Born Joseph Clark Baldwin III in New York City, New York, son of Joseph Clark Baldwin Jr. and Fanny Taylor Baldwin, he dropped the III upon his father's death in 1937. He attended private schools, and was graduated from St. Paul's School, Concord, New Hampshire, in 1916. He married Marthe Guillon-Verne on December 5, 1923, and they had two sons and two daughters.[1]
As told by his friend and employee Henry Munson: "Joe and his wife would have "At Homes" every other Thursday evening. Much of NY Society turned out as well as visiting celebrities. One time Walker Buckner said "Someone told me that Winston Churchill was in NY but I knew he couldn't be or he would have been at Joe's "At Home" last Thursday. Churchill called Joe "Horatio" at the Bridge because of his lonely but successful fight to clean up NYC." Henry also mentions Joe's sense of humor and told this story from Bobby Straus 'He told about a meeting when a Lower East Side politician introduced him as Alderman Joseph Clark Baldwin the "Toid." Joe couldn't resist saying that since his father had died, he had dropped the 'Toid.'"[2]
Career
During World War I, Baldwin enlisted in the United States Navy in 1917; but after 6 months of seasickness he was transferred to the United States Army in 1918. He first served overseas as a private in the Machine Gun Company of the Three Hundred and Fifth Infantry. He then received a commission and, as captain, commanded the First Platoon, Machine Gun Company, Thirty-ninth Infantry. In honor of his service in France he was made an officer of the French Legion of Honor.[3]
Graduated from Harvard University in 1920, Baldwin was a political reporter for the New York Tribune, and became Associate Editor for the "North Westchester Times" from 1922 to 1930. In 1930 he established a public relations firm.[4]
From 1929 to 1934, he served as a member of the board of aldermen of New York City. From the recollections of his employee Henry Munson "In NYC's old Board of Alderman, Joe was the only Republican member with 94 Tammany Democrats. They joked that he held his party caucuses in a phone booth. He led the fight to get NY State to investigate the very rotten administration of Mayor Jimmy Walker. The Seabury Investigation resulted and a Fusion Mayor - La Guardia was elected and a new NYC charter was approved: Joe was well publicized for his role."[2]
Baldwin was elected as a Republican to the 77th United States Congress to fill the vacancy caused by the death of Kenneth F. Simpson. He was re-elected to the 78th and 79th United States Congresses, holding office from March 11, 1941, to January 3, 1947.[7] An unsuccessful candidate for renomination in 1946 to the Eightieth Congress, he became a representative for United Dye and Chemical Corporation, and William Recht Company, Incorporated.
Death
Baldwin died, in the Veterans Administration Hospital, Manhattan, New York County, New York, on October 27, 1957 (age 60 years, 289 days). He is interred at Woodlawn Cemetery, Bronx, New York.[8]
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