George W. Clarke (Iowa politician)

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
Lieutenant	William L. Harding
Preceded by	Beryl F. Carroll
Succeeded by	William L. Harding
Lieutenant Governor of Iowa
In office January 14, 1909 – January 16, 1913
Governor	Beryl F. Carroll
Preceded by	Warren Garst
Succeeded by	William L. Harding
Personal details
Born	George Washington Clarke (1852-10-24)October 24, 1852 Shelby County, Indiana, U.S.
Died	November 28, 1936(1936-11-28) (aged 84) Adel, Iowa, U.S.
Resting place	Adel Cemetery
Political party	Republican
Spouse	Arletta Greene ​ (m. 1878)​
Children	4
Relatives	Nile Kinnick (grandson)
Alma mater	Oskaloosa College (AB) University of Iowa College of Law

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

Early life

George Washington Clarke was born on October 24, 1852, in Shelby County, Indiana, to Eliza (née Akers) and John Clarke. At the age of four, his family moved near Drakesville, Iowa. He taught school in Bloomfield, Iowa. He graduated from Oskaloosa College with a Bachelor of Arts in 1877. He graduated from the University of Iowa College of Law in 1878.

Career

Clarke served four years as justice of the peace and in 1882 formed a law partnership with John B. White. 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. He was chair of the judiciary committee. He was lieutenant governor for two terms from 1909 to 1913. In 1912, he defeated Bull Moose Party candidate John L. Stevens for Governor of Iowa. He served from 1913 to 1917. During his tenure, he pushed for a US$2,285,000 beautification project of the Iowa State Capitol grounds. The grounds were expanded from four blocks to 93 acres (38 ha). He advocated for better roads and workmen's compensation laws.

Clarke was dean of Drake University Law School for one year. He was manager for the campaign of Albert B. Cummins. He practiced law in Des Moines, Iowa. His papers are in the collection of the University of Iowa.

Personal life

Clarke married Arletta Greene on June 23, 1878. He had two sons and two daughters, including Fred, Charles and Frances. In 1895, he established a farm near Adel. He had an extensive book collection and library. One of his grandchildren was Nile Kinnick, who won the Heisman Trophy while playing for the University of Iowa.

Clarke died on November 28, 1936, at his home in Adel. He was buried in Adel Cemetery.

External links

• National Governors Association profile
• University of Iowa Library profile and list of papers