Jump to content

George W. Clarke (Iowa politician)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Not to be confused with George W. Clarke (Newfoundland politician) or George W. Clarke (Washington politician).
George W. Clarke
21st Governor of Iowa
In office
January 16, 1913 – January 11, 1917
LieutenantWilliam L. Harding
Preceded byBeryl F. Carroll
Succeeded byWilliam L. Harding
Lieutenant Governor of Iowa
In office
January 14, 1909 – January 16, 1913
GovernorBeryl F. Carroll
Preceded byWarren Garst
Succeeded byWilliam L. Harding
Speaker of the Iowa House of Representatives
In office
1904–1906
Iowa House of Representatives
In office
1900–1906
Personal details
Born(1852-10-24)October 24, 1852
Shelby County, Indiana, U.S.
DiedNovember 28, 1936(1936-11-28) (aged 84)
Adel, Iowa, U.S.
Resting placeOakdale Cemetery
Political partyRepublican
Spouse
Arletta Greene
​
(m. 1878)​
Children4
RelativesNile Kinnick (grandson)
Alma materOskaloosa College (AB)
University of Iowa College of Law (JD)
ProfessionPolitician and Lawyer

George Washington Clarke (October 24, 1852 – November 28, 1936) served two terms as the 21st Governor of Iowa from 1913 to 1917.[1][2][3][4]

Early life

[edit]

George Washington Clarke was born on October 24, 1852, in Shelby County, Indiana, to Jane Eliza (née Akers) and John Clarke.[1][2][3][4] In October 1856, the family moved to Drakesville, Iowa.[1][2][4] He taught school in Drakesville and Bloomfield, Iowa.[1][2][4]

From 1874 to 1877, he attended and graduated from Oskaloosa College with a Bachelor of Arts.[1][2][3][4] He graduated from the University of Iowa College of Law in 1878, was admitted to the bar, and moved to Adel, Iowa.[1][2][3][4] In 1895, he established a farm near Adel.

Career

[edit]

Clarke served four years as justice of the peace and in 1882 formed a law partnership with John B. White.[1][2][4] He was a Republican.

He served in the Iowa House of Representatives from 1901 to 1909 and was speaker of the house for two terms from 1904 to 1909.[1][2][3][4] He was chair of the judiciary committee.[1][2][3] He was lieutenant governor for two terms from 1909 to 1913.[1][2][3]

In 1912, he defeated Bull Moose Party candidate John L. Stevens for Governor of Iowa.[1][2][3][4] He served from 1913 to 1917.[1][2][3][4] During his tenure, he pushed for a US$2,285,000 beautification project of the Iowa State Capitol grounds.[1][2][3] The grounds were expanded from four blocks to 93 acres (38 ha).[1][2][3] He advocated for better roads and workmen's compensation laws.[1][2][3]

Later Life

[edit]

Clarke was dean of Drake University Law School for one year.[1][2][4] He was manager for the campaign of Albert B. Cummins in 1926, which Cummins loss during the primary and then subsequently died a month later.[1][4][5][6] He returned to practicing law in Adel, Iowa.[1] His papers are in the collection of the University of Iowa.[1]

Personal life

[edit]

Clarke married Arletta Greene on June 23, 1878.[1][2][4] He had two sons and two daughters, including Fred, Charles and Frances.[1][4] Arletta's father was Benjamin Greene, a member of the Iowa House of Representatives from 1852 to 1854 (4th General Assembly) and 1856 to 1858 (6th General Assembly).[4][4]"Benjamin Greene Dallas County". Iowa State House of Representatives. Retrieved 2025-04-29.</ref>

Statue of Nile Kinnick in front of the stadium bearing his name

He had an extensive book collection and library. His grandson Nile Kinnick, won the Heisman Trophy while playing for the University of Iowa, died during World War II and is the namesake for Kinnick Stadium at the University of Iowa.[7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14]

Clarke died on November 28, 1936, at his home in Adel and was buried in Oakdale Cemetery.[3][4]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u "Clarke, George Washington". The Biographical Dictionary of Iowa. Retrieved 2024-11-03.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q "George W. Clarke". Genealogy Trails. Retrieved 2025-04-29.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m "Gov. George Washington Clarke". National Governors Association. Retrieved 2025-04-29.
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q "George W. Clarke Dallas County". Iowa State House of Representatives. Retrieved 2025-04-29.
  5. ^ Iowa Official Register, 1927–28. pp. 348–49.
  6. ^ Cummins Asks to be Excused from Voting in the Brookhart Contest, Davenport Democrat and Leader. April 1, 1926, p. 1.
  7. ^ Rosenblum, Roger (June 11, 1943). "Sports Spotlight". Globe–Gazette. Mason City, Iowa. Retrieved December 4, 2022. A fitting memorial, we think, would be to name the university stadium after Kinnick, say "Nile Kinnick stadium" or "Nile Kinnick field."
  8. ^ "Nile Kinnick Stadium". The Daily Times. Davenport, Iowa. United Press. November 9, 1945. Retrieved December 4, 2022.
  9. ^ "A Gift to Kinnick Fund Is Investing in Iowa's Future". Globe–Gazette. Mason City, Iowa. December 18, 1945. Retrieved December 4, 2022.
  10. ^ "Why Not Call Iowa's Field 'Kinnick Stadium'?". The Des Moines Register. Des Moines, Iowa. August 25, 1946. Retrieved December 4, 2022.
  11. ^ Schrader, Gus (January 5, 1972). "Kinnick Stadium?". The Gazette. Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Retrieved December 4, 2022.
  12. ^ Schrader, Gus (June 22, 1972). "Kinnick—at Long Last". The Gazette. Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Retrieved December 4, 2022. It's almost too good to be true that Iowa's football games this fall will be played on artificial turf in Nile Kinnick Stadium.
  13. ^ Brown, Rick (30 August 2021). "Iowa Football Look Forward to Competing on Duke Slater Field". Sports Illustrated Iowa Hawkeyes News, Analysis and More. Retrieved 2022-03-25.
  14. ^ "Regents OK naming Iowa's field for Duke Slater". ESPN.com. 2021-07-28. Retrieved 2022-03-25.
[edit]
Wikimedia Commons has media related to George W. Clarke (Iowa politician).
Party political offices
Preceded by Republican nominee Governor of Iowa
1912, 1914 		Succeeded by
Political offices
Preceded by Lieutenant Governor of Iowa
1909–1913 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Governor of Iowa
1913–1917 		Succeeded by
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=George_W._Clarke_(Iowa_politician)&oldid=1288064587"