# John F. Baldwin Jr.

John Finley Baldwin Jr. (June 28, 1915 – March 9, 1966) was an American lawyer, military officer, and politician who served as a U.S. Representative from California from 1955 to 1966.

## Early life

Born in Oakland, California, in 1915 to John Finley Baldwin and Nellie Linekin, John F. Baldwin Jr. graduated from San Ramon Valley High School in Danville, California. He went on to the University of California, Berkeley, where he majored in accounting and finance and graduated in 1935. Soon after he became the assistant manager of South-Western Publishing Co. in San Francisco.
Baldwin married Mary Isaacs at the Presidio of San Francisco in December 1944, while he was a major in the U.S. Army and she was a secretary.

## Career

Baldwin joined the U.S. Army in 1941 and served in the area of finance, first as a training director at the Army Finance School and later with the Office of Fiscal Director. By the time he was discharged in 1946, he had attained the rank of lieutenant colonel.
He returned to UC Berkeley to study law, graduating from its Boalt Hall School of Law in 1949.

### Congress

Baldwin was elected to Congress as a Republican in 1954, was re-elected five times, and served from January 3, 1955, until his death from cancer at Bethesda Naval Hospital on March 9, 1966, aged 50.
He voted in favor of the Civil Rights Acts of 1957, 1960, and 1964, as well as the 24th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution and the Voting Rights Act of 1965.

## Electoral history

1952 United States House of Representatives elections :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Democratic | Robert Condon | 87,768 | 50.6 |
| | Republican | John F. Baldwin Jr. | 85,756 | 49.4 |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 173,524 | 100.0 |
| | Democratic win (new seat) | Democratic win (new seat) | Democratic win (new seat) | Democratic win (new seat) |
1954 United States House of Representatives elections :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Republican | John F. Baldwin Jr. | 72,336 | 50.9 |
| | Democratic | Robert Condon (Incumbent) | 69,776 | 49.1 |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 142,112 | 100.0 |
| | Republican gain from Democratic | Republican gain from Democratic | Republican gain from Democratic | Republican gain from Democratic |
1956 United States House of Representatives elections :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Republican | John F. Baldwin Jr. (Incumbent) | 98,683 | 53.7 |
| | Democratic | H. Roberts Quinney | 84,965 | 46.3 |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 183,648 | 100.0 |
| | Republican hold | Republican hold | Republican hold | Republican hold |
1958 United States House of Representatives elections :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Republican | John F. Baldwin Jr. (Incumbent) | 92,669 | 51 |
| | Democratic | Howard H. Jewel | 89,192 | 49 |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 181,861 | 100 |
| | Republican hold | Republican hold | Republican hold | Republican hold |
1960 United States House of Representatives elections :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Republican | John F. Baldwin Jr. (Incumbent) | 128,418 | 58.7 |
| | Democratic | Douglas R. Page | 90,260 | 41.3 |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 218,678 | 100.0 |
| | Republican hold | Republican hold | Republican hold | Republican hold |
1962 United States House of Representatives elections :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Republican | John F. Baldwin Jr. (Incumbent) | 99,040 | 62.9 |
| | Democratic | Charles R. Weidner | 58,469 | 37.1 |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 157,509 | 100.0 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | | |
| | Republican hold | Republican hold | Republican hold | Republican hold |
1964 United States House of Representatives elections :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Republican | John F. Baldwin Jr. (Incumbent) | 117,272 | 64.9 |
| | Democratic | Russell M. Koch | 63,469 | 35.1 |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 180,741 | 100.0 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | | |
| | Republican hold | Republican hold | Republican hold | Republican hold |

## Legacy

* John F. Baldwin Elementary School, in Danville, was named after him. John F. Baldwin Park in Concord was also established to honor him.
* John F. Baldwin Shipping Channel is named after him.