Donald Clausen
Member of the
U.S. House of Representatives
from California
In office
January 22, 1963 – January 3, 1983
Preceded byClement W. Miller
Succeeded byDouglas H. Bosco (Redistricting)
Constituency1st District (1963-1975)
2nd District (1975-1983)
Personal details
Born
Donald Holst Clausen

(1923-04-27)April 27, 1923
Ferndale, California, U.S.
DiedFebruary 7, 2015(2015-02-07) (aged 91)
Fortuna, California, U.S.
Political partyRepublican
SpouseJessie Oleva Piper
ProfessionBusinessman
Military service
AllegianceUnited States
Branch/serviceUnited States Navy
Battles/warsPacific Theater, World War II

Donald Holst Clausen (April 27, 1923 – February 7, 2015) was an American businessman, World War II veteran, and politician who served ten terms as a U.S. Representative from California from 1963 to 1983.

Biography

Born in Ferndale, California, Clausen graduated from elementary and high schools of Ferndale,[1] where he was an honors student and lettered five sports: tennis, track, basketball, football and baseball as well as being the drum major of the school band.[2]

He attended San José State University, California Polytechnic State University (in San Luis Obispo, California), Weber State University (in Ogden, Utah), and Saint Mary's College of California.[1] He took part in the U.S. Navy V5 Aviation Cadet Program. He served as a carrier pilot in the Asiatic-Pacific Theater of the Second World War from 1944 to 1945,[1] flying F4U Corsair aircraft.[2] Post-war, Clausen helped found the Del Norte County Airport,[2] and served as a member of the board of supervisors of Del Norte County, California, from 1955 to 1962.[1] He ran two companies in Crescent City, his insurance business, Clausen Associates, and Clausen Flying Service, an air ambulance service, and it was from Crescent City that he served Congress.[1]

Congress

Clausen was elected as a Republican to the Eighty-eighth Congress to fill the vacancy caused by the death of United States Representative Clement Woodnutt Miller (who had been re-elected posthumously), and to the nine succeeding Congresses (January 22, 1963 – January 3, 1983).[1]

Clausen authored the bill creating the Lady Bird Johnson Grove in the Redwood National Park.[2] Former president Lyndon Johnson and Lady Bird Johnson, sitting president Richard Nixon, and future president Ronald Reagan and many other federal and local dignitaries attended the dedication of the grove.[2] Clausen said that this was his proudest accomplishment.[2]

He was an unsuccessful candidate for reelection to the Ninety-eighth Congress in 1982, narrowly losing to Democrat Douglas H. Bosco.[1] He served as director, special programs, Federal Aviation Administration from 1983 to 1990 and was a resident of Santa Rosa, California, after his Congressional tenure ended.[1]

A building at the Del Norte County Airport is one of the many sites dedicated to Clausen.

The Don Clausen Fish Hatchery in Sonoma County[3] was named in his honor and the Redwood National Park Bypass on US Highway 101 was renamed the Don Clausen Highway in 1996 by act of the California Legislature due to his efforts at obtaining appropriations for building that road and the Redwood National Park Visitor Center.[4]

Death and legacy

Clausen died in a hospital on February 7, 2015, in Fortuna, California, from complications of diabetes, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and heart and lung disease.[5][6] His congressional papers are archived at Humboldt State University library[7] and his congressional desk and other office memorabilia are exhibited at the Ferndale Museum.

Electoral history

1962 United States House of Representatives elections[8]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Clement Woodnutt Miller (Incumbent) 100,962 50.8
Republican Donald H. Clausen 97,949 49.2
Total votes 198,911 100.0
Turnout  
Democratic hold
1963 Special election[9]
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Don H. Clausen 54.2
Democratic William F. Grader 44.7
Democratic John C. Stuart (write-in) 1.1
Total votes 100.0
Turnout  
Republican gain from Democratic
1964 United States House of Representatives elections[10]
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Donald H. Clausen (Incumbent) 141,048 59.1
Democratic George McCabe 97,651 40.9
Total votes 238,699 100.0
Turnout  
Republican hold
1966 United States House of Representatives elections[11]
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Donald H. Clausen (Incumbent) 143,755 65.1
Democratic Thomas T. Storer 77,000 34.9
Total votes 220,755 100.0
Turnout  
Republican hold
1968 United States House of Representatives elections[12]
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Donald H. Clausen (Incumbent) 132,433 75.1
Democratic Donald W. Graham 37,650 21.4
Peace and Freedom Adolph N. Hofmann 3,372 1.9
American Independent Gladys O'Neil 2,882 1.6
Total votes 176,337 100.0
Turnout  
Republican hold
1970 United States House of Representatives elections[13]
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Donald H. Clausen (Incumbent) 108,358 63.5
Democratic William Kortum 62,688 36.5
Total votes 171,046 100.0
Turnout  
Republican hold
1972 United States House of Representatives elections[14]
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Donald H. Clausen (Incumbent) 140,807 62.2
Democratic William A. Nighswonger 77,138 34.1
Peace and Freedom Jonathan T. Ames 8,470 3.7
Total votes 226,145 100.0
Turnout  
Republican hold

1974

1974 United States House of Representatives elections in California, 2nd district[15]
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Donald H. Clausen (incumbent) 95,508 53
Democratic Oscar H. Klee 76,951 42.7
Peace and Freedom Carole J. Glass 7,719 4.3
Total votes 180,178 100.0
Turnout  
Republican hold
1976 United States House of Representatives elections in California, 2nd district[16]
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Donald H. Clausen (incumbent) 121,290 56.0
Democratic Oscar H. Klee 88,829 41.0
Peace and Freedom Robert B. "Bob" Allred 6,444 3.0
Total votes 216,563 100
Turnout  
Republican hold
1978 United States House of Representatives elections in California, 2nd district[17]
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Donald H. Clausen (incumbent) 114,451 52.0
Democratic Norma Bork 99,712 45.3
Peace and Freedom Irv Sutley 6,097 2.8
Total votes 220,260 100.0
Turnout  
Republican hold
1980 United States House of Representatives elections in California, 2nd district[18]
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Donald H. Clausen (incumbent) 141,698 54.2
Democratic Norma K. Bork 109,789 42.0
Libertarian Daniel Mosier 6,833 2.6
Peace and Freedom Linda D. Wren 3,354 1.3
Total votes 261,674 100.0
Turnout  
Republican hold

District 1

California's 1st congressional district election, 1982
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Douglas H. Bosco 107,749 49.85
Republican Don H. Clausen (incumbent) 102,043 47.21
Libertarian David Redick 6,374 2.95
Total votes 216,166 100.00
Turnout  
Democratic gain from Republican

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 "Bioguide Search". bioguide.congress.gov. Retrieved 2023-05-14.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Retired congressman from Ferndale to celebrate 90th birthday April 27, The Ferndale Enterprise, April 18, 2013
  3. ↑ "Lake Sonoma and Fish Hatchery in Sonoma County, California". www.parks.sonoma.net. Retrieved 2023-05-14.
  4. ↑ "ACR 92 Assembly Concurrent Resolution - CHAPTERED". www.leginfo.ca.gov. Retrieved 2023-05-14.
  5. ↑ Mark Lieberman (2015-02-12). "Don Clausen, who served 20 years in Congress, dies at 91". The Washington Post. Washington, D.C. ISSN 0190-8286. OCLC 1330888409.
  6. ↑ GUY KOVNER (February 9, 2015). "Longtime lawmaker Don Clausen dies at 91". Press Democrat. Retrieved February 9, 2015.
  7. ↑ "Don H. Clausen Congressional Papers: Finding Aid - Humboldt Room - HSU Library Special Collections". library.humboldt.edu. Retrieved 2023-05-14.
  8. ↑ 1962 election results
  9. ↑ 1963 special election results
  10. ↑ 1964 election results
  11. ↑ 1966 election results
  12. ↑ 1968 election results
  13. ↑ 1970 election results
  14. ↑ 1972 election results
  15. ↑ 1974 election results
  16. ↑ 1976 election results
  17. ↑ 1978 election results
  18. ↑ 1980 election results

Public Domain This article incorporates public domain material from the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress

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