(Rep.): Born Sept. 1, 1922; married. Educ. Marshfield grade and high schools; received B.A. in 1942 from Carleton Coll. (Minn.). Formerly secy.-treas. of lumber co. World War II veteran; served in Navy aboard destroyer "Maddox" in Pacific. Mbr. Amer. Legion, "40 et 8", VFW, Disabled Amer. Vets.; church elder; ohm. Wis. Rep. Party Platform Corn. 1950, '52. Delegate to Rep. Natl. Conventions since 1948; mbr. Platform Corn. 1952, '56, '60 (vice-chm.), 1964 (chm.); 1952 chm. of labor and public welfare subcom.; 1956 and 1960 ohm. of agric. subcom. Author of A House Divided: America's Strategy Gap; editor, The Conservative Papers; Republican Papers, 1968. The past 4 generations of his family have served in Wis. state offices: father as state Senator, mother as mbr. of Univ. Bd. of Regents. Elected to state Senate 1946; in 1948 reelected without opposition. Legislative spokesman for Governors Oscar Rennebohm (1949) and Walter J. Kohler (1951). Mbr. Wis. Comm. on Improvement of Educational System 1947-49, Legis. Council 1949-53 (council chm. 1951-53, chm. Taxation Corn. 1949-51 ), Jt. Finance Cam. 1949-52, Veterans and Military Affairs Corn. 1947-52 (chm. 1949-52). Elected to Congress 1952-69. Mbr. House Appropriations Corn. since 83rd Cong. (ranking minority mbr., Subcom. on Labor, Health, Ethic. and Welfare, mbr. Subcom. on Defense Appropriations), mbr. Bd. of Visitors to the Air Force Academy, 88th and 89th Congresses; to the Naval Academy, 90th Congress; chm. Rep. Conference, 89th and 90th Cong., Agriculture Corn. 84th Cong. Resigned from House of Representatives Jan. 21, 1969, to become Secretary of Defense in President Nixon's cabinet. Sworn in Jan. 22, 1969. As President Nixon's Secretary of Defense (1969), supported the Sentinel anti-ballistic missile system, and ordered the closing of military installations in order to reduce costs.Home address: 5703 Kirkwood Drive, Bethesda, Maryland 20016.

The Wisconsin Historical Society has manuscripts related to this topic. See the catalog description of the Melvin R. Laird Papers for details.

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[Source: (Blue Book 1970; Biographical directory of the United States executive branch, 1774-1977 (Westport, Conn. : Greenwood Press, 1977)]