| Chase A. Clark | |
|---|---|
| |
| From 1942's Les Bois, the yearbook of Boise Junior College | |
| Senior Judge of the United States District Court for the District of Idaho | |
In office April 30, 1964 – December 30, 1966 | |
| Chief Judge of the United States District Court for the District of Idaho | |
In office 1954–1964 | |
| Preceded by | Office established |
| Succeeded by | Fredrick Monroe Taylor |
| Judge of the United States District Court for the District of Idaho | |
In office March 10, 1943 – April 30, 1964 | |
| Appointed by | Franklin D. Roosevelt |
| Preceded by | Charles Cheatham Cavanah |
| Succeeded by | Raymond Clyne McNichols |
| 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 Hadley, Indiana |
| Died | December 30, 1966 (aged 83) Boise, Idaho |
| Resting place | Rose Hill Cemetery Idaho Falls, Idaho |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Children | Bethine Clark Church |
| Residence | Idaho Falls, Idaho |
Chase Addison Clark (August 21, 1883 – December 30, 1966) was the 18th Governor of Idaho and a United States District Judge of the United States District Court for the District of Idaho.
Education and career[]
Born on August 21, 1883, in Hadley, Indiana, Clark arrived in eastern Idaho Territory in 1884. His father Joseph engineered an early canal on the Snake River and later became the first Mayor of Idaho Falls, Idaho in 1900.[1] Clark attended the public schools and left Idaho Falls High School at age 15 and then attended school in Terre Haute, Indiana.[2][3] Clark returned to Idaho Falls working as a mercantile clerk, then moved to Mackay, Idaho shortly after its founding and saved money to attend the University of Michigan Law School,[2] but did not graduate but instead read law to enter the bar in 1904.[4][5] He entered private practice in Mackay from 1904 to 1930. He was a Judge Advocate General for the State of Idaho from 1914 to 1915. Clark left to fight in 1916 in the Border War and then World War I.[1] He served in a machine gun unit and achieved the rank of lieutenant[6] in the United States Army. He was a member of the Idaho House of Representatives from 1913 to 1916.[7] He returned to private practice in Idaho Falls from 1930 to 1940.[7] He served in the Idaho Senate from 1933 to 1936.[citation needed] He was the Mayor of Idaho Falls from 1937 to 1938. He was the Governor of Idaho from 1941 to 1942.[7]
Gubernatorial service[]
Clark was elected Governor as a Democrat in 1940,[6] defeating the Republican incumbent, C. A. Bottolfsen. Then a two-year term, Bottolfsen defeated Clark to regain the governorship in 1942; both elections were very close.
| 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% |
Federal judicial service[]
Clark was nominated by President Franklin D. Roosevelt on February 18, 1943, to a seat on the United States District Court for the District of Idaho vacated by Judge Charles Cheatham Cavanah.[8] He was confirmed by the United States Senate on March 5, 1943, and received his commission on March 10, 1943.[9][10] He served as Chief Judge from 1954 to 1964.[7] He assumed senior status on April 30, 1964.[7] His service terminated on December 30, 1966, due to his death.[7]
Family[]
Clark married Jean Elizabeth Burnett, the 18-year-old daughter of a Mackay merchant,[11] on January 10, 1906.[12]
Clark was a member of a prominent Idaho political family.[citation needed] He was the younger brother of Barzilla W. Clark (1880–1943), who preceded him as governor (1937–1939), and was the father-in-law of Frank Church (1924–1984), a four-term United States Senator (1957–1981) and presidential candidate in 1976.[citation needed] A nephew, David Worth Clark (1902–1955), also represented Idaho in both houses of United States Congress. Clark's daughter, Bethine Clark Church (1923–2013), remained active in Idaho Democratic politics until her death.[citation needed]
Death[]
Clark suffered a stroke at age 83 in December 1966,[13] and spent his final weeks at St. Luke's Hospital in Boise, Idaho. He died on December 30,[1][14] and was interred at Rose Hill Cemetery in Idaho Falls.[1][14][15][16]
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 "Chase A. Clark dies". Idaho. December 31, 1966. p. 1. https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=HrpeAAAAIBAJ&sjid=fC8MAAAAIBAJ&pg=2429%2C6587207.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 "Governor had humble start". Spokane, Washington. January 7, 1941. p. 9. https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=YyFWAAAAIBAJ&sjid=CeQDAAAAIBAJ&pg=6643,1904297.
- ↑ Merrill D. Beal, Merle W. Wells, History of Idaho (1959), p. 28.
- ↑ "Chase A. Clark". Federal Judicial Center. http://www.fjc.gov/servlet/nGetInfo?jid=440&cid=999&ctype=na&instate=na. Retrieved 23 September 2012.
- ↑ Charnock, Richard (March 16, 1964). "Judge recalls satisfaction in half century of service". Salt Lake City, Utah. p. B11. https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=vDMhAAAAIBAJ&sjid=r1cEAAAAIBAJ&pg=7268,3002485.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 "Chase A. Clark". National Governors Association. http://www.nga.org/cms/home/governors/past-governors-bios/page_idaho/col2-content/main-content-list/title_clark_chase.html. Retrieved 23 September 2012.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 7.4 7.5
- Chase Addison Clark at the Biographical Directory of Federal Judges, a public domain publication of the Federal Judicial Center.
- ↑ "Senate confirms Clark for bench". Idaho. March 6, 1943. p. 2. https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=i5NfAAAAIBAJ&sjid=9DAMAAAAIBAJ&pg=2521,4233689.
- ↑ "Taylor approved as district judge". Washington. July 20, 1954. p. a3. https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=8fpXAAAAIBAJ&sjid=l_YDAAAAIBAJ&pg=5922%2C3285413.
- ↑ "Fred M. Taylor is confirmed". Idaho. July 21, 1954. p. 1. https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=pKNfAAAAIBAJ&sjid=IDIMAAAAIBAJ&pg=4572%2C1484757.
- ↑ "Remembering Alex Burnett, Mackay Miner April 22, 1954 and April 29, 1954". Mackay, Idaho Blog. July 28, 2011. http://mackayidaho1.blogspot.com/2011/07/remembering-alex-burnett-mackay-miner.html. Retrieved March 11, 2013.
- ↑ "Chase A. Clark". The Political Graveyard. http://politicalgraveyard.com/bio/clark2.html. Retrieved 23 September 2012.
- ↑ "Chase Clark seriously ill". Lewiston Morning Tribune. Idaho. December 16, 1966. p. 1. https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=D7peAAAAIBAJ&sjid=fC8MAAAAIBAJ&pg=1753%2C3439219.
- ↑ 14.0 14.1 "Governor, Judge Chase Clark dies". Spokane, Washington. December 31, 1966. p. 6. https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=_GpWAAAAIBAJ&sjid=-OgDAAAAIBAJ&pg=6752%2C4234927.
- ↑ "Idaho Falls' Chase Clark laid to rest". Spokane, Washington. January 4, 1967. p. 6. https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=5zhWAAAAIBAJ&sjid=7ugDAAAAIBAJ&pg=6255,1048060.
- ↑ "The Political Graveyard: Index to Politicians: Clark, C to D". http://politicalgraveyard.com/bio/clark2.html.
External links[]
This article incorporates public domain material from the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress website http://bioguide.congress.gov.
- Chase Addison Clark at the Biographical Directory of Federal Judges, a public domain publication of the Federal Judicial Center.
- National Governors Association
- Gem of the Mountains, University of Idaho annual: 1942
- Chase A. Clark at Find a Grave
- Mackay, Idaho blog – Chase Clark law office, 1910
The original article can be found at Chase A. Clark and the edit history here.