Forsythe Charles Clowdsley (1895-1940)

From a February 1929 press photo.

   Despite his lack of years Stockton, California resident Forsythe Charles "Tod" Clowdsley left his mark in Sunshine State politics, being a four-term representative to the California State Assembly, as well as serving as San Joaquin County's District Attorney. The son of William Forsythe (1846-1917) and Virginia Olive Clowdsley (1852-1948), Forsythe C. Clowdsley was born in Stockton on February 6, 1895, and would attend the public schools of that city. 

   As a young man, Clowdsley entered into work on the staff of the Stockton Mail newspaper and continued in this employ until the dawn of American involvement in WWI. The American Legislative Leaders of the West denotes that Clowdsley "underwent two major surgeries to pass the physical examination" and after doing so was deployed to France as a Sergeant of Battery C, 143rd Field Artillery. He would remain here from 1917-1919 and following his return to Stockton resumed work with the Stockton Mail.

  Clowdsley married his first wife Helene Harpillard (a native of France) in 1920. Helene died in 1922 during childbirth and in 1933 Clowdsley remarried to Salina, Kansas native Suzanne Marie Humbarger, who would survive him upon his death in 1940. 

  Clowdsley first entered public life in San Joaquin County in 1921 when he was appointed as Assistant District Attorney. He would serve in that post for several years and in 1926 was elected as one of San Joaquin County's representatives to the California State Assembly. He would be elected to three further terms in the assembly and in the 1933-34 session served as Speaker Pro tem of the House, being noted as "the first Democratic speaker in California in 40 years."

  In November 1934 Clowdsley was elected as San Joaquin County District Attorney and was still the incumbent in that office when he died on September 25, 1940, of a heart attack. Just 45 years of age at the time of his passing, Clowdsley's burial location is unknown at this time but is presumed to be at the Stockton Rural Cemetery in Stockton, California. This cemetery is the resting place of both his first wife Helene (1900-1922) and his son, Forsythe Charles Jr. (1922-1929).

From the 1928 California Blue Book.

Oliphant Lockwood Hubbard (1880-1968)

Portrait courtesy of the Houston Area Digital Archives website.

  This dapper-looking gent is one Oliphant Lockwood Hubbard, who, during a long life that extended nearly nine decades, rose to become a leading public figure in Independence Heights, Texas, a city that can justly lay claim to being the "first African American municipality in Texas." A principal and teacher at the Independence Heights School, Hubbard was elected as the second mayor of that city in 1919 and would serve two terms in that post.

   Born on June 3, 1880, in Walker County, Texas, Oliphant L. Hubbard was one of fourteen children born to Lewis and Victoria Smith Hubbard. Following the completion of his high school education, Hubbard enrolled at the Prairie View State Normal and Industrial College, graduating in the class of 1909. Having attained his "teacher's certificate in primary education" Hubbard married to Ms. Ella Kyle shortly after his graduation, and the couple would have four children, including Garland F. (1914-1988) and Vivian Hubbard Seals (1917-2008). 

   The early 1910s saw both Hubbard and his wife teaching in several rural communities in East Texas. Due to "depressed conditions and low pay" the couple left that area and by 1911 had settled in Independence Heights, then a young satellite community of Houston that consisted of predominantly African-American families. In that year Hubbard took on the position of "first teacher and principal" of the Independence Heights School, and in January 1915 saw Independence Heights become an incorporated city of several hundred residents.

   Four years after the city's incorporation Hubbard ran for and was elected as Mayor of Independence Heights, becoming the second man to occupy that post. After taking the oath as Mayor on June 19th, 1919 he gave a brief address which was highlighted in the Houston Informer several days afterward. In this address, Hubbard made note that:

"I have, with the majority of our citizenship, undergone some very unpleasant hardships to dislodge those who had taken charge of our city's affairs by willfully breaking the statutes of Texas, and usurpation, but as I take office I realize I am as much their servant as I am my staunchest supporters.... So let us all try and build up a city that every person who lives here or may come will feel proud of it."

    Hubbard would serve two terms in office (1919-1923) and during his tenure, a number of civic improvements were made to the burgeoning city, including wood-planked sidewalks, "water and sewage service", "limited public transportation" electric lighting and phone service and "shelled streets." Despite these various advances, Hubbard's time as mayor didn't always go smoothly. The Houston Ku Klux Klan would make their presence known in Independence Heights on more than one occasion and even threatened Hubbard and his family. Due to these threats, Hubbard would sometimes utilize a loaded 30-30 shotgun to persuade unwanted visitors to think otherwise when it came to intimidation!

   While his service as Mayor remains an important part of Hubbard's life story, his life after leaving office is also of note. He would deal in real estate and insurance beginning in the early 1920s and later moved with his family to Tyler, Texas, where he aided other black families in proving " they had clear title to land so that they could sell oil leases." O.L. Hubbard would remove back to Houston sometime in the early 1960s, dying there on February 12, 1968, a few months before his 88th birthday. He was later interred at the Golden Gate Cemetery in Houston.

Sheadrick Bond Turner (1869-1927)

Portrait from the Illinois Blue Book, 1921-22 edition.

    A six-term member of the Illinois State House of Representatives, Sheadrick Bond Turner was a native of Louisiana prior to his removal to the "Land of Lincoln" in the mid-1880s. Born and raised in the parish of West Feliciana, Turner's birth occurred on July 12, 1869, being the son of Hector and Souvenis Turner. While the origins of his name remain undetermined, it can be surmised that he was named in honor of Shadrach Bond (1773-1832), a former Congressman and the first Governor of the state of Illinois.

   Little could be found on Sheadrick Turner's early life in Louisiana, and by 1885 he is recorded as being a resident of Springfield, Illinois. A resident of that city from 1885-99, Turner entered into the world of publishing during his residency there, becoming the proprietor of two newspapers,  The State Capital and Illinois Idea. A graduate of the Illinois College of Law, Turner would later move to Chicago, where he would continue to publish his newspapers as well as practice law. 

    Through the succeeding years, Turner's newspapers gained a reputation as being the "leading weekly publication in Illinois and the Northwest for the moral, economic and industrial benefits for the negro race." Turner's stewardship of these papers is mentioned as being a launching pad for his political career and in November 1914 he won election as a Republican to the Illinois State House of Representatives, defeating Progressive candidate John H. Taylor by a vote of 6, 659 to 2,726.

   Following his freshman term in the legislature (1915-17) Turner wasn't a candidate for reelection. In 1918  he re-entered political life and won a second term in the house, besting Socialist Party nominee C.W. Howorth by a vote of  5, 978 to 305. Turner would be returned to the legislature on four more occasions and during his first two terms was a member of the judiciary committee and is mentioned as having "introduced legislation to discourage the organization of the Ku Klux Klan", as well as having sponsored "an appropriation bill to provide $35,00 for the investigation of bomb-throwing." 

  In addition to the above-mentioned pieces of legislation, Turner gained wide press in 1919 as a leading foe of a "Race Commission Bill", then up for a vote in the 51st session of the assembly.  In its August 30, 1919 edition, the Salt Lake City Broad Ax reported that Turner "strenuously opposed" the bill and was "instrumental in conducting a successful campaign" that saw the bill go down to defeat. As Turner himself stated in the Broad Ax,

"There are no commissions for the Poles. Serbians, Croatians, or any of the other nationalities that dwells underneath the Stars and Stripes and why therefore should there be one for the Negro, when even handed justice and fair play is the one and only solution for the racial troubles of out country."

                                                    Sheadrick B. Turner, from the 1927-29 Illinois Blue Book.

  On November 2, 1926, Sheadrick Turner was elected to his sixth term in the assembly, garnering 11, 411 votes. He would not live to complete this term, as he died in office on September 30, 1927, at age 58.  Shortly after his passing the Illinois legislature honored Turner by adopting a "resolution of tribute" in his memory and adjourned the day's session. Turner was survived by his wife of over twenty years, Maria Cooper. A burial location for both Turner and his wife is unknown at this time.

A Turner memorial notice from the California Eagle, February 3, 1928.

Genoa Sebastian Washington (1897-1972)

Portrait from the Illinois Blue Book, 1967-68.

   Noted as being a "champion of civil rights laws and women's legislation", Genoa Sebastian Washington was a leading legal figure in Chicago, Illinois, serving as a vice president of the Cook County Bar Association. Active in politics as well as law, Washington twice served as a delegate to the Republican National Convention and was a three-term member of the Illinois State House of Representatives from 1966-1972, dying in office in the last-named year.

   The son of the Rev. Virgil William Washington and the former Lucy Virginia Bonner, Genoa S. Washington was born in Washington D.C. on September 26, 1897. Virgil Washington was a minister and General Secretary in the Christian Methodist Episcopal Church, and due to his father's church work "attended the primary and secondary schools wherever the work of his father carried him". A veteran of World War I, Genoa Washington had enlisted as a private and would be honorably discharged as a "captain of infantry" at the war's conclusion.

   Following his military service, Washington attended Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois, graduating from that school in the 1920s with his B.S. degree. He would continue study at Northwestern Law School and in 1929 was admitted to the Illinois Bar. He would practice law in Cook County for many years afterward and also served as a past vice president of the Cook County Bar Association. In addition to practicing law, Washington attained high office in the Chicago branch of the NAACP, of which he served as president. A longstanding Mason, Washington served as a past master of the Richard E. Moore Lodge of Free and Accepted Masons and is also remarked as having served on "the Imperial Council of the Mystic Shrine." In 1952 he served as an alternate delegate from Illinois to the Republican National Convention that nominated Dwight Eisenhower for the Presidency.

    In 1954 Washington made his first attempt at elective office when he announced his candidacy for the U.S. House of Representatives from Illinois' 1st district. After winning the Republican primary in April Washington became the Republican candidate for the seat, squaring off against Democratic incumbent William L. Dawson. On election day 1954, it was Dawson who won out, besting Washington by a wide margin, 71, 472 votes to 23, 470.

   Genoa Washington achieved national prominence in September 1957 when he was selected by President Eisenhower to serve as a member of the U.S. Delegation to the United Nations 12th General Assembly. Washington represented the United States on a special political committee of the UN General Assembly and early in his tenure at the UN conferred with both Israel and the "delegations of Arab countries" regarding the latter's advocation of a strong resolution against Israel and its stance on Palestinian refugees. Washington would also host a banquet for UN delegates at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel in December 1957, where he stated:

"These friends from a far have had too little opportunity to know colored Americans due to the lack of suitable contact. I believe that the American cause would be enhanced if these opportunities are increased."

Genoa Washington (center), from Jet Magazine, January 1958.

  In 1960 Genoa Washington was again a candidate for Congress from Illinois's 1st district. In a nearly identical repeat of the 1954 race, Washington won the Republican primary held in April of that year and in November again faced incumbent representative William Dawson. On November 8th it was Dawson who cruised to an easy victory, beating Washington by a 54,000 vote margin! 

   Four years following his defeat Washington journeyed to San Francisco as part of the Illinois delegation to the 1964 Republican National Convention that nominated Barry Goldwater for President. Washington's political fortunes changed in 1966 when he launched a candidacy for a seat in the Illinois State Assembly. Hoping to represent Cook County's 23rd district, he would win election to the state house in November of that year. His freshman term in the legislature saw him sit on the committees on Revenue, Industry and Labor Relations, and Registration and Regulation.

   Elected to his second term in the state house in 1968, Washington served on the House Committee on Education and the Judiciary during the 1968-70 term. He would win a third term in the legislature in November 1970 and in the March 1972 Republican primary defeated three other Republican candidates to once again become that party's assembly nominee from Cook County's 23rd district. Washington's death at age 75 on October 14, 1972 (just a few weeks prior to the election) curtailed his being elected to a fourth term in the assembly. A lifelong bachelor, Washington's burial location is unknown at this time, but it's presumed to be in Chicago, where he had resided and worked for nearly all his life.

Genoa Washington in 1963 during his time as imperial potentate of the Prince Hall Shriners.

Truly Hatchett (1881-1970)

 Truly Hatchett, from the Nov. 18. 1954 edition of "Jet" magazine.

  Lifelong Baltimore resident Truly Hatchett etched his name into the history books in November 1954 when he became one of two African-Americans to win election to the Maryland State House of Delegates, being the first of their race to be elected to that body. Over seventy years old at the time of his election, Hatchett represented the district of Baltimore for one term and in the twilight of his life was remarked as being "the oldest living real estate broker and insurance man" residing in the city of Baltimore.

   Born in Baltimore on June 17, 1881, Truly Hatchett was the son of James H. and Hannah Hatchett. He is recorded as having attended the public schools of Baltimore and for nearly all of his adult life worked as a real estate dealer and insurance broker. A longstanding member of the Elks Lodge, Hatchett was elected as the Exalted Ruler of the Monumental Elks Lodge of Baltimore in 1928. He would remain affiliated with the Elks Lodge until his death, and for several years served that organization's Grand Lodge as its  "regional director of education". Hatchett was also long active in the Y.M.C.A, holding the post of President of the Board of Managers of the Druid Hill Branch of the YMCA in the early 1950s.

   Prior to his election as a state delegate, Hatchett continued to deal in real estate and insurance. In the early 1950s, he was serving as a "senior claims examiner" in the Unemployment Compensation Division of Baltimore and in November 1954 won election as a Democrat to the Maryland House of Delegates from Baltimore's 4th district.

Truly Hatchett and his fellow legislators in April 1955, from the Baltimore Afro-American.

  Seated along with Hatchett was fellow Fourth District delegate Emory Ryan Cole (1893-1968), a veteran of WWI as well as a practicing lawyer. Taking their seats at the start of the 1955 session, Hatchett and Cole were highlighted in the 1955 edition of the Baltimore Afro-American, where they described their first few months of legislative service. Despite his history-making status in Maryland politics, Hatchett remained modest about his and Cole's groundbreaking tenure, noting that:

"At no time did the Assembly try to embarrass us. Our representatives made a fine impression on the two bodies."

    Hatchett's term of four years concluded in 1958, having been an unsuccessful candidate for reelection. For the remainder of his life, he and his wife Bertha played a prominent role in local civic affairs, and in 1969 the 88-year-old former legislator and his wife were taken from their Druid Block home to the Provident Hospital in Baltimore out of concerns for their health and well-being. As the Baltimore Afro-American relates,

"This good news is a great relief to their friends and neighbors who were much concerned that these two grand senior citizens were ill and alone, except for a half-blind dog...But thanks to their minister, the Rev, Vernon Dobson (Union Baptist) and their nieces in Philadelphia and their friend, Charles Parker, they'll get the tender loving care they need now."

 After many years of prominence in Baltimore's black community, Truly Hatchett died on April 1, 1970, two months short of his 89th birthday. A burial location for both he and his wife remains unknown at this time.

Truly Hatchett (on right) at the 1960 Elks Citizenship Banquet in Washington, D.C.

Duryea Beekman (1840-1924)

Portrait from the Historical Souvenir of Middleburgh, N.Y., 1894.

   Oddly named Schoharie County, New York resident Duryea Beekman was born into a prominent family with its origins in Schoharie County dating back to the 18th century. The son of former New York State Assemblyman Nicholas Beekman and a grandson of William Beekman (the first judge of Schoharie County), Duryea Beekman was born in Seward, New York on August 9, 1840. Being one of twelve children, Beekman's early life is noted by the Grip's Historical Souvenir of Middleburgh, N.Y. as having been "devoted to hard study" upon the family farm, from which he cultivated "conscientious and persevering character." His family had relocated from Seward to Middleburgh, New York while he was still a child and his early education would take place in that town.

   For a good majority of his 83 years, Beekman followed in his father's stead and worked at farming in Middleburgh, New York, where he was "successful in his calling."  In October 1859 Beekman married in Middleburgh to Elizabeth Richtmyer (1834-1915) and would become the father of three sons: Charles (died aged eight months), Dow (1863-1945), and William G.

   In the years following his marriage, the name of Duryea Beek grew to be one of the most prominent in business and political circles in Middleburgh. In November 1878 he was elected as Schoharie County's representative to the New York State Assembly, defeating Republican nominee Nathan Stratton by a vote of 4,480 to 2,974. Serving in the session of 1879, Beekman was named to three assembly committees, those being Internal Affairs, Roads and Bridges, and Agriculture.

   After his term, Beekman returned to Middleburgh, where in 1880 he was named as the president of the recently organized First National Bank of Middleburgh. He would serve in that capacity until his death four decades later, and in addition to being bank president held the directorships of both the Davenport, Middleburgh, and Durham Railroad Co. and the Merchant's and Farmer's Mutual Fire Insurance Co. Active in the local Masonic lodge, Beekman was a longstanding member of the Middleburgh Lodge #663 of Free and Accepted Masons. 

  Duryea Beekman celebrated his 80th birthday in 1920 and even after reaching that milestone continued service as president of the First National Bank of Middleburgh. Four months prior to his passing he suffered a "fall from the steps" in front of that bank, the effects of that injury claiming his life on January 6, 1924, at age 83. Widowed in 1915, both Beekman and his wife were interred at St. Paul's Lutheran Cemetery in Schoharie, New York. Political service continued in the Beekman family in one Dow Beekman (Duryea's son), who would serve at as both District Attorney of Schoharie County and County Judge.

  

Duryea Beekman, from the 1879 N.Y. Assembly composite portrait in my possession.

Odd Eide (1883-1952)

Portrait from the 1931 Minnesota State Legislative Manual.

    Polk County, Minnesota was featured recently in the write-up on Thrond Torsteinsen Morken, who represented that county in the legislature from 1913 to 1917. That Minnesota county again takes center stage with another odd-named state legislator---Odd Eide! If that name immediately conjures up images of a cross-eyed man à la Ben Turpin or Marty Feldman, you are not alone! I'll admit that when I first stumbled across Mr. Eide's name I got quite the laugh out of it, and while his name is certainly interesting, Eide was also a distinguished public figure in Polk County, Minnesota for many years, serving as that county's representative in the state legislature on three consecutive occasions.

   Like several other oddly named Midwestern political figures who've been featured here, Odd Eide's story begins "across the pond" in Voss, Norway, where he was born on February 16, 1883. He would attend the Middel-Skolen (high school) in Voss and following his graduation in 1899 relocated to the United States. In 1901 he settled in Fertile, Polk County, Minnesota, where in that year he took work as a clerk in the general store/druggist shop of his uncle, Andrew Opheim. Following his uncle's death in 1915 Eide took over the day-to-day management of Opheim's business and also acted as the administrator of his estate. Eide also attended college shortly after arriving in Minnesota, graduating from the Park Region Luther College (located in Fergus Falls) in the class of 1902.

   Odd Eide married on November 30, 1910, to Clara Nelson (1884-1965), with whom he would have eight children: Knute Arne (born 1913), Anna Bessie (birth-date unknown), Anders Opheim (birth-date unknown), Clara Alfhild (1918-2001), Odd Arvid (1920-2009), Alf Rognald (1922-2012), Roald (1924-1976) and Agnes (1926-2009). Following his marriage, Eide continued with his business pursuits in Fertile and became active in the civic and political life of that town, serving at various times as a member of the village council, clerk of the Fertile school district, and was a member of the Board of Directors of the National Bank of Fertile. In November 1928 the citizens of Polk County elected Odd Eide as their representative to the Minnesota State Legislature, garnering 6,787 votes.

   Taking his seat in January of the new year, Eide served on the house committees on the Board of Control and State Institutions; Commerce, Manufacture and Retail Trade, Drainage, Markets and Marketing, Municipal Affairs, and State and County Fairs during the 1929-31 session. He was re-elected as representative in November 1930 and in the 1931-33 session served on two new committees, those being Appropriations and Banks and Banking. Eide won his third term in the house in November 1932 and retired from politics at the end of the 1933-35 session.

    In the latter period of his life, Odd Eide continued to be an active citizen in Fertile, being a parishioner at the Concordia Lutheran Church, of which he served as president. Acknowledged as a "good mixer" with a penchant for gardening and stamp collecting, Eide also earned a reputation as a man who:

"Stood for his convictions and treated everyone equal. A staunch supporter was Mr. Eide, and he was untiring in his efforts to improve the village. He was a Republican with great force and sound judgement."

   On July 21, 1952, Odd Eide died in Fertile at age 69. His wife Clara survived him by over a decade, and after her death in 1965 was interred alongside her husband at the Concordia Cemetery in Fertile. 

Fiori Leander Palarine (1905-1982)

Fiori L. Palarine, from the 1937 Minnesota State Legislative Manual.

   Another curiously named state legislator receives a write-up today, and the following profile will be extremely brief, as this author could locate only minimal information on the life of Minnesota native Fiori Leander Palarine. A resident of Ramsey County, Palarine served one term in the Minnesota State House of Representatives in the late 1930s and following his term promptly disappeared from the pages of history. Other than a Find-A-Grave listing denoting his death in 1982, little else could be located on Palarine after he left political life in January 1939.

  Fiori Leander Palarine was born on February 17, 1905, his place of birth being given as Italy in the 1940 census. No information could be found regarding his early life or education. He married sometime in the early 1930s to Lorayne G. Burgan (1905-1975) and later had two daughters (listed as being ages five and one in the 1940 census) and a son, John R. (born 1948).

   A successful attorney based in St. Paul prior to his service in state government, Palarine became a candidate for the Minnesota State House in mid-1936, and in the November election defeated his opponent, Arthur T. Gibbons,  by a vote of 1,954 to 1,783. Despite attaining such high office the dearth of resources mentioning Palarine are so lacking that even his Minnesota legislative manual biography amounts to just one line! 

Palarine's "biography" from the 1937 Minnesota Legislative Manual.

   The lack of biographical material notwithstanding, it is known that Palarine was quite busy as a first-term legislator, serving on several committees during his term, including Appropriations; Banks and Banking, Cities of the First Class; Civil Administration; Commerce, Manufacture and Retail Trade; General Legislation; Insurance and the Judiciary. Palarine would also make the pages of the Moorhead Daily News in September 1937, when he alleged that "erroneous statements" had been made in regard to state housing act benefits.

   Palarine had taken exception to comments made by Arthur Eggert, the public affairs secretary for the St. Paul Chamber of Commerce, whom Palarine claimed made "erroneous statements regarding the Wagner Housing Act, which appropriates $526,000,000 for low-cost housing and slum clearance projects." Palarine charged that Eggert's statements minimized the benefits of the housing act and that these benefits would "far exceed the cost to city and state". Palarine even went as far as to "urge" then-Governor Elmer Benson to call a special legislation to enact a housing bill.

   In 1938 Fiori L. Palarine was a candidate for reelection, and in that year narrowly lost (1,755 votes to 1,741) to Arthur T. Gibbons, the man whom he had defeated two years previously. Gibbons would represent Ramsey County in the legislature for fifteen more years, leaving office in 1954.

Palarine's unsuccessful bid for reelection, from the 1938 Minnesota Legislative Manual.

   Very little could be found on Fiori Palarine after his defeat in 1938. His term in the house concluded in January 1939 and afterward, he returned to practicing law. In 1952 he is listed as being "the successful bidder on the Grant Mine near Butte", a mine noted as having "stockpiles containing more than a 1,000,000 tons of lean ore and paint rock." Widowed in 1975, Fiori Palarine died on September 16, 1982, at age 77, his death occurring in Ramsey County. Both Palarine and his wife were interred at the Sunset Memorial Park Cemetery in Minneapolis.

Thrond Torsteinsen Morken (1852-1932)

Portrait courtesy of the Minnesota Digital Library.

   Two-term Minnesota state representative Thrond Torsteinsen Morken joins a shortlist of oddly named Norwegian natives who've had a profile posted here, the last of whom, Marthinus F. Hegge, being featured back in December. A probate judge before his legislative service, Morken had previously served as County Commissioner for Polk County, Minnesota in the early 1900s. The son of Torsten and Carrie Lunde Morken, Thrond T. Morken was born in Norway on July 8, 1852. One should note that Morken's middle name has two variations in spelling in addition to the one given here, including Torstensson and Torstenson.

    Little is known of his early life in his native country, except that he was "educated in the common schools" of Norway. In 1874 Morken immigrated to the United States, settling in Goodhue County, Minnesota, where he would engage in farming. He would also farm in Nelson County, North Dakota for a period of about ten years and in 1883 married Bertha Karene Strandsness (1859-1947), later having one son, Thorsten (1888-1971).

   Morken continued to reside and farm in North Dakota until 1892, when he moved back to Minnesota, settling in Polk County. Eight years after his resettlement Morken was elected as a member of the Polk County Board of Commissioners, subsequently holding that post from 1901-1905. Two years after leaving that office he was appointed as Judge of Probate for Polk County, and would later be elected to a term of his own, serving a total of seven years on the bench (1906-1913). Towards the end of his term as probate judge, Morken was elected as one of Polk County's representatives to the Minnesota state legislature in November 1912, taking his seat at the beginning of the January 1913 term.

   Morken's first term as a state representative saw him serve on the committees on Claims, Labor and Labor Legislation, State Hospitals, Telephone and Telegraph, Temperance Legislation, Workmen's Compensation and was chairman of the committee on Logs and Lumber. As a candidate for reelection in 1914, Morken faced off against John Clementsen, and on election day triumphed in the vote count, garnering 2,597 votes to his opponent's 2,096. During the 1915-17 term Morken held seats on the house committees on Claims, Elections, Forestry, Labor and Labor Legislation, Reapportionment, State Normal Schools, and Workmen's Compensation, and is also recorded as having supported the " county option and all temperance laws, equal suffrage, repeal of the Elwell law and semi-monthly pay day."

   Little else could be found on Morken's life after leaving the legislature. He died a week after his 80th birthday on July 15, 1932, at his home in Crookston and was later buried at the Oakdale Cemetery in that town. Morken's wife Bertha was also interred here following her death in 1947. 

Morken's legislative portrait from 1915-16.

Zern Mitchell Hiner (1899-1940)

Zern M. Hiner, from the 1921 Purdue University "Debris" Yearbook.

    Following on the heels of yesterday's profile on U.S. Ambassador to Luxembourg Allingham Burks Summers, another oddly named diplomat joins the ranks of the "Strangest Names In American Political History", Zern Mitchell Hiner of Indiana. Despite his lack of years (he died aged 41 in 1940) Mr. Hiner was tapped to serve as U.S. Vice Consul in Ottawa, Canada in the early 1930s, later being transferred to Riga, Latvia to serve in the same post.

   While information regarding Mr. Hiner remains scant at best, it is known that he was born in Peru, Indiana on May  12, 1899, a son of John and Carolina Emma Zern Hiner. Inheriting his odd first name from his mother's maiden name, Zern M. Hiner was a veteran of the First World War and following his service was a student at Purdue University in Lafayette, Indiana, being a member of the school Agricultural Society. He graduated from that university in 1921 and would be employed as a stenographer, book department manager, and accountant after leaving Purdue.

  In 1931, Hiner, then barely into his thirties, was appointed as a clerk in the District Accounting and Disbursing Office in Ottawa. In November of that year he was promoted to assistant district accountant and disbursing officer in Ottawa, and in January 1932 advanced to U.S. Vice Consul at Ottawa. Hiner remained in Ottawa until 1938, whereafter he was transferred to Riga, Latvia, where he continued service as a clerk and U.S. Vice Consul. He remained in Riga until his death on June 3, 1940, just a few weeks after his 41st birthday. Death was attributed to peritonitis and Hiner's funeral arrangements were "conducted at the American legation at Riga."

  A few days following his death Zern Hiner's body was returned to the United States for burial, which took place at the Mount Hope Cemetery in Peru, Indiana. Hiner was survived by his mother and sister Harriet (1898-1989), the former dying a few months after her son in July 1940.

Allingham Burks Summers (1898-1977)

                                                                   Portrait courtesy of the Baltimore Sun, 1964.

   The life of distinguished businessman and diplomat A. Burks Summers is highlighted today, and in this case, it appears that history's dustbin has claimed yet another victim. Although prominent in his day as a financier and diplomat (serving briefly as U.S. Ambassador to Luxembourg), the passage of history has made details on Summers's life difficult to come by. While no substantial biography exists in regards to Summers, there are a few small mentions of him here and there in periodicals of the time, all of which aided in the construction of his profile here.
   Allingham Burks Summers was born in Mattoon, Illinois on June 27, 1898, the son of John William and Virginia Burks Summers. The Summers family would later move to Walla Walla, Washington in 1908, and in the succeeding years, John Summers built up a distinctive political career, serving a term in the Washington state legislature and in 1919 began the first of six terms as a member of Congress from Washington. The Summers family could also count an actress in their family, Allingham's sister being one Hope Summers (1896-1979), perhaps familiar to you Andy Griffith Show fans as Ms. Clara Edwards, appearing in a total of 36 episodes in that series.
   Little is known of Allingham's early life in Illinois and Washington. Mention is given as to his attending the University of Pennsylvania, and in 1922 he earned his Bachelor of Science in Economics degree from that institution. Summers had previously attended the University of Washington, where he met his future wife, Helen (1900-1976). The couple married in the mid-1920s and Helen Summers would subsequently find success in her own right, being the organizer of the "Lincoln Day Box Suppers", an idea that would later become a "GOP institution" by the early 1960s. 
   After entering the business world following his college graduation, Summers relocated to Washington, D.C., and in the late 1930s was serving as the President of the General Credit, Incorporated, a firm  that specialized in "automobile financing." Aside from being a financier, notice is given as to Summers being an "international economist" and "industrial consultant", his business expertise being sought out across the world. His small death notice in the Phi Delta Theta 1976-77 Scroll relates that:

"From 1930 to 1948 he assisted in the industrial and development studies of Latin America, South and East Africa, the Near East, Greece, Finland, France, Spain and Portugal." 

 In addition to the above notes, Summers also traveled with future U.S. Secretary of Commerce Maurice Stans on a "scientific and research expedition to Chad" in 1966. Summers's status as a big game hunter was well known by his contemporaries, and in the mid-1960s took part in advertising a new type of grill that ran solely on newspaper fuel. As Summers himself related in the February 14, 1968 edition of the Milwaukee Journal:

"Four years ago I was in Africa on a big game safari. The people down there, the Zulus, use beaten up old oil cans (for cooking.) This engineer picked this idea up and patented it.......They're an awful lot of fun and they do a really good job. Why should people pay for fuel when they don't have to? Why carry it?"

From the Milwaukee Journal, February 14, 1968.

   The grill, marketed under the name "Swaniebraai Safari Grill", was remarked by the Philadelphia Inquirer as coming about due to Summers's "personal grudge against charcoal", and after returning to South Africa on business met up with a British engineer named Derek Davis, who would become the actual inventor of the grill. Summer would later "fall in love" with Davis's invention and also "arranged for full U.S. patent rights." 

   After many years of involvement in national and international business, A. Burks Summers was tapped by President Eisenhower to serve as U.S. Ambassador to Luxembourg in 1960, succeeding outgoing Ambassador Vinton Chapin (1900-1982). Summers officially entered into his duties as Ambassador on September 16, 1960, and served only a few months in that post, leaving office on April 1, 1961. 

   Following his return to the United States Summers continued with his earlier business interests and in 1964 took on an active role in the campaign of U.S. Senator Barry Goldwater, who was the Republican candidate for President that year. Summers served as head of the "Sportsmen and Women for Goldwater Committee" and took to the stump in the latter portion of the campaign season, even being expected to "round up golfers, polo players, and mountain climbers for Barry."

   In the remaining years of his life Summers was a prominent booster for his old fraternity, Phi Delta Theta, and in 1968 was inducted by his brother Paul into the fraternity's "Golden Circle." That same year Summers also took part in Washington, D.C.'s Founders Day Observances, serving as toastmaster. In April 1976 Helen Summers died of a heart attack at age 76. Allingham survived her by only a few months, dying in Rockville, Maryland on January 19, 1977, at age 78. A burial location for both Summers and his wife is unknown at this time.

From the 1976 Phi Delta Theta "Scroll".

Kumen Snow Gardner (1900-1983)

Portrait from "The Mayors of Cedar City", 1986.

   Cedar City, Utah resident Kumen Snow Gardner was long prominent in the civic and political affairs of his community, being a farmer, city councilman, two-term state representative, and one-term Mayor of Cedar City. In addition to his time in elected office, Gardner was active in the Church of Latter-Day Saints, serving as bishop of the Newcastle ward as well as having a ten-year tenure as President of the Cedar Stake. 

    Born in Grass Valley, Utah on April 21, 1900, Kumen Snow Gardner was one of twelve children born to Royal Joseph and Chloe Snow Gardner. His early life in Grass Valley was spent helping his father at a sawmill located near his family's home, as well as attending the "district school" in Pine Valley. Gardner and his family moved to Iron County during his adolescence and he continued schooling at the Cedar City High School.

    Following the completion of his high school education, Gardner enrolled at the Branch  Agricultural College, where he would be a standout basketball player, helping the college team attain "first place in state competition in both 1918 and 1919." Sanders graduated from Branch in 1919 and continued study at both the Utah State Agricultural College and the National Automobile School of America, graduating from the latter school in 1922. 

   In the same year as his graduation from the National Automobile School of America, Kumen Gardner relocated to New Castle, Utah, where he took work with the New Castle Reclamation Company, a farming/land investment concern. Within a few years, Gardner had purchased various pieces of arable land and built up a "successful livestock business, with summers in Grass Valley and winters in New Castle." Gardner would be affiliated with livestock and agricultural concerns for the rest of his life, being a past president of Iron County's Cattlemen's Association for six years and is also recorded as being the organizer of the Southern Utah Livestock Show.

A Gardner election notice from the Iron County Record, October 26, 1944.

   In 1932 Kumen Gardner married in New Castle to Naida Gillies (1915-2012), to whom he was wed for over fifty years. The couple would have a total of five children: Sheila, Dayne, Paul, Neil, and Eric. A longstanding member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, Gardner was selected as Bishop of the New Castle ward in 1938 and served in that position until 1943. In that year he and his family removed to Cedar City, Utah, where he would continue in church work, entering into the Presidency of the Cedar Stake of the Mormon Church, where he would serve until 1955.

   Kumen S. Gardner first entered local politics while he was residing in New Castle. From 1930 to 1939 he was the president of the New Castle Town Board and following his removal to Iron County was a candidate for County Commissioner in 1944 (his election notice being shown above). Three years later Gardner won election to the Cedar City Council for a two-year term, garnering 1054 votes. 

   In 1958 he was elected as one of Iron County's representatives to the Utah State Legislature, and during his term in June 1959 was named "Utah's All-American Father of the Year". Gardner won re-election to the statehouse in November of 1960 and after leaving office in 1961 continued his political ascent, winning election as the Mayor of Cedar City. He was sworn in as Mayor on January 2, 1962, and within two months of entering office had to contend with the largest fire to occur in the city's history, the burning of the Leigh Block. 

   Kumen Gardner left the office of mayor in January 1966, being succeeded by L.A. Whetten. Gardner continued to be a major force in Iron County civic affairs for many years afterward, being the President of the Escalante Valley Electric Company and Chairman of the State Board of Land Management, and in 1976 he was named as Utah's "outstanding cattleman" by the Utah Association of Future Farmers of America. 

  On November 15, 1983, Kumen Gardner was injured in a truck accident in Southern Utah. He succumbed to his injuries two weeks later at a Las Vegas hospital on November 28, 1983, at age 83. Gardner's wife and children survived him, with Naida Gillies Gardner being interred alongside her husband at the Cedar City Cemetery upon her death at age 97 in 2012.

From the Salt Lake Tribune, December 21, 1958.