Mansfield Family Papers, 1887-2003

The Mansfield Family collection is largely made up of materials from John and Mary Leary Mansfield, and John's parents, Patrick and Mary Treacy Mansfield.

Mary Alice Leary was born on October 26, 1920 in Burke, Idaho. She was one of four children born to Daniel and Sarah Leary, both Irish Catholic immigrants. Her father was the superintendent of a silver mine, Day Mines, in Burke and her parents encouraged all their children to pursue higher education. Mary enrolled at the University of Montana in 1939 and kept a detailed scrapbook of her college experiences.

John Francis Mansfield was born on October 15, 1918 in New York City to Patrick Mansfield and his second wife Mary Treacy. John was raised in Great Falls, Montana, where his parents ran the Mansfield Grocery. After his graduation from St. Mary's High School in 1937, John was invited to live with his older half-brother, Michael J. (Mike) Mansfield, in Missoula, where Mike was teaching at the University of Montana. Mike Mansfield felt it was critically important for John to pursue a college education. John met Mary Leary during his sophomore year, and they married in 1943, shortly after Mary graduated.

In addition to raising seven children, John and Mary became the custodians of multiple generations of family history, and they actively documented Mike Mansfield's illustrious career as a politician and statesman. Mary Mansfield died on February 10, 1995, and John Mansfield died on October 23, 2001.

Patrick Mansfield, father of John Mansfield, was born April 4, 1877 in County Kilkenny, Ireland. He immigrated to the United States in 1896 and married his first wife, Mary Josephine O’Brien, in 1901. They had three children: Michael, Katherine, and Helen, before Mary Josephine died in 1910. Mary Treacy was born on April 1, 1892 in County Galway, Ireland. She immigrated to the United States in 1912 and married Patrick Mansfield in 1918. Together, they had three more children: John, Joseph, and Margaret in New York City before moving to Great Falls, Montana in 1925 to run the Mansfield Grocery store. Patrick died on December 3, 1966 and Mary Treacy died on March 30, 1967.