George W. Clarke

George Washington Clarke (October 24, 1852, Shelby County, Indiana – November 28, 1936, Adel, Iowa) served two terms as the 21st Governor of Iowa from 1913-17.

In 1856 the Clarke family moved to Davis County, Iowa, settling one mile east of Drakesville. He taught school in Bloomfield before attending Oskaloosa College, from which he graduated in 1877. Clarke earned a law degree from the University of Iowa in 1878 and then moved to Adel, Iowa. He married Arletta Greene on June 27, 1878. He served four years as Justice of the Peace and in 1882 formed a partnership with John B. White for the practice of law. From 1901-1909, he was a member of the Iowa House of Representatives, serving as Speaker from 1904-1909. He was the 22nd Lieutenant Governor from 1909-1913 serving under Governor Beryl F. Carroll, and then was elected governor in 1912 and reelected in 1914. After stepping down as governor, he was Dean of Drake University Law School from 1917-1918, and practiced law in Des Moines, Iowa. His papers are in the collection of the University of Iowa.

One of his grandchildren was Nile Kinnick, who won the Heisman Trophy while playing for the University of Iowa.

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