Ken Mansfield - Early Life

Early Life

Mansfield was born in Noxen Township, Wyoming County, Pennsylvania on October 14, 1937. Moving west at age 5, he grew up in Lewiston, Idaho (population 12,000) - the son of a sawmill worker and housewife. The remote area in the northern Idaho panhandle was called the “Banana Belt” because of the comparatively moderate weather. Soon after graduating from high school, he joined the Navy to leave his small town roots behind.

Upon his discharge from active duty, Mansfield enrolled at the University of Idaho eventually transferring to San Diego State University, where he received a Bachelor’s of Science degree in Marketing. His first job was doing computerized cost, budget, and program analysis for the Saturn and Surveyor space programs in San Diego. At the same time, Mansfield sang with a folk group called The Town Criers and opened a nightclub in San Diego's suburb of La Mesa. The popular club, called The Land of Oden, was La Mesa’s former City Hall.