAtlantic Ocean while stationed in theAzores.

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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 theMarine Corps Reserve. During that time, he also finished his studies atSt. Thomas College in St. Paul and graduated in 1919. Maas later attended theUniversity of Minnesota in Minneapolis and subsequently joined his brothers in the insurance business.

DuringProhibition, Maas became involved in the anti-Prohibition platform, calling for the modification of Prohibition to allow beer and wine drinking.^[2]

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 aRepublican to the70th,71st, and72nd Congresses (March 4, 1927 – March 3, 1933). He ran unsuccessfully for renomination in 1932.

On December 13, 1932, a 25-year-old department store clerk, Marlin Kemmerer, fromAllentown, Pennsylvania, pulled a gun in the House visitors' gallery and demanded to address the House regarding the nation's economicdepression.^[3]

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 theCarnegie Medal.^[3]

Maas was re-elected to the74th,75th,76th,77th, and78th Congresses (January 3, 1935 – January 3, 1945). During the 1930s, Maas served as Commander of the Reserve Marine Squadron inMinneapolis, Minnesota.^[4]

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. Maas 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.

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During World War II, Maas was recalled to active service as aColonel and assigned to the staff of AdmiralWilliam Halsey Jr. in the summer of 1941. He was later transferred to the staff of Vice AdmiralFrank J. Fletcher, commander ofTask Force 17. Maas later participated in theSolomon Islands campaign with that unit.

He was later transferred to the staff of theSouth West Pacific Area Commander, GeneralDouglas MacArthur, where he was appointed Marine Corps observer. Maas served under MacArthur inAustralia and later participated in theNew Guinea campaign.

During the final phase of theBattle of Milne Bay 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 theSilver Star on September 3, 1942.^[5]

Maas continued to serve in theSouth Pacific 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 theBattle of Okinawa and was appointed commander ofAwasa Air Base in May 1945. In this capacity, Maas was decorated with theLegion of Merit withCombat "V" 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.

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 theSperry Corporation inNew York City. He retired from the Marine Corps on August 1, 1952, at the rank of major general.

In 1949, he became a member of thePresident's Committee on Employment of the Physically Handicapped; he served as chairman from 1954 to 1964.^[6] He had been stricken with total blindness in August 1951.^[7]

Maas was a resident ofChevy Chase, Maryland, until his death inBethesda, Maryland, on April 13, 1964. He is buried inArlington National Cemetery.

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

Correspondence, reports, photographs, diaries, and professional papers are available for research use.^[8]

• United States Congress."Melvin Maas (id: M000001)".Biographical Directory of the United States Congress.

• Melvin Maas in MNopedia, the Minnesota Encyclopedia

• 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 United States representatives from Minnesota
• American blind politicians
• 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
• 20th-century United States representatives

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