Dick Clark (Iowa politician)
Richard Clarence "Dick" Clark (September 14, 1928 – September 20, 2023) was an American politician. He represented the state of Iowa in the United States Senate from 1973 to 1979. Clark was a member of the Democratic Party.
Richard C. Clark | |
|---|---|
 | |
| United States Senator from Iowa | |
| In office January 3, 1973 – January 3, 1979 | |
| Preceded by | Jack Miller |
| Succeeded by | Roger Jepsen |
| Personal details | |
| Born | September 14, 1928 Cedar Rapids, Iowa, U.S. |
| Died | September 20, 2023 (aged 95) Washington, D.C., U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Military service | |
| Branch/service | United States Army |
| Years of service | 1950–1952 |
All throughout the campaign, polls showed Clark losing to Jack R. Miller by a large margin.[1] An important part of Clark's campaign was his 1,300-mile walk across the state to gain publicity.[2][1] This caused him to win the election in an upset.[1]
Clark was a very liberal senator, consistently being ranked among the most liberal in the Senate throughout his one term tenure.[3]
As senator, he served on the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry, the Committee on Environment and Public Works and the Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship.
Clark was known for his efforts against the apartheid government in South Africa, his opponent, Roger Jepsen, called him "the Senator from Africa".[4]
Clark was born in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. He completed his BA in 1953 at Upper Iowa University and his Masters in 1956 at the University of Iowa.[5] He then became a professor at Upper Iowa University.[5]
Clark died in his sleep on September 20, 2023 in Washington, D.C., six days after his 95th birthday.[1]
References
change- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Gruber-Miller, Stephen. "Dick Clark, a Democrat who won a US Senate seat by walking across Iowa, dies at 95". The Des Moines Register. Retrieved September 20, 2023.
- ↑ "The time a staffer leapfrogged his boss to a U.S. Senate seat", New Jersey Globe, September 14, 2021, retrieved October 30, 2022
- ↑ "CLARK, Richard Clarence (Dick) (1928-)", VoteView, retrieved October 30, 2022
- ↑ Rogers, David (26 December 2013). "A Nelson Mandela backstory: Iowa's Dick Clark". Politico. Retrieved 3 October 2014.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Harrington, Jerry. "Dick Clark's walk across Iowa earned him a U.S. Senate seat 50 years ago". Iowa History Journal. Retrieved October 30, 2022.