James Albertus McClure (December 27, 1924 – February 26, 2011) was an American lawyer and politician from the

state State may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Literature * ''State Magazine'', a monthly magazine published by the U.S. Department of State * ''The State'' (newspaper), a daily newspaper in Columbia, South Carolina, United States * ''Our S ...

Idaho Idaho ( ) is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. To the north, it shares a small portion of the Canada–United States border with the province of British Columbia. It borders the states of Montana and Wyomi ...

, most notably serving as a

Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

in the

U.S. Senate The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and pow ...

for three terms.

Early life and education

McClure attended public schools in Payette and joined the

U.S. Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage o ...

at age 18 during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

, serving from 1942 to 1946. McClure graduated from the Navy Program at the University of Idaho–Southern Branch (now

Idaho State University , mottoeng = "The truth will set you free" , established = , former_names = Academy of Idaho(1901–1915)Idaho Technical Institute(1915–1927) University of Idaho—Southern Branch(1927–1947)Idaho Stat ...

) in

Pocatello Pocatello () is the county seat of and largest city in Bannock County, with a small portion on the Fort Hall Indian Reservation in neighboring Power County, in the southeastern part of the U.S. state of Idaho. It is the principal city of the P ...

in 1943. After his discharge from the Navy, he entered the College of Law at the

University of Idaho The University of Idaho (U of I, or UIdaho) is a public land-grant research university in Moscow, Idaho. It is the state's land-grant and primary research university,, and the lead university in the Idaho Space Grant Consortium. The Universit ...

and graduated in 1950.

Career

From 1950 to 1956, he served as prosecuting attorney for Payette County; he also served as city attorney for Payette from 1953 to 1966. During this span, he was also a member of the

Idaho State Senate The Idaho Senate is the upper chamber of the Idaho State Legislature. It consists of 35 Senators elected to two-year terms, each representing a district of the state. The Senate meets at the Idaho State Capitol in Boise, Idaho. Composition of t ...

, serving from 1961 to 1966. In the 1966 election, McClure ran for the

U.S. House The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they ...

from Idaho's first

Congressional district Congressional districts, also known as electoral districts and legislative districts, electorates, or wards in other nations, are divisions of a larger administrative region that represent the population of a region in the larger congressional bod ...

. He won the race, defeating

incumbent The incumbent is the current holder of an office or position, usually in relation to an election. In an election for president, the incumbent is the person holding or acting in the office of president before the election, whether seeking re-ele ...

Compton I. White, Jr., and was re-elected in 1968 and 1970.

U.S. Senate

McClure ran for the open

seat (Class II) in 1972, vacated by the retirement of Len Jordan. In the general election he defeated the Democratic nominee, William E. "Bud" Davis, the president of Idaho State University. McClure was reelected by wide margins in 1978 and 1984. The seat was occupied by

William Borah William Edgar Borah (June 29, 1865 – January 19, 1940) was an outspoken Republican United States Senator, one of the best-known figures in Idaho's history. A progressive who served from 1907 until his death in 1940, Borah is often co ...

for over three decades (1907–1940), and has been continuously held by Republicans since 1949. In 1981, McClure joined Republican colleagues Jesse Helms of

North Carolina North Carolina () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia and ...

and fellow Idaho senator

Steve Symms Steven Douglas Symms (born April 23, 1938) is an American politician and lobbyist who served as a four-term congressman (1973–81) and two-term U.S. Senator (1981–93), representing Idaho. He is a partner at Parry, Romani, DeConcini & Symms, a ...

in an unsuccessful fight to return to a purchase requirement for participation in the

food stamp program In the United States, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), formerly known as the Food Stamp Program, is a federal program that provides food-purchasing assistance for low- and no-income people. It is a federal aid program, ad ...

. Helms cited a

Congressional Budget Office The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) is a List of United States federal agencies, federal agency within the United States Congress, legislative branch of the United States government that provides budget and economic information to Congress. Ins ...

study which showed that 75 percent of the increase in food stamp usage had occurred since the purchase requirement was dropped in 1977. Senators voted 33 to 66 against the Helms-McClure position. "It's obvious the majority of the Senate is not really concerned about constraining the growth of the food-stamp program," McClure said. In 1984 McClure ran for

Senate Majority Leader The positions of majority leader and minority leader are held by two United States senators and members of the party leadership of the United States Senate. They serve as the chief spokespersons for their respective political parties holding t ...

, but was defeated by Senator Bob Dole of

Kansas Kansas () is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its capital is Topeka, and its largest city is Wichita. Kansas is a landlocked state bordered by Nebraska to the north; Missouri to the east; Oklahoma to the south; and Colorado to th ...

, who three years earlier had led the intraparty opposition to the Helms-McClure position on reinstating the purchase requirement for food stamps. During his 18 years in the Senate, McClure served as the chairman of the

Committee on Energy and Natural Resources The United States Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources is a standing committee of the United States Senate. It has jurisdiction over matters related to energy and mineral resources, including nuclear development; irrigation and recla ...

from 1981 to 1987. In this capacity McClure emerged as an early proponent of electric cars and

energy independence Energy independence is independence or autarky regarding energy resources, energy supply and/or energy generation by the energy industry. Energy dependence, in general, refers to mankind's general dependence on either primary or secondary ene ...

. He also chaired the

Senate Republican Conference The Senate Republican Conference is the formal organization of the Republican Senators in the United States Senate, who currently number 50. Over the last century, the mission of the conference has expanded and been shaped as a means of informi ...

from 1981 to 1985.

Retirement

At age 65, McClure declined to run for a fourth term in 1990. Republican congressman

Larry Craig Lawrence Edwin Craig (born July 20, 1945) is an American retired politician from the state of Idaho. A Republican, he served 18 years in the United States Senate (1991–2009), preceded by 10 years in the U.S. House of Representatives, repres ...

of Midvale easily won McClure's Senate seat in November 1990 and served three terms, succeeded by

Jim Risch James Elroy Risch ( ; born May 3, 1943) is an American lawyer and politician serving as the junior United States senator from Idaho since 2009. A member of the Republican Party, he served as lieutenant governor of Idaho under governors Dirk Kem ...

. After leaving the Senate, McClure became a mining consultant and

lobbyist In politics, lobbying, persuasion or interest representation is the act of lawfully attempting to influence the actions, policies, or decisions of government officials, most often legislators or members of regulatory agencies. Lobbying, which ...

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

, founding the firm of McClure, Gerard, & Neuenschwander. Up until his death, McClure maintained a residence in McCall. In October 1995 the new home of the College of Mines and Earth Resources at the

was dedicated as James A. McClure Hall. On December 12, 2001, the Federal Building and U.S. Courthouse in

Boise Boise (, , ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Idaho and is the county seat of Ada County. On the Boise River in southwestern Idaho, it is east of the Oregon border and north of the Nevada border. The downtown area' ...

was renamed for McClure.

Personal life

In December 2008, the 83-year-old McClure suffered a stroke and was sent to the intensive care unit at Saint Alphonsus Regional Medical Center in

. Although initially he was expected to recover,McClure suffers stroke; doctors are hopeful, son says
/ref> McClure died at the age of 86 on February 26, 2011.

Election results

References

External links

– renamed for James A. McClure, 2001
University of Idaho
– James A. and Louise McClure Center for Public Policy Research
University of Idaho
– Senator James McClure

– Papers of Senator James A. McClure * * {{DEFAULTSORT:McClure, James A. 1924 births 2011 deaths People from Payette, Idaho Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Idaho Republican Party United States senators from Idaho Republican Party Idaho state senators 20th-century American politicians American prosecutors American lobbyists Idaho lawyers University of Idaho alumni Idaho State University alumni University of Idaho College of Law alumni United States Navy personnel of World War II 20th-century American lawyers