Joseph Tydings

Joseph Tydings
United States Senator from Maryland
In office January 3, 1965 – January 3, 1971
Preceded by	James Glenn Beall
Succeeded by	J. Glenn Beall Jr.
United States Attorney for the District of Maryland
In office 1961 – November 21, 1963
Preceded by	Leon H. A. Pierson
Succeeded by	Robert H. Kernon
Member of the Maryland House of Delegates from the Harford County district
In office 1955–1961 Serving with Thomas J. Hatem, W. Dale Hess, Charles M. Moore, Morton H. Getz
Succeeded by	W. Lester Davis
Personal details
Born	Joseph Davies Cheesborough[1] (1928-05-04)May 4, 1928 Asheville, North Carolina, U.S.
Died	October 8, 2018(2018-10-08) (aged 90) Washington, D.C., U.S.
Political party	Democratic
Spouses	Virginia Reynolds Campbell ​ ​ (m. 1955; div. 1974)​ Terry Huntingdon ​ ​ (m. 1975)​
Relations	Millard Tydings (stepfather)
Children	Mary Tydings Smith, Millard E. Tydings II, Emlen Tydings, Eleanor Tydings Gollob, Alexandra Tydings
Alma mater	University of Maryland, College Park University of Maryland School of Law
Military service
Branch/service	United States Army
Years of service	1946-1948
Rank	Corporal
Unit	6th Constabulary Regiment
Battles/wars	Occupation of Germany

Joseph Davies Tydings (né Cheesborough; May 4, 1928 – October 8, 2018) was an American lawyer and politician. He was most notable for his service as a Democratic member of the United States Senate representing Maryland from 1965 to 1971.

Born in North Carolina, Tydings moved to Maryland as a youth after he was adopted by his mother's husband, Millard Tydings, who also served as a U.S. Senator from Maryland. After serving in the military, he obtained his law degree and entered into practice. He served in the Maryland House of Delegates from 1955 to 1961, and as United States Attorney for Maryland from 1961 until his resignation in 1963 to run for Senate.

Tydings easily won election to the Senate in 1964. However, his controversial stances on gun control and crime in the District of Columbia cost him re-election in 1970. He made another attempt at his old seat in 1976, but was defeated in the Democratic primary election by Congressman Paul Sarbanes. He later served as a member of the Board of Regents of the University of Maryland, College Park and the University System of Maryland, and continued to practice law.^[2]

Tydings also argued Eisenstadt v. Baird, in which the Supreme Court of the United States legalized birth control for single persons in 1972, something that had been prohibited in many states. The Eisenstadt decision has been described as among the most influential Supreme Court decisions of the 20th century.^[3]