branch death_date children birth_date term_end alma_mater death_place profession preceded battles term_start spouse image name succeeded birth_place awards party nickname state district article_title
united states navy 21 may 1976 torbert brian macdonald ; robin macdonald h. macdonald , jr. ; laurie macdonald ; 6 june 1917 may 21 , 1976 january 3 , 1963 harvard school , ll.b. , 1946 university , b.a. , 1940 ; harvard law bethesda , maryland attorney thomas j. lane angier l. goodwin world war ii january 3 , 1963 january 3 , 1955 phyllis brooks 1945 1976 -lrb- his death -rrb- torbert macdonald.jpg torbert macdonald edward markey tip o'neill everett , massachusetts silver american campaign medal world war ii victory medal star purple heart presidential citation asiatic-pacific campaign medal democratic torby , the needle massachusetts massachusetts 7th 8th torbert macdonald

torbert macdonald

torbert hart macdonald -lrb- june 6 , 1917 - may 21 , 1976 -rrb- , nicknamed torby , was a politician from massachusetts .
he served as a democratic member of the united states house of representatives serving from 1955 until his death from internal hemmorhage in bethesda , maryland in 1976 .
macdonald was born in everett , massachusetts in 1917 and grew up in malden , massachusetts .
after several years in public school , he entered phillips academy in andover .
macdonald attended harvard university , where he was captain of the football team and the roommate of john f. kennedy .
they remained close friends throughout their lives , with macdonald serving as an usher at then-senator kennedy 's wedding and as an honorary pallbearer at president kennedy 's funeral .
at harvard , macdonald earned his b.a. in 1940 and his ll.b .
in 1946 from its law school .
macdonald served in the united states navy as a pt boat commander in the southwest pacific theater from 1942 to 1944 and was awarded the silver star combat award , purple heart and presidential citation .
he was admitted to the bar in 1946 and commenced the practice of law in boston , massachusetts as a partner in the firm of stoneman , macdonald & chandler .
macdonald was a member of the national labor relations board for the new england area from 1948 to 1952 , and he was a delegate to the democratic national conventions in 1960 , 1964 , and 1968 .
macdonald was elected as a democrat to the eighty-fourth congress in 1954 .
during his career , he served as majority whip , and as ranking democrat on the house committee on interstate and foreign commerce .
he was often referred to as the `` father of public broadcasting '' , since he was one of the legislators primarily responsible for public broadcasting act of 1967 .
he was also responsible for the `` sports blackout bill '' which provides for the broadcast of local sold - out sporting contests .
another focus was his effort to reform campaign broadcasting practices , addressing his concern that competent candidates were being priced out of the process , and others were buying their way in .
while recognized as an active legislator , he was also justly noted for his high level of service to individual constituents and their problems .
his sharp wit and sense of humor garnered him among his congressional colleagues the nickname `` the needle '' .
he was reelected ten times , and died in office on may 21 , 1976 , in bethesda , maryland .
he was married to the actress phyllis brooks from 1945 until his death .
they had four children , the eldest of whom was president kennedy 's godson .
macdonald was interred in holy cross cemetery in malden , massachusetts .
