Chase Addison Clark (August 21, 1883 – December 30, 1966) was an American jurist who served as the 18th governor of Idaho and was a

United States district judge The United States district courts are the trial courts of the U.S. federal judiciary. There is one district court for each federal judicial district, which each cover one U.S. state or, in some cases, a portion of a state. Each district cou ...

of the

United States District Court for the District of Idaho United may refer to: Places * United, Pennsylvania, an unincorporated community * United, West Virginia, an unincorporated community Arts and entertainment Films * ''United'' (2003 film), a Norwegian film * ''United'' (2011 film), a BBC Two f ...

Education and career

Clark was born on August 21, 1883, in Hadley,

Indiana Indiana () is a U.S. state in the Midwestern United States. It is the 38th-largest by area and the 17th-most populous of the 50 States. Its capital and largest city is Indianapolis. Indiana was admitted to the United States as the 19th ...

, the son of Eunice (Hadley) and Joseph Addison Clark. He arrived in

eastern Eastern may refer to: Transportation *China Eastern Airlines, a current Chinese airline based in Shanghai *Eastern Air, former name of Zambia Skyways *Eastern Air Lines, a defunct American airline that operated from 1926 to 1991 * Eastern Air L ...

Idaho Territory The Territory of Idaho was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from March 3, 1863, until July 3, 1890, when the final extent of the territory was admitted to the Union as Idaho. History 1860s The territory ...

in 1884. His father engineered an early canal on the

Snake River The Snake River is a major river of the greater Pacific Northwest region in the United States. At long, it is the largest tributary of the Columbia River, in turn, the largest North American river that empties into the Pacific Ocean. The Snak ...

and later became the first Mayor of

Idaho Falls Idaho Falls (Shoshoni: Dembimbosaage) is a city in and the county seat of Bonneville County, Idaho, United States. It is the state's largest city outside the Boise metropolitan area. As of the 2020 census, the population of Idaho Falls was 64,8 ...

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 W ...

in 1900. Clark attended the public schools and left

Idaho Falls High School Idaho Falls High School (IFHS) is a four-year public secondary school in central Idaho Falls, Idaho, USA. The current building opened in 1952, though the school itself has been in operation since 1897. Idaho Falls is the older of the two traditio ...

at age 15 and then attended school in

Terre Haute Terre Haute ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Vigo County, Indiana, United States, about 5 miles east of the state's western border with Illinois. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 60,785 and its metropolitan area had a ...

, Indiana. Clark returned to Idaho Falls working as a mercantile clerk, then moved to

Mackay Mackay may refer to: *Clan Mackay, the Scottish clan from which the surname "MacKay" derives Mackay may also refer to: Places Australia * Mackay Region, a local government area ** Mackay, Queensland, a city in the above region *** Mackay Airport ...

, Idaho shortly after its founding and saved money to attend the

University of Michigan Law School The University of Michigan Law School (Michigan Law) is the law school of the University of Michigan, a public research university in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Founded in 1859, the school offers Master of Laws (LLM), Master of Comparative Law (MC ...

, but did not graduate but instead

read law Reading law was the method used in common law countries, particularly the United States, for people to prepare for and enter the legal profession before the advent of law schools. It consisted of an extended internship or apprenticeship under th ...

to enter the bar in 1904. 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 Border War may refer to: Military conflicts *Border War or Bleeding Kansas (1854–1859), a series of violent events involving Free-Staters and pro-slavery elements prior to the American Civil War *Border War (1910–1919), border conflicts betwee ...

and then

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was List of wars and anthropogenic disasters by death toll, one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, ...

. He served in a machine gun unit and achieved the rank of

lieutenant A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations. The meaning of lieutenant differs in different militaries (see comparative military ranks), but it is often ...

in the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land warfare, land military branch, service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight Uniformed services of the United States, U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army o ...

. He was a member of the

Idaho House of Representatives The Idaho House of Representatives is the lower chamber of the Idaho State Legislature. It consists of 70 representatives elected to two-year terms. The state is divided into 35 districts, each of which elects two representatives to separate sea ...

from 1913 to 1916. He returned to private practice in Idaho Falls from 1930 to 1940. He served in the

Idaho 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 ...

from 1933 to 1936. He was the Mayor of Idaho Falls from 1937 to 1938. He was the

Governor of Idaho A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...

from 1941 to 1942.

Gubernatorial service

Clark was elected

Governor A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...

as a

Democrat Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (United States) (D) **Democratic ...

in 1940, defeating the Republican incumbent,

C. A. Bottolfsen Clarence Alfred Bottolfsen (October 10, 1891July 18, 1964) was an American publisher and politician from Idaho, a member of the Idaho Republican Party. He served as the state's 17th and 19th List of Governors of Idaho, governor, from 1939 to 1941 ...

. At a April 1942 War Relocation Administration conference at Salt Lake City to discuss using Japanese-American internees to help with the farm labor shortage, Governor Clark "went so far as to ask that both Issei and Nisei already residing freely in his state be rounded up and placed under supervision." These citizens of Idaho were not covered by the U.S. Government's order to forcefully removing people of Japanese descent from the west coast. Speaking of the

Internment of Japanese Americans Internment is the imprisonment of people, commonly in large groups, without charges or intent to file charges. The term is especially used for the confinement "of enemy citizens in wartime or of terrorism suspects". Thus, while it can simpl ...

in May 1942, months after the

Pearl Harbor Pearl Harbor is an American lagoon harbor on the island of Oahu, Hawaii, west of Honolulu. It was often visited by the Naval fleet of the United States, before it was acquired from the Hawaiian Kingdom by the U.S. with the signing of the ...

bombing, Clark spoke in a Lions Club meeting stated "Japs live like rats, breed like rats and act like rats. We don't want them ... permanently located in our state." As the governor was a two-year term, Bottolfsen then defeated Clark to regain the governorship in 1942; both elections had been very close.

Federal judicial service

Clark was nominated by President

Franklin D. Roosevelt Franklin Delano Roosevelt (; ; January 30, 1882April 12, 1945), often referred to by his initials FDR, was an American politician and attorney who served as the 32nd president of the United States from 1933 until his death in 1945. As the ...

on February 18, 1943, to a seat on the

vacated by Judge

Charles Cheatham Cavanah Charles Cheatham Cavanah (September 26, 1871 – June 30, 1953) was a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the District of Idaho. Education and career Cavanah was born on September 26, 1871, in Greensboro, North ...

. He was confirmed by the

United States 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 ...

on March 5, 1943, and received his commission on March 10, 1943. He served as Chief Judge from 1954 to 1964. He assumed

senior status Senior status is a form of semi- retirement for United States federal judges. To qualify, a judge in the federal court system must be at least 65 years old, and the sum of the judge's age and years of service as a federal judge must be at leas ...

on April 30, 1964. His service terminated on December 30, 1966, due to his death.

Family

Clark married Jean Elizabeth Burnett, the 18-year-old daughter of a Mackay merchant, on January 10, 1906. Clark was a member of a prominent Idaho political family. He was the younger brother of

Barzilla W. Clark Barzilla Worth Clark (December 22, 1880 – September 21, 1943) was an American politician from Idaho. He served as the 16th governor of Idaho mayor of Idaho Falls, and was a member of the Idaho Democratic Party. Early life and education ...

(1880–1943), who preceded him as governor (1937–1939), and was the father-in-law of

Frank Church Frank Forrester Church III (July 25, 1924 – April 7, 1984) was an American politician and lawyer. A member of the Democratic Party, he served as a United States senator from Idaho from 1957 until his defeat in 1981. As of 2022, he is the longe ...

(1924–1984), a four-term

United States Senator 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 p ...

(1957–1981) and presidential candidate in

1976 Events January * January 3 – The International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights enters into force. * January 5 – The Pol Pot regime proclaims a new constitution for Democratic Kampuchea. * January 11 – The 1976 Phil ...

. A nephew,

David Worth Clark David Worth Clark, aka D. Worth Clark (April 2, 1902June 19, 1955), was a Democratic congressman and United States Senator from Idaho, its first U.S. Senator born in the state. Early years Clark was born in Idaho Falls, Idaho and attended publi ...

(1902–1955), also represented Idaho in both houses of

United States Congress The United States Congress is the legislature of the federal government of the United States. It is bicameral, composed of a lower body, the House of Representatives, and an upper body, the Senate. It meets in the U.S. Capitol in Washi ...

. Clark's daughter,

Bethine Clark Church Jean Bethine Clark Church (February 19, 1923 – December 21, 2013), was the spouse of U.S. Senator Frank Church of Idaho. As politically active as her husband, she earned the nickname of "Idaho's third senator.""About Bethine Church." Boise State ...

(1923–2013), remained active in Idaho Democratic politics until her death.

Death

Clark suffered a stroke at age 83 in December 1966, and spent his final weeks at St. Luke's Hospital 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 ...

, Idaho. He died on December 30, and was interred at Rose Hill Cemetery in Idaho Falls.

References

External links

*
National Governors Association

''Gem of the Mountains'', University of Idaho annual: 1942
*

– Chase Clark law office, 1910 {{DEFAULTSORT:Clark, Chase Addison 1883 births 1966 deaths 20th-century mayors of places in Idaho Democratic Party governors of Idaho Mayors of places in Idaho Democratic Party members of the Idaho House of Representatives Democratic Party Idaho state senators Judges of the United States District Court for the District of Idaho United States district court judges appointed by Franklin D. Roosevelt 20th-century American judges People from Idaho Falls, Idaho People from Custer County, Idaho Lawyers from Boise, Idaho People from Hendricks County, Indiana Military personnel from Idaho United States Army officers University of Michigan Law School alumni United States federal judges admitted to the practice of law by reading law