Chase A. Clark
| Chase A. Clark | |
|---|---|
| 18th Governor of Idaho | |
| In office January 6, 1941 – January 4, 1943 | |
| Lieutenant | Charles C. Gossett |
| Preceded by | C. A. Bottolfsen |
| Succeeded by | C. A. Bottolfsen |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Chase Addison Clark August 20, 1883 Amo, Indiana |
| Died | December 30, 1966 (aged 83) Boise, Idaho |
| Resting place | Rose Hill Cemetery Idaho Falls, Idaho |
| Nationality | United States |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse(s) | Jean Elizabeth Burnett Clark (1887–1984) (m. 1906–1966, his death) |
| Children | Jean Bethine Clark Church (1923–2013) |
| Residence | Idaho Falls |
| Alma mater | University of Michigan Law School, read law, 1904 |
| Profession | Attorney |
| Religion | Presbyterian |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |  United States |
| Service/branch | U.S. Army |
| Years of service | 1916–(1919) |
| Rank | Lieutenant |
| Battles/wars | Border War, World War I |
Chase Addison Clark (August 21, 1883 – December 30, 1966) was an attorney, politician, and federal judge from Idaho. He served as the 18th Governor of Idaho from 1941 to 1943, and was a member of the Idaho Democratic Party.[1][2]
Biography
Born in Amo in Hendricks County, Indiana, Clark arrived in Idaho in 1884 at age one. His father, Joseph, engineered an early canal on the Snake River and later became the first mayor of Idaho Falls in 1900.[2] He attended the public schools and left Idaho Falls High School at age 15 and then attended school in Terre Haute, Indiana.[3][4]
He returned to Idaho Falls and was a mercantile clerk, then moved to Mackay shortly after its founding and saved money to attend the University of Michigan Law School.[3] He read law but did not graduate, and left after admission to the bar in 1904 at age 21.[5][6] He married Jean Elizabeth Burnett, the 18-year old daughter of a Mackay merchant,[7] on January 10, 1906.[8]
Career
Clark entered private practice of law in Idaho at Mackay in 1904. He was elected to the legislature in 1912, and was a judge advocate general of the State of Idaho from 1914 to 1915, but left to fight in 1916 in the Border War and then World War I.[2] He served in a machine gun unit and achieved the rank of lieutenant[9] in the U.S. Army. After his return, Clark resumed his private practice in Mackay, and moved back to Idaho Falls in 1930.
Clark returned to politics in the 1930s, serving in the state senate (1933–36) and as mayor of Idaho Falls (1937–38). He was elected governor in 1940,[9] defeating the Republican incumbent, C. A. Bottolfsen. Then a two-year term, Bottolfsen defeated Clark to regain the governorship in 1942.
| Year | Democrat | Votes | Pct | Republican | Votes | Pct | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1940 | Chase Clark | 120,420 | 50.48% | C. A. Bottolfsen (inc.) | 118,117 | 49.52% | |||
| 1942 | Chase Clark (inc.) | 71,826 | 49.85% | C. A. Bottolfsen | 72,260 | 50.15% |
After leaving office in January 1943, Clark was nominated on February 18 by President Roosevelt to a seat on the U.S. District Court in Idaho, vacated by Charles C. Cavanah. Clark was confirmed by the U.S. Senate on March 5[10] and received his commission on March 10. He became chief judge of the court in 1954 and assumed senior status on April 30, 1964, at age 80, and served in that capacity until his death in late 1966.
Death and legacy
Clark was a member of a prominent Idaho political family. He was the younger brother of Barzilla Clark, who preceded him as governor, and the father-in-law of Frank Church, a four-term U.S. Senator and presidential candidate in 1976. Clark's daughter, Bethine Clark Church, was active in Idaho Democratic politics as of 2006. A nephew, D. Worth Clark, also represented Idaho in both houses of Congress.
Clark died at age 83 at St. Luke's Hospital in Boise on December 30, 1966, and is interred at Rose Hill Cemetery in Idaho Falls.[11]
References
This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress.
- ↑ http://politicalgraveyard.com/bio/clark2.html
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 "Chase A. Clark dies". Lewiston Morning Tribune. Associated Presss. December 31, 1966. p. 1.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 "Governor had humble start". Spokesman-Review. Associated Press. January 7, 1941. p. 9.
- ↑ Merrill D. Beal, Merle W. Wells, History of Idaho (1959), p. 28.
- ↑ "Chase A. Clark". Federal Judicial Center. Retrieved 23 September 2012.
- ↑ Charnock, Richard (March 16, 1964). "Judge recalls satisfaction in half century of service". Deseret News. United Press International. p. B11.
- ↑ "Remembering Alex Burnett, Mackay Miner April 22, 1954 and April 29, 1954". Mackay, Idaho Blog. July 28, 2011. Retrieved March 11, 2013.
- ↑ "Chase A. Clark". The Political Graveyard. Retrieved 23 September 2012.
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 "Chase A. Clark". National Governors Association. Retrieved 23 September 2012.
- ↑ "Senate confirms Clark for bench". Lewiston Morning Tribune. Associated Press. March 6, 1943. p. 2.
- ↑ "Idaho Falls' Chase Clark laid to rest". Spokesman-Review. Associated Press. January 4, 1967. p. 6.
External links
 |
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Chase A. Clark. |
- Chase A. Clark at the Biographical Directory of Federal Judges, a public domain publication of the Federal Judicial Center.
- National Governors Association
- Chase A. Clark at Find a Grave
- Mackay, Idaho blog – Chase Clark law office, 1910
| Party political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by John F. Nugent |
Democratic Party nominee, U.S. Senator (Class 3) from Idaho 1928 special (lost) |
Succeeded by James P. Pope |
| Preceded by C. Ben Ross |
Democratic Party nominee, Governor of Idaho 1940 (won), 1942 (lost) |
Succeeded by Charles C. Gossett |
| Political offices | ||
| Preceded by C. A. Bottolfsen |
Governor of Idaho January 6, 1941 – January 4, 1943 |
Succeeded by C. A. Bottolfsen |
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